Major League Baseball Power Rankings Week 18: An Overview – Part 4
Cleveland Indians were the biggest losers this week as they slipped four places to the 15th spot in week 18. They have not enjoyed the best of starts to the second half of the season and a 7-10 win-loss record in that stretch is good evidence
as to why.
The Indians have lost five of their previous eight games including a 0-12 humiliation at the hands of Kansas City Royals at home. The Indians ended up losing the series 1-2.
Cleveland impressed in their first game of the four-game series against the Boston Red Sox on the road, winning 9-6 and gaining an early advantage in the series. A stretch of a few more good games can help the Indians topple the Detroit Tigers to top the
American League Central as just two games separate both sides.
Chicago White Sox have been inconsistent this season and have slipped numerous times after reaching the .500 winning percentage. After recording 52-52 on July 29, they have slipped to 52-55 after three consecutive losses; two to Red Sox and one to New York
Yankees.
The White Sox have been a bit more than .500 after the midseason break with eight wins and seven losses thus far. August is not a difficult month for the White Sox and they have a good chance to improve further on their rankings. They are just 2.5 games
behind the Indians who are facing a dip in form and it is a good chance for Chicago to capitalise.
Cincinnati Reds did not start impressively for the week but ended it way above everyone’s expectations. The Reds were crushed 0-4 at home by the New York Mets in a four-game series before the Reds revived and annihilated the San Francisco Giants with a 3-0
sweep in the three-game showpiece at home including a 9-0 shutout.
The Reds are up against the Houston Astros now and have a good chance to eradicate the two-game deficit they face for the third spot in National League Central. Except for a three-game series against Philadelphia at the end of August, the Reds have a relatively
easier month. It will be important for them to capitalise on this.
Toronto Blue Jays have the best slugger in Jose Bautista among their ranks but his home-runs have not made an impact on the team’s result thus far.
A win-loss record of 10-6 after the All-Star break has boosted the morale of the team but this might be too late in the day. Being placed in the same group as Boston and Yankees, the Blue Jays have a minimal chance of progressing to the playoffs with a deficit
of at least 10.5 games yet to recover.
This season, at most, will be a good opportunity for concentrating on personal records and making necessary adjustments for the next campaign.
Florida Marlins marched into the top 20 teams after an impressive week at MLB. The Marlins won five consecutive games, including a series sweep of the Washington Nationals on the road, before finally succumbing to Atlanta Braves.
The Marlins had an impressive series with the Mets at home and are again playing them, this time on the road. The first game of the series have yielded joy for the Marlins and they would hope for more similar results to at least take the well-deserved third
position in the NL East from the Mets.
Continued in Part 5
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