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MLB Baseball Rankings

Final 2007: Bosox Sweep Past Rockies

Boston won its second World Series title in four years as the Red Sox swept the surprising Rockies in four straight.  Colorado had advanced to its first World Series with an improbable run that saw the Rockies win 21 of 22, including playoff sweeps over the Phillies and Diamondbacks.  But that streak may have contributed to the Rockies undoing as they had to wait eight days before taking on Boston for the title.  By that time the Red Sox had overcome a 3-1 deficit to win the ALCS over Cleveland and then rode the pitching of Josh Beckett and Curt Schilling along with timely hitting from rookies Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia to a series sweep.  The championship run gives the Red Sox the top rating in the final Index for 2007, followed by the Indians and Yankees, which entered the postseason with the best regular season rating, but dropped to third after losing in the ALDS to Cleveland.  Here are the final baseball ratings* for the 2007 season.

* Updated through games played on October 28

Week 25: Yankees Hit Playoffs No. 1

On May 29, the Yankees record was 21-29 with questions about whether the team could turn it around in time to make the playoffs.   A 73-39 finish not only put New York into the postseason, but also gave the Yanks the top Index rating heading into the playoffs.  Boston finished at No. 2 despite being tied with Cleveland with the best record in MLB.  A strong finish by Philadelphia, which won 13 of its last 17, pushed the Phillies to the top of the NL rankings and No. 5 overall.  Here are the final baseball ratings* for the regular season.

* Updated through games played on October 1

Week 24: Angels, Indians Clinch

Sunday saw both the Angels and Indians clinch division crowns.  LA got another strong performance out of John Lackey (18-9) to beat Seattle (7-4) and clinch its third AL West title in four years.  The Indians 6-2 win over Oakland marked their first AL Central crown since 2001.  Both teams continue to stay in the Top 5 of this week's Index with LA No. 3 and Cleveland No. 4.  Here are the complete baseball ratings* for the week.

* Updated through games played on September 23

Week 23: Yanks Edge Past Bosox

While the Yankees trail Boston by 4 1/2 games in the AL East standings, they took the season series (10-8) thanks to a Derek Jeter HR in the eighth inning of Sunday night's game that propelled New York to a 4-3 win.  Overall the Yankees took eight of the last 10 head-to-head matchups against Boston and helped move NY ahead of the Red Sox in this week's Index.  Here are the complete baseball ratings* for the week.

* Updated through games played on September 16

Week 22: A Vote For Pedro

The Mets have received a shot in the arm with the return of Pedro Martinez from shoulder surgery.  In his first start at Shea Stadium on Sunday, Martinez pitched five scoreless innings and even collected his fifth career double to beat Roy Oswalt and the Astros (4-1).  The win completed a three-game sweep for the Mets and pushed New York's lead to 6 games over the Phillies.  The hot streak also has moved New York up to No. 5 in the Index (and No. 1 among NL teams), but still trailing the leaders in the AL.  Here are the complete baseball ratings* for the week.

* Updated through games played on September 9

Week 21: No-No Helps Keep Bosox On Top

In just his second career start, Boston's Clay Buchholz threw a no-hitter against Baltimore on Saturday.  Buchholz became just the third pitcher since 1900 to throw a no-hitter in either his first or second start.  The feat also helped Boston erase the bitter taste of being swept by the Yankees earlier in the week and helped keep Boston on top of this week's Index.  Here are the complete baseball ratings* for the week.

* Updated through games played on September 2

Week 20: O What A Week

The Orioles were rained out on Monday, but little did they know that the cancellation would be the highlight of the week.  Baltimore made up the game as part of a double-header against Texas on Wednesday and proceeded to give up 30 runs in the opener in a 30-3 loss.  It was the first time in 110 years that a team had given up at least 30 runs and started the Orioles on a slide that saw them lose the next four straight as well.  The ironic thing is that all this happened right after Baltimore announced it was bringing back manager Dave Trembley for next season.  The Orioles come in at No. 13 in this week's Index.  Here are the complete baseball ratings* for the week.

* Updated through games played on August 26

Week 19: Seems Like Old Times

With August coming to a close and the pennant races heating up, the Red Sox and Yankees once again look like the teams to beat.  New York moved ahead of Detroit into second place in the Index thanks to taking three out of four from the Tigers over the weekend.  The Yankees trail only the Red Sox, which managed a split against the West-leading and No. 4 Angels.  Here are the complete baseball ratings* for the week.

