NOTE: team and player statistics updated through Sunday morning, July 4 11:00 AM CT
1. New York Yankees (62-35)
Two pitchers who deserve to be in the AL Cy Young Award conversation (Andy Pettitte and C.C. Sabathia) and arguably the league’s best offense. Things are looking pretty good in the Bronx.
2. Tampa Bay Rays (59-38)
The Rays should start getting comfortable in the second-place seat in the AL East. They could be in that seat for a while.
3. San Diego Padres (58-41)
The pitching staff continues to keep the Padres’ ship afloat. Mat Latos has been very impressive (11-4 record, 2.48 ERA, 106 strikeouts).
4. Texas Rangers (58-41)
With the recent addition of Cliff Lee, it’s safe to say that the AL West Championship is theirs to lose.
5. San Francisco Giants (56-43)
Buster Posey’s 18-game hitting streak is the second longest by a rookie. There’s that one guy named Willie McCovey who hit safely in 22 straight in 1959.
6. St. Louis Cardinals (55-44)
With Joey Votto and Ryan Howard staying strong and consistent, looks like Albert Pujols might have some competition for that NL MVP Award after all.
7. Atlanta Braves (57-41)
Brian McCann, Martin Prado, and Matt Diaz have all hit three homeruns since the All-Star Break. Very nice!
8. Boston Red Sox (55-44)
The injuries are finally starting to catch up to the Red Sox. But let’s see how big of an impact Victor Martinez’ return will be.
9. Cincinnati Reds (55-45)
At this point, it would be hard to argue Joey Votto for the National League’s MVP Award. .315 batting average, 108 hits, 25 homeruns, and 67 RBIs are very nice to see from the slugger.
10. Minnesota Twins (53-46)
Justin Morneau’s continued absence from the lineup after sustaining a concussion earlier this month is an ominous sign.
11. Philadelphia Phillies (53-46)
Ryan Howard continues to stay consistent. If it weren’t for Joey Votto, he would get my vote for the NL MVP Award to this point.
12. New York Mets (50-49)
The Mets are 6-15 in July and were just shut out for the fourth time in the past ten days.
13. Chicago White Sox (53-44)
The once streaking White Sox go from winning nine in a row earlier this month to losing six of their last ten games.
14. Colorado Rockies (51-48)
The Rockies have gone 2-8 in their past 10 games. No other team has lost more than seven in their last ten games.
15. Oakland Athletics (50-48)
Trevor Cahill continues to impress. He’s sturning into a top-ten AL pitcher in my book with his 9-4 record, 3.15 ERA, and 66 strikeouts.
16. Toronto Blue Jays (50-49)
Jose Bautista and Vernon Wells have combined for a total of 183 hits, 120 RBIS, 99 extra-base hits, and 47 homeruns.
17. Los Angeles Dodgers (53-46)
The Dodgers starting pitchers have a 1.20 ERA over the past nine games.
18. Florida Marlins (49-49)
The Marlins won six times by one run during a 7-3 homestand that featured four walk-off hits.
19. Detroit Tigers (51-46)
With Brandon Inge, Magglio Ordonez, and Carlos Guillen all on the shelf, it’s officially safe to say that the Tigers will not be going to the playoffs.
20. Los Angeles Angels (52-49)
Even though they just added Dan Haren (which was a very good move), the Angels still have a slim chance of winning the division. They trail by seven games in the West and have a chance of falling behind the red-hot A’s into third place.
21. Chicago Cubs (45-54)
Could this be the last week in Ted Lilly’s Cubs career?
22. Milwaukee Brewers (47-53)
Corey Hart, Rickie Weeks, and Prince Fielder have combined for 304 hits, 66 homeruns, and 180 RBIs.
23. Washington Nationals (42-57)
Ian Desmond has recorded 23 errors this season while the entire Nationals team has recorded 80 total errors. Both rank worst in the majors.
24. Cleveland Indians (41-57)
Despite winning seven of their last ten games, I don’t believe the Indians have any chance of even seeing third place in the Central Division. Their 403 total runs scored ranks 12th in the American League.
25. Kansas City Royals (42-56)
The Royals have given up 509 total runs this season. The Orioles are the only other AL team to give up more runs.
26. Seattle Mariners (39-60)
It’s pretty sad to see that the Mariners only have 15 road wins to this point. They also score only an average of 3.33 runs per game, which ranks dead least in the majors.
27. Arizona Diamondbacks (37-62)
The Diamondbacks have given up an average of 5.65 runs per game this season, which is worst in the majors. With Dan Haren recently getting traded to the Angels, expect that number to increase a little bit.
28. Houston Astros (40-58)
Wandy Rodriguez’s 7-inning, 1-hit performance Sunday saved the Astros from a sweep. In his past six starts, he’s 5-1 with a 2.31 ERA.
29. Baltimore Orioles (31-67)
The Orioles own the American League’s worst road record (13-34) and are the only team in the majors to not reach the 20-home-win mark. They have a terrible 18-33 home record.
30. Pittsburgh Pirates (34-64)
The Pirates’ starting pitchers are 18-53 with a 5.46 ERA and a league-worst .299 batting average against.
