MLB Power Rankings: Red-hot Rangers jump to No. 6; Astros grab top spot

Deep in the heart of Texas, they're playing some darn good baseball right now.

After a dismal start to the season, the Rangers are back in business thanks to a recent 10-game winning streak, and last year's division champions sure look like the only team that can give their intrastate rivals a run for the American League West title in 2017.

Nearly eight weeks into the season, here's how things stand around the majors in the latest edition of theScore's power rankings.

1. Houston Astros

The Astros sent their ace to the DL on Saturday and closed out their weekend by losing a third straight game, at home, to Cleveland. They still have the second-largest division lead in the majors, though, so they're probably not losing any sleep in Houston.

2. Washington Nationals

Losing four straight, as the Nationals did this past week, is never good, but it's especially tough when the teams you're losing to own a combined .447 winning percentage.

3. Colorado Rockies

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Charlie Blackmon and Mark Reynolds have already combined for 49 hits, six home runs, and 25 RBIs in May for a Rockies team that hasn't lost three straight games since April 25-27.

4. Los Angeles Dodgers

What's the name of the awesome Dodgers lefty, again? You know, the one with a 1.54 ERA and no home runs allowed over his last four starts? Oh, right, it's Alex Wood.

5. Arizona Diamondbacks

One of just two teams with six qualified hitters OPS-ing over .800 this year, the Diamondbacks rank seventh in the majors in runs per game (5.02) and have put up fewer than five runs in just one of their past six games.

6. Texas Rangers

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A 10-game winning streak has propelled the Rangers back into the middle of things. Driving the team's surge, Yu Darvish now has the highest career K/9 of any starter since 1900 with at least 100 starts (11.2).

7. Baltimore Orioles

It appears Baltimore's seemingly infinite supply of luck in one-run games has finally run out, as the Orioles - who have outperformed their expected record by three games in 2017 - are winless in their last six games decided by one run.

8. New York Yankees

Almost two months into the season, Masahiro Tanaka (-0.2 WAR) hasn't just been the Yankees' worst starter, but one of the worst pitchers in all of baseball. Even perched atop the AL East, the Yankees have to be concerned about their scuffling ace (6.56 ERA; 2.4 HR/9).

9. Milwaukee Brewers

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It's taken until late-May, but the young, breakout Brewers look like they could legitimately challenge for the NL Central crown. As a team, they're tied for the third-best offense in the majors by wOBA behind only the Nationals and Yankees. But can Matt Garza sustain that 2.43 ERA?

10. Chicago Cubs

"We just haven't played our game yet," Cubs manager Joe Maddon insisted over the weekend. That's not entirely true, however, as the club's .724 OPS in May - the sixth-lowest in the majors - is very much like Jason Heyward's game, for instance.

11. Cleveland Indians

The Indians are going to have some tough decisions to make when Corey Kluber comes off the DL, as his replacement, Mike Clevinger, owns a 1.59 ERA (2.87 FIP) in three starts since joining the rotation and is upstaging every other starter on his team except Carlos Carrasco.

12. St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals made one of the first notable trades of the 2017 season, shipping Matt Adams to the Braves, which lost Freddie Freeman to injury. In return, they got 19-year-old low-level prospect Juan Yepez, so the Cardinals' devil magic will make him a perennial All-Star.

13. Minnesota Twins

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The Twins find themselves in a tight battle for top spot in the AL Central with the Indians, but there's some doubt that they are for real. The team's pitching staff is benefiting from the second-lowest BABIP in the majors, and the third-worst strikeout rate.

14. Tampa Bay Rays

One of the unluckiest teams in baseball according to Baseball Prospectus' third-order win percentage, the Rays' run differential indicates that they should be 28-17 - which would be the second-best record in baseball. Instead though, the defense hasn't lived up to expectations, as the Rays' outfield has cost the team more than seven runs by FanGraphs' Def.

15. Boston Red Sox

David Price should rejoin the Red Sox after another rehab start Wednesday, and that's terrific news for a team that has watched Drew Pomeranz, Kyle Kendrick, and Hector Velazquez make nine starts to a 7.24 ERA over the last month.

16. Detroit Tigers

The Tigers are in an odd spot in a season of purgatory. Despite getting a red-hot J.D. Martinez back from injury, they may end up in the basement thanks to a horrendous bullpen ... again.

17. Los Angeles Angels

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Mike Trout has taken his rightful place atop all three WAR leaderboards, and might actually be improving on being the greatest player in the world. With seven home runs in May, he even made an opposing manager consider walking him with the bases loaded.

18. San Francisco Giants

The Giants have dug themselves such a cavernous hole of despair that it's going to take more than a 7-3 run to fix things. Still, the team is finally showing signs of life on the back of Buster Posey. Don't sleep on Brandon Belt, either, who has a .355 OBP despite a .236 batting average.

19. Atlanta Braves

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The NL East is the Nationals' division; everyone else is just renting space. It's difficult to get too excited about the Braves' recent hot streak because their pitching staff is in shambles and Freddie Freeman is set to be sidelined for many moons.

20. Chicago White Sox

The Yoan Moncada call-up was postponed when the 21-year-old prospect hit the disabled list Thursday. The top prospect in all of baseball won't stay down for much longer, though, especially if Todd Frazier continues with his sub-.700 OPS.

21. New York Mets

The Mets are rolling with a four-man rotation that somehow includes Tommy Milone, who allowed three homers over just 1 1/3 innings on Sunday. The team is in such a precarious spot that its brass is mulling over allowing Zack Wheeler - coming off Tommy John surgery - to go beyond his innings limit. The Mets continue to set the bronze-standard on mishandling injuries.

22. Toronto Blue Jays

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After a brief sojourn back to their winning ways, the Blue Jays are once again mired in mediocrity. Like the Giants, things might be too far out of reach for a realistic shot at climbing back into the race. Their injuries have reached an almost comical critical mass.

23. Oakland Athletics

In May, the A's have managed two separate three-game winning streaks and suffered through a four-game losing streak. Hovering around .500, this is a team that doesn't look ready to compete, but they have enough unpolished talent to play spoiler consistently.

24. Cincinnati Reds

The Reds' win on Saturday against the Rockies halted a seven-game losing skid. Their halcyon days of leading the NL Central are long gone, and fans can only find solace in Joey Votto's amazing slash line after falling behind 0-2 (.350/.480/.550) prior to Saturday.

25. Seattle Mariners

A never-ending parade of injuries has really caused the Mariners' season to go sideways. Unless its stars return soon - and at a high level - the team will be toast, and a step closer toward its competition window closing.

26. Pittsburgh Pirates

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The Pirates remain in last place in the NL Central, leading to speculation that pitcher Gerrit Cole could be on his way out of town at the trade deadline. Andrew McCutchen's continued struggles are unpleasant and a rebound seems less likely by the day.

27. Kansas City Royals

Despite owning a winning record over the last 10 games, the Royals still have a long way to go. Their 145 runs scored remains far and away the fewest in baseball. At least Eric Hosmer has rediscovered his bat; he's slashing .408/.471/.592 in May.

28. Philadelphia Phillies

The rebuilding Phillies have some bright spots, and Aaron Nola being activated from the DL is a big win, but toiling near the NL East basement seems to be the team's immediate future.

29. Miami Marlins

Through their recent stretch of games, the Marlins' weaknesses have been exposed. They've been so bad that their superstar player and $325 million man, Giancarlo Stanton, admitted publicly that his frustration level is "probably the highest ever."

30. San Diego Padres

The Padres might as well get comfortable, as they may occupy the bottom spot in these rankings for a long time.