* Updated through games played on August 19

Week 18: Bosox Back On Top

Detroit was able to retake first place in the AL Central thanks to a two-game winning streak against the A's, but it was not enough to keep the Red Sox from regaining the No. 1 spot in this week's Index.  Since July 24, the Tigers have gone 6-14, barely staying ahead of the No. 3 Yankees, who have gone 17-5 over the last 22 games.  Here are the complete baseball ratings* for the week.

* Updated through games played on August 12

Week 17: Tigers Looking Toothless

While the Tigers hold onto the top spot in the Index, the lead is narrowing thanks to a stretch that has seen Detroit drop five straight and nine of its last 10.  Things may have reached rock bottom in a 3-1 loss Sunday when Detroit was shut down by the Chisox Gavin Floyd, who came into the game with a 10.05 ERA.  Afterward Detroit manager Jim Leyland summed up his own assessment by saying "...right now I stink."  Here are the complete baseball ratings* for the week.

* Updated through games played on August 5

Week 16: Phillies Still In Chase

Despite losing All-Star Chase Utley to a broken hand, the Phillies have won eight of their last nine, including a three-game sweep against the Pirates over the weekend, to go a season-high six games over .500 (55-49) in the NL East.  The streak moves Philly up to No. 6 in this week's Index.  Here are the complete baseball ratings* for the week.

* Updated through games played on July 29

Week 15: Bronx Bombers Unload

The four-game set against the Tampa Bay did not start off well for the Yankees as Mike Mussina was pounded in a 14-4 loss.  But that setback only seemed to awaken the Yankee bats as the Bronx Bombers won the next three while scoring a total of 45 runs.  Overall the Yankees hit .404 in the series with 49 runs, 63 hits and 11 homers to help stay within striking distance of the Red Sox (7 1/2 back) in the A.L. East and No. 4 in this week's Index.  Here are the complete baseball ratings* for the week.

* Updated through games played on July 22

Week 14: Bonds Not Paying Off For SF

The Giants may be more caught up in Barry Bonds' pursuit of Hank Aaron's HR record than winning ballgames. The problem is neither one is looking very good right now.  San Francisco was swept over the weekend by the Dodgers while Bonds extended his hitless streak to 20 straight at-bats.  It's been that kind of season overall for the Giants, who despite the addition of high-priced pitcher Barry Zito are stuck at No. 21 in this week's Index.  Here are the complete baseball ratings* for the week.

* Updated through games played on July 15

Week 13: Tigers Ranked No. 1 At Break

Detroit came up just short in the World Series last season, but looks primed for a return trip after finishing the first half with the best Dunkel rating.  The Tigers just edged out Boston for the top spot at the All-Star break, while last year's champion (St. Louis) has some ground to make up in the second half after finishing at No. 22.  Here are the complete baseball ratings* for the week.

* Updated through games played on July 8

Week 12: Cincinnati Seeing Red

Cincinnati increased its payroll and expectations in the off-season, but the improvements haven't been visible on the playing field as the Reds are on pace for their first 100-loss season since 1982.  The 31-51 mark, which has Cincinnati ranked No. 28 in this week's Index, led the front office to fire manager Jerry Narron and replace him with scout Pete Mackanin on Sunday.  Here are the complete baseball ratings* for the week.

* Updated through games played on July 1

Week 11: Miller Time For Detroit

The Tigers capped off interleague play with a 5-0 win over Atlanta behind rookie Andrew Miller's six innings of four-hit ball on Sunday.  The victory, which was Detroit's seventh straight and 13th in its last 17, also tied the Tigers with Anaheim for the best interleague record (14-4) this season and pushed Jim Leyland's club to No. 1 in the Index.  Here are the complete baseball ratings* for the week.

* Updated through games played on June 24

Week 10: All A.L. Right Now

The American League holds a 91-77 advantage in interleague play thus far with 10 teams holding .500 or better records against the N.L. after the completion of this weekend's games.  The top teams in the division are doing especially well with Boston, New York, Cleveland, Detroit, Los Angeles and Oakland holding a 48-24 mark.  By contrast, only seven National League teams have a .500 or better record and only one division leader (Milwaukee) is at .500 (6-6).  Not surprisingly, the A.L. dominates the top five spots in thise week's Dunkel Index with Boston continued to hold onto No. 1.  Here are the complete baseball ratings* for the week.