Carter’s MLB Award Races:
National League MVP Award Race:
1. Joey Votto (CIN): .315 avg., 108 avg., 25 HR, 67 RBI
2. Ryan Howard (PHI): .302 avg., 117 hits, 22 HR, 78 RBI
3. Albert Pujols (STL): .300 avg., 108 avg., 23 HR, 70 RBI
4. Corey Hart (MIL): .292 avg., 98 hits, 22 HR, 70 RBI
5. Adrian Gonzalez (SD): .295 avg., 104 avg., 21 HR, 64 RBI
6. Rickie Weeks (MIL): .274 avg., 111 hits, 20 HR, 64 RBI
7. Adam Dunn (WSH): .281 avg., 99 hits, 23 HR, 63 RBI
8. Aubrey Huff (SF): .309 avg., 107 hits, 19 HR, 60 RBI
9. Prince Fielder (MIL): .262 avg., 95 hits, 24 HR, 46 RBI
10. Mark Reynolds (ARZ): .214 avg., 70 hits, 23 HR, 62 RBI
American League MVP Award Race:
1. Miguel Cabrera (DET): .350 avg., 124 hits, 24 HR, 88 RBI
2. Josh Hamilton (TEX): .357 avg., 137 hits, 23 HR, 74 RBI
3. Vladimir Guerrero (TEX): .309 avg., 112 hits, 20 HR, 76 RBI
4. Paul Konerko (CHW): .298 hits, 99 hits, 21 HR, 67 RBI
5. Jose Bautista (TOR): .242 avg., 84 hits, 27 HR, 67 RBI
6. Mark Teixeira (NYY): .264 avg., 99 hits, 20 HR, 70 RBI
7. Vernon Wells (TOR): .271 avg., 99 hits, 20 HR, 53 RBI
8. Carlos Pena (TB): .207 avg., 69 hits, 21 HR, 61 RBI
9. David Ortiz (BOS): .253 avg., 74 hits, 19 HR, 61 RBI
10. Carlos Quentin (CHW): .236 avg., 66 hits, 19 HR, 66 RBI
National League Cy Young Award Race:
1. Josh Johnson (FLA): 10-3, 1.61 ERA, 141 strikeouts
2. Adam Wainwright (STL): 14-5, 1.94 ERA, 136 strikeouts
3. Yovani Gallardo (MIL): 9-4, 2.45 ERA, 127 strikeouts
4. Ubaldo Jimenez (COL): 15-2, 2.75 ERA, 120 strikeouts
5. Roy Halladay (PHI): 11-8, 2.28 ERA, 140 strikeouts
6. Jaime Garcia (STL): 9-4, 2.21 ERA, 90 strikeouts
7. Mat Latos (SD): 11-4, 2.48 ERA, 106 strikeouts
8. Clayton Kershaw (LAD): 10-5, 2.96 ERA, 138 strikeouts
9. Tim Hudson (ATL): 10-5, 2.47 ERA, 67 strikeouts
10. Johan Santana (NYM): 8-5, 2.79 ERA, 92 strikeouts
American League Cy Young Award Race:
1. Cliff Lee (TEX): 9-4, 2.56 ERA, 101 strikeouts
2. Andy Pettitte (NYY): 11-2, 2.88 ERA, 90 strikeouts
3. Jon Lester (BOS): 11-5, 2.92 ERA, 143 strikeouts
4. Felix Hernandez (SEA): 7-6, 2.75 ERA, 142 strikeouts
5. David Price (TB): 13-5, 2.90 ERA, 108 strikeouts
6. C.C. Sabathia (NYY): 13-3, 3.18 ERA, 119 strikeouts
7. Jeff Niemann (TB): 8-3, 2.95 ERA, 94 strikeouts
8. C.J. Wilson (TEX): 9-5, 3.03 ERA, 95 strikeouts
9. Jason Vargas (SEA): 6-5, 2.94 ERA, 80 strikeouts
10. Trevor Cahill (OAK): 9-4, 3.15 ERA, 66 strikeouts
National League Rookie of the Year Race:
1. Jaime Garcia (STL): 9-4, 2.21 ERA, 90 strikeouts
2. Gaby Sanchez (FLA): .304 avg., 107 hits, 11 HR, 45 RBI
3. Alcides Escobar (MIL): .252 avg., 81 hits, 2 HR, 27 RBI
4. Jason Heyward (ATL): .276 avg., 81 hits, 11 HR, 48 RBI
5. Ike Davis (NYM): .249 avg., 80 hits, 14 HR, 46 RBI
American League Rookie of the Year Race:
1. Austin Jackson (DET): .318 avg., 114 hits, 1 HR, 21 RBI
2. Neftali Feliz (TEX): 1-2, 3.47 ERA, 47 strikeouts, 28 saves
2. Brennan Boesch (DET): .312 avg., 87 hits, 12 HR, 51 RBI
3. Reid Brignac (TB): .282 avg., 59 hits, 6 HR, 35 RBI
4. Justin Smoak (SEA): .203 avg., 58 hits, 10 HR, 38 RBI
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