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MLB Power Rankings: Rockies riding high, slumping Yankees losing grasp

Chris Humphreys / USA TODAY Sports

The Mile High City can calmly breathe the thin air and look down at the standings, where the Colorado Rockies sit atop the NL West.

While the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers haven't afforded them any breathing room, the Rockies are forging their own fortunes after completing a four-game sweep of the San Francisco Giants over the weekend.

Here's a look at how each team stacks up this time around:

1. Houston Astros

RECORD LAST 10 PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
46-24 4-6 1 (-)

As one of only two teams with a plus-100 run differential, the kings stay king. Despite dropping five of their last seven decisions, enduring the losses of Dallas Keuchel and Lance McCullers to injury would be insurmountable for lesser teams.

2. Los Angeles Dodgers

RECORD LAST 10 PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
44-26 9-1 2 (-)

Over Cody Bellinger's last eight games, the Dodgers rookie has a slugging percentage of 1.029. The 21-year-old outfielder and first baseman is just one home run back of the NL lead and he isn't even a qualified hitter. This past week, he even added "make Andrew Miller look mortal" to his resume. Oh, and Kenley Jansen still hasn't walked a single batter.

3. Colorado Rockies

RECORD LAST 10 PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
46-26 7-3 5 (+2)

Winners of five straight, the Rockies are continuing to be the surprise of 2017. They currently lead their division - something they've never done by season's end in franchise history. They look built for longevity with a young pitching staff, but even the Padres beat up on the Giants these days.

4. Washington Nationals

RECORD LAST 10 PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
42-27 4-6 3 (-1)

The Nationals drop a spot in this update, but still have a double-digit lead on their division in the middle of June. It's not as though they're being surpassed, but the team with the best offense in all of baseball - led by Ryan Zimmerman, Bryce Harper, Daniel Murphy, and Anthony Rendon - is plagued by expectations now.

5. Arizona Diamondbacks

RECORD LAST 10 PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
44-26 9-1 6 (+1)

The Diamondbacks finally seem like the team they were supposed to be last year. The offense is led by Paul Goldschmidt and Jake Lamb, with Zack Greinke and Robbie Ray commanding the pitching staff. Even newcomer Taijuan Walker is posting impressive numbers. The NL West is going to be a tough race; do they have the depth?

6. Boston Red Sox

RECORD LAST 10 PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
39-30 7-3 7 (+1)

Over the past week, Mookie Betts has quietly been the best player in all of baseball - that's become Betts' thing. He doesn't have dominant games; he's just steadily excellent. Three home runs, four doubles, and a slash line of .387/.441/.806. Boston is rolling right now and just took two of three from Houston.

7. New York Yankees

RECORD LAST 10 PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
38-29 4-6 4 (-3)

By now, everyone has almost certainly caught Judge Fever - except, of course, the Athletics, who handed the behemoth Yankees a four-game sweep. Masahiro Tanaka's precipitous fall continued over the weekend, leaving his start after just four innings after allowing five earned runs on four hits and a walk while still surprisingly managing to strike out 10 batters.

8. Cleveland Indians

RECORD LAST 10 PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
36-31 7-3 10 (+2)

By late May, Edwin Encarnacion saw his batting average slump to below .200. Since then, however, the big offseason acquisition has lifted his slash line to .261/.377/.496 including six home runs in June. That's the slugger Cleveland signed with hopes of making it back to the World Series.

9. Milwaukee Brewers

RECORD LAST 10 PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
38-33 6-4 11 (+2)

Eric Thames is back from his slump and the Brewers are one of just six teams with triple-digit home runs. Even further, they have five players with 10 or more dingers, with Travis Shaw, Domingo Santana, Keon Broxton, and Hernan Perez joining Thames. Someone should warn the Cubs.

10. Chicago Cubs

RECORD LAST 10 PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
34-34 4-6 9 (-1)

Making Anthony Rizzo the leadoff hitter seems like a great idea, and was certainly the storyline for the Cubs. They've gone 4-1 with Rizzo at the top of the lineup and with the Padres and Marlins coming up next, it's time for the reigning World Series champs to make some hay.

11. Texas Rangers

RECORD LAST 10 PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
34-34 7-3 17 (+6)

Catching the Astros may be too tall an order at this point, but the Rangers - helped by taking two of three from Houston and Seattle this week - have managed to jump back into the wild-card race. They won't go away quietly.

12. Tampa Bay Rays

RECORD LAST 10 PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
37-35 6-4 12 (-)

Chris Archer seems to have returned to his pre-2016 form and is once again anchoring the pesky Rays' rotation. That's helped them move into the second wild-card spot despite losing Kevin Kiermaier for an extended period.

13. Toronto Blue Jays

RECORD LAST 10 PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
33-35 5-5 14 (+1)

Devon Travis' potentially season-ending injury should steer the Jays to look for a boost at second base - but should they even buy? The injury-plagued club has blown every chance to get back to .500 despite sitting two games out of the wild card. This week's four-game set against the archrival Rangers may tip the scales one way or another.

14. Minnesota Twins

RECORD LAST 10 PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
34-33 3-7 15 (-1)

Heading into the weekend, backup catcher Chris Gimenez said it was time for the first-place Twins to "punch (Cleveland) in the mouth." But it was the Twinkies who absorbed the blows while getting swept out of first place by the heavily favored Indians. Those two months at the top were fun, though.

15. Los Angeles Angels

RECORD LAST 10 PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
36-37 5-5 19 (+4)

Eric Young Jr. is no Mike Trout, but since taking over for the injured superstar on May 29 he's sure looked like No. 27, with a .933 OPS, three homers, and one walk-off hit in 20 games. That's music to Mike Scioscia's ears, especially when he sees the other eight men on his lineup card.

16. Detroit Tigers

RECORD LAST 10 PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
32-36 3-7 16 (-)

Miguel Cabrera burst out of a slump with a walk-off homer, but the Tigers are generally struggling. The loss of Victor Martinez to an irregular heartbeat won't help matters either, and the inevitable Motown teardown may finally be on the horizon.

17. Baltimore Orioles

RECORD LAST 10 PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
34-34 3-7 8 (-9)

For years, Baltimore's managed to find success despite shaky starting pitching. The luck may finally be wearing off, though: This month, none of the Orioles starters own a FIP lower than 4.64 - and they're 7-10 in June as a result. The rest of the AL East may quickly pass them by.

18. Seattle Mariners

RECORD LAST 10 PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
34-37 4-6 18 (-)

Good news for Mariners fans: King Felix is coming. Hernandez will come off the DL and make his first start since April 25 on Friday against Houston. Now, can he get some of that old magic back and propel the M's above .500?

19. St. Louis Cardinals

RECORD LAST 10 PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
31-37 5-5 13 (-6)

Since changing up Mike Matheny's coaching staff on June 9 after a seven-game losing streak, the Cardinals have gone 5-5 and are still stuck spinning their wheels in third place in the NL Central. More changes could be coming if this continues.

20. Chicago White Sox

RECORD LAST 10 PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
31-37 6-4 21 (-1)

The White Sox made life pretty miserable for two AL East teams this week, taking three of four from Baltimore and two of three from the Blue Jays in Toronto. Then again, these are the last-place White Sox who feasted on two struggling teams, so don't take too much out of it.

21. Pittsburgh Pirates

RECORD LAST 10 PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
31-38 5-5 25 (+4)

Jameson Taillon labored in his second start (vs. the Cubs) since returning from cancer treatment Sunday, but his first start is one of the feel-good stories of the season. He went five innings against the potent Rockies lineup, allowing zero runs on five hits.

22. Miami Marlins

RECORD LAST 10 PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
30-37 6-4 23 (+1)

The Marlins may have the best offensive outfield in the game as Marcell Ozuna and Giancarlo Stanton have 18 and 17 home runs, respectively. Since the beginning of June, Christian Yelich is hitting .313. While the rest of the offense has its holes, this trio has been very difficult to get out.

23. Kansas City Royals

RECORD LAST 10 PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
33-35 7-3 27 (+4)

The Royals haven't lost a series in June and have climbed back into the AL Central race. Almost certainly seen as sellers only a few weeks ago, patience is possibly prevailing as they trail the division-leading Indians by only 3 1/2 games.

24. New York Mets

RECORD LAST 10 PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
31-37 6-4 20 (-4)

Yoenis Cespedes isn't fully healthy and the pitching staff is in total disarray. Noah Syndergaard won't begin throwing for another few weeks. As the injuries and losses pile up, top prospect Amed Rosario continues to rake at Triple-A with no promotion in sight.

25. Oakland Athletics

RECORD LAST 10 PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
31-38 5-5 26 (+1)

Sonny Gray has made some strides even if the overall game isn't there yet. His time with the Athletics is possibly nearing an end, as he's been a rumored trade target among contenders. He's reduced his home run frequency so far, and his FIP suggests better days are coming soon.

26. Atlanta Braves

RECORD LAST 10 PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
31-37 5-5 24 (-2)

The aged veteran experiment with Bartolo Colon and R.A. Dickey has not yielded positive results. Without Freddie Freeman, the offense hasn't been a total joke, though. Matt Kemp leads the way, but Ender Inciarte, Brandon Phillips, and Nick Markakis are all hovering around .300.

27. Cincinnati Reds

RECORD LAST 10 PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
29-39 1-9 22 (-5)

The Reds have lost nine straight games. Once again, Joey Votto is the team's primary bright spot, leading in every offensive category other than batting average (which he will) and stolen bases (Billy Hamilton). Pitching remains the biggest concern.

28. San Francisco Giants

RECORD LAST 10 PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
26-45 2-8 28 (-)

Pitching, even beyond Madison Bumgarner, was expected to be the team's strong suit. Not so much. No starter (other than MadBum) has an ERA below 4.00. While a lot can be chalked up to bad luck, it's gotten to the point where a miracle has to happen to reach the postseason.

29. San Diego Padres

RECORD LAST 10 PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
28-42 5-5 30 (+1)

Any progress is good. Future pieces are here, from Hunter Renfroe to Manuel Margot to seasoned vet Wil Myers (he's 26). Still, this team doesn't have a shot at competing in 2017 and work needs to be done with the pitching staff.

30. Philadelphia Phillies

RECORD LAST 10 PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE)
22-46 1-9 29 (-1)

For the first time all season, a team other than the Padres occupies the basement. The Phillies have lost nine of 10 and have the worst record in baseball by a fairly healthy margin. The rebuild continues.

(Photos courtesy: Action images)

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