Major League Baseball Power Rankings Week 18: An Overview – Part 6
It is becoming obvious now that Clayton Kershaw is the spine of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitching outfit. Kershaw has won all four of his starts after the All-Star break and has helped his team hold on to the 24th rank in week 18.
Dodgers made a lacklustre start to the second half of the season with four losses in five games including a 0-5 shutout by the San Francisco Giants. The Dodgers, helped by Kershaw, made a strong comeback to shutout the Giants 1-0 which was later followed
by a stretch of a four-game winning streak.
The pitching outfit of the Dodgers, apart from Kershaw, has not impressed and this needs to be looked upon if they have to topple the Colorado Rockies to grab the third position in the National League West.
Seattle Mariners have shown great improvement after they ended their 17-game losing-streak with a comprehensive 9-2 win over the New York Yankees. The 17 losses included five pre midseason break and 12 post midseason break.
After putting an end to their dismal performance, the Mariners were shutout 0-8 by the Tampa Bay Rays in a show of inconsistency but have since won two of the three games played. Seattle needs to put an end to their inconsistency if they have to make a strong
statement.
San Diego Padres are placed at the bottom of the National League West division and chances for their elevation are minimal this season.
In 18 games so far after the All-Star break, the Padres have managed to win just seven with 11 games ending in disappointment. Their only noticeable performance was a 3-0 whitewash of the Florida Marlins on the road which included a 4-0 shutout and a 14-3
battering of the home side.
The Padres will play two series with the Dodgers in August and with just three games separating both sides, it will be interesting to see how the Padres shape up.
Kansas City Royals were a new addition to the bottom four when they slipped two places from 25 to finish on the 27th spot this week.
The Royals had a four-game winning streak after the All-Star break but apart from that, there performance has been below par. This is why they are placed last in the American League Central division, four games behind fourth-placed Minnesota.
The Royals have a tough August and with not much at stake, they would want to aim at elevating their position in the League standings.
Baltimore Orioles looked a solid team when the season took off but many have been left disappointed after their poor performance. This is the only area where they have shown consistency.
In their last six games, they have managed just one win, that too against the New York Yankees. Had these moments become a regular feature for the Orioles, results might have been different.
The race for the last spot in the Majors this season is intense between the Chicago Cubs and the Houston Astros. The Astros have outplayed the Cubs thus far with a record of 35-73. The Cubs are trailing behind with 43-65 for the season and now it seems inevitable
that the Astros will surely win the race.
Cubs have lost just ten of their 17 games after the All-Star break while the Astros have gone an inch better with 11 losses.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
Tags: