The Sun's national baseball writer, Peter Schmuck, ranks the major leagues' 28 teams.
Rank, Team, Previous rank, Comment
1. California Angels -- 1 -- Four strong left-handed starters make them all but slump-proof.
2. Cleveland Indians -- 2 -- Tough series against Red Sox knocked them out of top spot.
3. Atlanta Braves -- 3 -- Best team in NL. Was there ever any doubt?
4. Cincinnati Reds -- 4 -- Hard to look good against Braves pitching, but nothing has changed.
5. Boston Red Sox -- 9 -- Winning streak may have knocked the wind out of other AL East contenders.
6. Los Angeles Dodgers -- 5 -- Creeping up on suspect Rockies.
7. New York Yankees -- 7 -- Strange chemistry experiment seems be successful.
8. Houston Astros -- 6 -- Big edge in wild card race, but can they keep it without Bagwell?
9. Colorado Rockies -- 8 -- Next six games -- at Atlanta and Cincinnati -- could do them in.
10. Seattle Mariners -- 12 -- There was a time when .500 was enough to contend in AL West.
11. Texas Rangers -- 13 -- May be Yankees biggest rival for AL wild card berth.
12. Chicago Cubs -- 14 -- Could be positioned well for wild card consideration if Houston fades.
13. Kansas City Royals -- 16 -- Pitching meltdown may end wild card bid.
14. San Diego Padres -- 17 -- Can't be counted out in strange NL West race.
15. Milwaukee Brewers -- 18 -- If they could play .500-plus at home, they'd be playoff bound.
16. Philadelphia Phillies -- 11 -- Even Fregosi can't hide his frustration.
17. Montreal Expos -- 15 -- Hot Marlins could challenge for third place.
18. Baltimore Orioles -- 10 -- This may be the perfect place for a manager who's nickname was "The Vulture."
19. Toronto Blue Jays -- 19 -- Offensive lineup too good to be this bad.
20. Detroit Tigers -- 20 -- Back where everyone expected them to be.
21. San Francisco Giants -- 21 -- Not out of range, but appear to be out of gas.
22. Florida Marlins -- 24 -- Starting to smell a little better.
23. Chicago White Sox -- 22 -- Pitching staff never recovered from loss of McDowell.
24. Oakland A's -- 23 -- McGwire only reason left to pay attention, and he's hurting again.
25. Pittsburgh Pirates -- 26 -- Long wait is over: Exhibition football has begun.
26. New York Mets -- 27 -- Four years from now, this will all make sense.
27. St. Louis Cardinals -- 25 -- Lifeless on the Mississippi.
28. Minnesota Twins -- 28 --Just three more months until the Kirby derby.
Note: Statistics through Wednesday's games