MLB

MLB Power Rankings: Twins take the top spot, Athletics jump skyward, Dodgers keep winning

This past week of baseball was full of surprises from teams that many had counted out and a ton of marquee matchups. We’ll break it all down and tell you who came out on top.

30. Baltimore Orioles, 17-38, last in the AL East

The Orioles pitching has struggled all season, with only the Rangers posting a worse ERA than Baltimore’s 5.51 on the season. However, 26-year-old John Means has been great since moving more permanently to the rotation. With a 2.33 ERA, Means has managed to limit teams to one run in all but one of his starts this season. It’s not enough to change much for the Orioles this season, but at least the group has one starter who’s finding success on the mound right now.

The offense is in just as much trouble, scoring 3.98 runs per game right now, but catcher Pedro Severino has three home runs and a .942 OPS over his last 10 games. Outfielders Dwight Smith Jr. and Trey Mancini continue to swing the bat well, but with their pitching allowing 6.11 runs per game – the worst in the league — the O’s rebuild might take some time before they truly see the benefits from it. Which means more ugly baseball ahead.

29.Miami Marlins, 18-34, last in the NL East

The Marlins managed to win seven of their last 10 games, sweeping the Mets and Tigers last week. Miami’s Caleb Smith continues to build on his excellent 2019 season, leading the club with a 1.3 bWAR, but the next highest belongs to OF/INF Brian Anderson at 1.0 bWAR.

What’s more frustrating is the Marlins last true trading chip, 2B Starlin Castro, doesn’t look like a player who’s going to command much on the open market. The 29-year-old is hitting just .227 with three home runs, but he’s surprisingly still leading the club in hits with 45. Castro would likely improve on his numbers if he had some protection in the Miami lineup, but with a .552 OPS the Marlins aren’t going to get much back in return. The rebuild in Miami hasn’t gone the way Derek Jeter and the front office had hoped.

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