* Updated through games played on June 17

Week 9: Yankees Enjoy Rocket Launch

The Yankees sweep of the Pirates over the weekend featured the successful return of Roger Clemens. The Rocket went six innings while allowing three runs and five hits in a 9-3 win over Pittsburgh on Saturday that extended New York's win streak to five games.  The Yankees made it six straight the next day in a 13-6 bombing of the Pirates behind A-Rod's two HRs.  The streak has pushed the Yankees back into second place in the A.L. East and up to No. 5 in this week's Index.  Here are the complete baseball ratings* for the week.

* Updated through games played on June 10

Week 8: Houston Has A Problem

Losing out on the Roger Clemens sweepstakes may be the least of Houston's concerns.  The Astros dropped two-of-three over the weekend to the struggling Cardinals and have now lost 14 of their last 17 to fall 8 1/2 games behind Central Division-leading Milwaukee.  The skid has Phil Garner's club sitting all the way down at No. 27 in this week's Index. Here are the complete baseball ratings* for the week.

* Updated through games played on June 3

Week 7: Tribe On Warpath

Cleveland came into a weekend series at Detroit trailing the Tigers by a half-game in the division standings and left with a 2 1/2-game lead thanks to a sweep that culminated with a 5-3 win on Sunday night behind Ryan Garko's three-run homer and another strong pitching performance from Fausto Carmona (6-1).  The Indians already had the best home record in baseball (17-4) and were able to push their road record above .500 (14-13) with the sweep.  The series also moved Cleveland up to No. 4 in this week's Index.  Here are the complete baseball ratings* for the week.

* Updated through games played on May 27

Week 6: Angels Flying High

After putting together a solid 5-2 road trip against Seattle and Texas, the Angels swept the Dodgers over the weekend behind strong pitching from Jered Weaver, Ervin Santana and Kelvim Escobar.  The result has L.A. ahead in the A.L. West by 4 games over Oakland and moves the Angels all the way up to No. 5 in this week's Index.  Here are the complete baseball ratings* for the week.

* Updated through games played on May 20

Week 5: Jays Feeling Blue

Toronto, already beset by injuries to pitchers B.J. Ryan and Gustavo Chacin, had to watch as ace Roy Halladay was rocked by Boston (8-0) to complete at Red Sox sweep and then went on the D.L. with an appendicitis.  Halladay is expected to miss four to six weeks, which isn't good news for a team that has lost eight of its last 10 and dropped to No. 26 in the Index.  Here are the complete baseball ratings* for the week.

* Updated through games played on May 13

Week 4: Something Brewing In Milwaukee

There's no bigger surprise in the early season than the Milwaukee Brewers, who are 11 games over .500 (21-10) for the first time since 1992.  The Brewers won their third straight Sunday (6-4) behind Prince Fielder's two HRs and have now won seven of their last eight to move up to No. 3 in the Index.   Here are the complete baseball ratings* for the week.

* Updated through games played on May 6

Week 3: Tragic Start For Defending Champs

The Cardinals' rough start to the season (10-13 record and No. 29 ranking in this week's Index) took a turn for the worse over the weekend when middle reliever Josh Hancock died in a traffic accident.  That momentarily took the focus off the Yankees, who dropped 6 1/2 games behind Boston and had to deal with rumors of Joe Torre's dismissal.  The Yankees' 9-14 start has them at No. 20 in the Index.   Here are the complete baseball ratings* for the week.

* Updated through games played on April 29

Week 2: Red Sox Enjoy Power Surge

The Red Sox capped a sweep of the Yankees by hitting four straight home runs Sunday night in a 7-6 win.  Manny Ramirez, J.D. Drew, Mike Lowell and Jason Varitek connected in a span of 13 pitches off Yankee rookie Chase Wright, who was making just his second MLB start.  It was Boston's first sweep over New York at Fenway Park since 1990 and pushed the Red Sox to No. 1 in the Index.   Here are the complete baseball ratings* for the week.

* Updated through games played on April 22

Week 1: Dodgers Start Season No. 1

The Dodgers honored the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's first MLB game by wearing No. 42 and then proceeded to hand the Padres a 9-3 loss that snapped Chris Young's streak of 25 road starts without a loss.  It's been that kind of start for Los Angeles, which has won eight of its first 12 to take the top spot in the Index.  The defending champion Cardinals overcame a rough start at home (1-4) with a strong road record (5-1) to move into second.  Here are the complete baseball ratings* for the week.

* Updated through games played on April 15

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