Maine's MLB Power Ten, 4/24

[MaineDolFan]

Long weekend in Toronto, not in the mood for small talk...so let's just get right to this:

#1.  Chicago White Sox 13-5
So much for the World Series hangover, that lasted about a week.  After a sluggish start, the ChiSox have taken over a position that they occupied a huge part of last season:  #1.  Winners of 8 in a row, they are cruising right now.

#2.  Houston Astros 13-5
Houston is playing very good baseball right now and closer Brad Lidge has seemingly shaken off last season World Series and LCS woes.  Coming into this year that was a concern:  how would he bounce back after getting hit around?  Houston's pitching staff's real concern is middle relief, we'll see how that shakes down.

#3.  New York Mets 12-6
The Mets were flying high until the Braves series when Atlanta reminded them "hey...we're still around."  The Mets will benefit from a very weak division, the Nats and Fish will provide almost no fight this season.  Last year the Mets really struggled against Florida and it cost them.  You won't see the same results this year.

#4.  Boston Red Sox 12-7
Tito cost Boston a win on Friday night, Beckett shouldn't have been allowed back into the game to face Hill.  Tito goes to the pen, Boston comes away with that win and Beckett goes to 4-0.  Woulda Shoula Coulda.  Any time Boston gets out of Toronto without getting swept - that's a good series.  Boston's pitching has been nails and the closer situation is as good as it gets right now.

#5.  Detroit Tigers 12-7
"We won't rush Todd Jones back into a save situation until he's ready."  Really?  Then why did he earn a save in his first appearance after starting the season on the DL?  Detroit is playing good ball right now, but they are also benefiting from a weak schedule.  Some are saying that this team could be this year's version of last year's White Sox.  I'm not seeing that.

#6.  Cincinnati Reds 12-7
The Reds can't keep on this pace.  Griff Junior is back on the DL, their number two starter is Bronson Arroyo.  But they do have good defense, good team speed and a solid pen - which is keeping them in games right now.  In the end the division is going to just be way too much for them to over come.

#7.  Colorado Rockies 10-8
If the Rockies could play their entire season on the road, they might be okay.  5-1 on the road and two games under .500 at home at 5-7.  Playing in Denver is such a toss up for anyone.  This team doesn't have a lot, but they are playing in the weakest division in baseball...and someone needs to win that division.  Right?

#8.  St. Louis Cardinals 11-7
The Cards have the best baseball player in the world on their team.  This man could single handed carry a bad team to a .500 mark...so what do you think he'll do on a decent team?  Scott Rolen is also playing well and if he could avoid the DL this season, the Cards will be okay.  They will need to make a move for some arms in the bullpen and they won't be able to afford to wait until the break to do it.

#9.  Chicago Cubs 10-7
Maddux is pitching like he's 28 again, going 4-0 in his latest win.  That's the good news.  The bad news is that losing Lee is going to hurt a LOT - and I don't expect to see him back until at least July.  Even then, it's a pretty serious injury that he suffered.  Kerry Wood continues the comeback trail, we'll see how that works out.

#10.  New York Yankees 9-8
The Yankees are going to pound a lot of teams into submission this season and after starting the season with a huge portion of their schedule on the road - one thing became very clear.  They are going to be next to impossible to beat in the Bronx.  Standing at 5-1 at home and on the verge of getting some arms back from injury, the Yankees are about to go on their typical May charge.  They always start the season slow and then turn it in...and get ready...it's coming.

Thoughts on the Jays:

I was impressed with Toronto over the course of the season, however there are some things that would worry me as a Jays fan - now that I've seen them up close and personal.  The first thing that worries me is BJ Ryan.  He pitched a lot this series and if Toronto leans on him too much, they'll burn him out.  They probably could have not gone to Ryan in the opener on Friday, but they did anyway.  AJ Burnett's injury is also a huge concern - you might be reading soon that it's a lot worse than they are letting on.  Finally - as good as Doc was on Saturday...he looked off.  There seems to be something bothering him in his delivery and he's hinted about a tightness in his forearm.

In regards to Toronto's line up - there isn't much soft in that from 1 to 9.  Rios batted 8th a couple times, and when that kid is your 8...you're doing okay.  Toronto won't have trouble scoring runs, but they have shown flashes of bad defense and if they start to struggle with their rotation, things could get rocky.

[Denver_Bronco]

I have the Marlins at #1. The rest i can pretty much agree on.