They started the season 3-12 and were five games below .500 as recently as May 19, but the Colorado Rockies have now won 11 of 13, including eight in a row through Sunday and are the biggest risers in this week's MLB power rankings.
They're still way behind the Los Angeles Dodgers (who are on a 15-4 run of their own) in the NL West, but the Rockies have the chance to make up some ground this month with seven games against the division leaders.
After a slow start to the season (no homers in his first 61 at-bats), Nolan Arenado hit .425 with a 1.262 OPS in May. First baseman Daniel Murphy is also heating up, batting .386 in his last 12 games.
Admittedly, it's unlikely anybody will be able to stop the Dodgers from winning their seventh consecutive division title. Still, the Rockies certainly have every opportunity to start mounting their challenge in the coming weeks.
Arenado had nine home runs and 29 RBI in May. (Photo: David Zalubowski, AP)
Here's how our eight-person panel voted this week:
1. Houston Astros (–)
- Houston's bullpen has the majors' best ERA.
2. Los Angeles Dodgers (–)
- Hyun-jin Ryu has only walked five batters in 73 innings.
3. Minnesota Twins (+1)
- Jake Odorizzi's brilliance (1.96 ERA in 12 starts) is getting overlooked.
4. New York Yankees (-1)
- Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge and Didi Gregorius all nearing return.
5. Tampa Bay Rays (–)
- Austin Meadows, despite missing a few weeks, looks like an MVP candidate.
6. Philadelphia Phillies (+1)
- After rough start, Aaron Nola has a 2.50 ERA in last seven starts.
7. Chicago Cubs (-1)
- Now that he has no draft pick attached, Cubs should be pursuing Craig Kimbrel.
8. Milwaukee Brewers (–)
- Keston Hiura thriving in his first few weeks in the majors.
9. Atlanta Braves (–)
- Austin Riley's first 16 games: .356 average, 7 homers, 20 RBI
10. Boston Red Sox (–)
- Michael Chavis slides over to first base with Mitch Moreland on the IL.
11. Colorado Rockies (+8)
- Went 11-2 and gained zero games in the NL West.
12. St. Louis Cardinals (–)
- Team went 9-18 in the month of May.
13. San Diego Padres (-2)
- Fernando Tatis Jr. expected to begin rehab assignment soon.
14. Texas Rangers (+6)
- Team hopes Joey Gallo's oblique injury doesn't keep him out too long.
15. Oakland Athletics (-1)
- Frankie Montas (2.81 ERA in 11 starts) has been the team's best starter.
16. Pittsburgh Pirates (-1)
- Chris Archer only has two quality starts through nine outings.
17. New York Mets (–)
- Pete Alonso set for a run at the club's home run record of 41.
18. Arizona Diamondbacks (-5)
- Organization has a chance to reload with its boatload of high draft picks.
19. Cleveland Indians (-3)
- Will they trade Trevor Bauer in the next two months?
20. Cincinnati Reds (-2)
- Eugenio Suárez might be baseball's most underrated slugger.
21. Los Angeles Angels (–)
- Hansel Robles seems to have established himself as the closer.
22. Chicago White Sox (+1)
- Lucas Giolito is perhaps finally realizing his potential – ERA down to 2.54.
23. Washington Nationals (-1)
- Free-agent-to-be Anthony Rendon's value just keeps rising.
24. Toronto Blue Jays (–)
- Time may be running out on Marcus Stroman's time in Toronto.
25. Seattle Mariners (–)
- Tough June on tap: Seven vs. Astros, three-game sets vs. Twins, Brewers.
26. San Francisco Giants (–)
- Madison Bumgarner has gone at least six innings in 11 of 12 starts.
27. Detroit Tigers (–)
- .220 average with runners in scoring position is MLB's worst.
28. Kansas City Royals (–)
- Unsurprisingly, they lead the majors in steals.
29. Miami Marlins (–)
- Starlin Castro, likely to become a free agent, is doing himself no favors with a sub-.600 OPS.
30. Baltimore Orioles (–)
- Talking up the draft's No. 1 pick should provide a few weeks of hope.
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