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With the All-Star Break just around a month away, teams are looking to end the last month of the first half of the season strong. Teams are also finding a serious identity to themselves. Who are the top 10 teams in the MLB entering week 12?
10. Arizona Diamondbacks: The Diamondbacks have found a way to start winning games again without A.J. Pollock in there lineup. They miss his bat and he has a .293 batting average with 11 home runs and 33 RBI's, along with nine stolen bases. Paul Goldschmidt has been better with a .258 batting average with 12 home runs and 31 RBI's, along with two stolen bases. They have a very good pitching rotation. Arizona is back in first place in the NL West with a 37-29 record. Last week's ranking: not ranked.
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9. Cleveland Indians: The Indians lead the AL Central with a 35-30 record and they are in the weakest division in baseball. Cleveland isn't exactly the most consistent team in baseball and they are just 5-5 in their last 10 games. Jose Rameriz continues to light it up for the Indians with a .290 batting average 19 home runs and 44 RBI's, along with eight stolen bases. Last week's ranking: 9.
8. Washington Nationals: The Nationals are just 4-6 in their last 10 games. Washington is still one of the best teams in baseball, but there have been teams that have been playing better than them lately. There has been so sign of a Daniel Murphy return. The Nationals offense has been shutout twice this past week. They lost 2-0 on Sunday Afternoon against the San Francisco Giants at home and lost 3-0 on the road against the New York Yankees on Tuesday Night. Washington currently leads the second wild card by two games over the Philadelphia Phillies. The Nationals record is 36-28. Last week's ranking: 3.
7. Milwaukee Brewers: The Brewers lead is shrinking in the National League Central Standings. They are just 0.5 games ahead of the Chicago Cubs. Milwaukee and Chicago have split the first two games in a crucial three-game series at Miller Field in Milwaukee. The third game is on Wednesday Afternoon. Chase Anderson pitched seven shutout innings and gave up one hit, walked two batters and struck out six, in a 4-0 win on Tuesday Night at home. The Brewers record so far this season is 40-27. Last week's ranking: 6.
6. Chicago Cubs: The Cubs are starting to find a groove and they have a 38-26 record. Chicago is just 0.5 games back of the Milwaukee Brewers for first in the NL Central. The Cubs are currently in the first wild-card spot in the National League. They have made the playoffs three years in a row and it wouldn't be surprising if they made it for a fourth. Chicago is currently in the sweepstakes for Manny Machado. Kris Bryant has a .281 batting average with eight home runs and 29 RBI's, along with two stolen bases. Anthony Rizzo has a .246 batting average with 11 home runs and 46 RBI's, two stolen bases. Javier Baez has probably been the most consistent player on Chicago this season with a .251 batting average and 14 home runs and 46 RBI's, along with 11 stolen bases. The Cubs pitching isn't that bad either. Last week's ranking: not ranked.
5. Atlanta Braves: The Braves just swept a two-game set with the New York Mets. Ozzie Albies hit a grand slam in a 8-2 win on Tuesday Night. He has a .255 batting average with 16 home runs and 40 RBI's, along with six stolen bases. Atlanta continues to pitch solidly. The Braves held the Mets to two hits in a 2-0 win on Wednesday Afternoon. The Atlanta Braves lead the National League East with a 39-28 record. Last week's ranking: 7.
4. Houston Astros: The Houston Astros are one of four teams in the American League that have won at least 43 ball games. The Astros have a 43-25 record to start the season. They are only 0.5 games back of the Seattle Mariners for first place in the American League West. The Astros have a really solid lineup in Carlos Correa, Alex Bregman, Jose Altuve, and George Springer. Houston's starting rotation continues to be the story of the first half of the regular season, but Charlie Morton is starting to show cracks. He has a 7-1 record with a 2.82 ERA. In 76.2 innings pitched, Morton has given up 57 hits and 26 runs. He has walked 29 batters and struck out 96. Jose Altuve has a .336 batting average with five home runs and 34 RBI's, along with 10 stolen bases. Last week's ranking: 5.
3. Seattle Mariners: Whenever Robinson Cano comes back from his suspension, the Seattle Marines maybe shouldn't even bother bringing him back into the lineup. Seattle continues to win ball games and they haven't been this good in June in several years. The Mariners have a 43-24 record and lead the Houston Astros in the AL West Division by a half game. Nelson Cruz, Kyle Seager, Juan Segura, Mitch Haniger, and Dee Gordon have been solid for the Mariners in 2018. Felix Hernandez has been average at best this season for the Mariners. His record is 6-5 with a 5.70 ERA. In 77.1 innings pitched, Hernandez has given up 77 hits and 51 runs. He has walked 30 batters and struck out 64. Last week's ranking: 4.
2. New York Yankees: The Yankees have a 43-19 record to start the 2018 season. They took two-out-of-three against the New York Mets on the road in the Subway Series. The New York Yankees lost 2-0 on Sunday Night to the Mets and that was the first time this season they got shutout this season. The Yankees shutout the Washington Nationals at home 3-0 on Tuesday Night and it could be a possible World Series preview. Didi Gregorius homered twice in that game and he now has 13 home runs on the season. Gregorius also has a .248 batting average and 38 RBI's, along with eight stolen bases. Last week's ranking: 2.
1.Boston Red Sox: The Red Sox have 46 games to start the 2018 season. It is the best in the MLB. Their overall record is 46-22. Boston and New York continue to be neck-and-neck in the American League East Standings. J.D. Martinez's batting average is .313 with 21 home runs and 54 RBI' s,along with one stolen base. Mookie Betts's batting average is .354 with 17 home runs and 37 RBI's, along with 13 stolen bases. Xander Bogaerts has a .282 batting average with nine home runs and 34 RBI's, along with one stolen base. Craig Kimbrel is one of the best closers in baseball. He has a 1-1 record with a 2.48 ERA. In 29 innings pitched, Kimbrel has given up 16 hits and eight runs. He has walked nine batters and struck out 42. Kimbrel has 21 saves in 23 tries. Last week's ranking: 1.
Do you agree with the rankings for this week? sound off your opinion in the comments section below!
