The Sun's national baseball writer, Peter Schmuck, ranks the major leagues' 28 teams.
Rank, Team, Previous rank, Comment
1. Boston Red Sox -- 5 -- Not even they could blow it now.
2. California Angels -- 1 -- Still hammering away at thin AL pitching.
3. Atlanta Braves -- 3 -- Have won 20 games in their final at-bat.
4. Cleveland Indians -- 2 -- Beating Orioles doesn't count.
5. Cincinnati Reds -- 4 -- Bowden making all the right moves.
6. Los Angeles Dodgers -- 6 -- Should win NL West if they cancel the rest of their promotional schedule.
7. New York Yankees -- 7 -- Will have to settle for a walk on the wild card side.
8. Texas Rangers -- 11 -- Healthy Gonzalez could lead late-season rush.
9. Houston Astros -- 8 -- Losing front office war to Reds.
10. Seattle Mariners -- 10 -- Griffey's return improves playoff possibilities.
11. Colorado Rockies -- 9 -- Losing altitude fast.
12. San Diego Padres -- 14 -- Lucchino's revenge: Padres still could win NL West.
13. Chicago Cubs -- 12 -- Need Astro flameout to earn wild card.
14. Montreal Expos -- 17 -- Building toward a big 1996.
15. Milwaukee Brewers -- 15 -- Still having dilusions of adequacy.
16. Kansas City Royals -- 13 -- Recently set season high with 11 roster moves in one day. 17. San Francisco Giants -- 21 -- Williams almost back, but odds still stacked.
DTC 18. Oakland A's -- 24 -- Raiders first home game in just a couple of weeks. 19. Florida Marlins -- 22 -- Third place still possible.
20. Baltimore Orioles -- 18 -- Bungee cord must have snapped.
21. Detroit Tigers -- 20 -- This might be enough to send Sparky home for good.
22. Chicago White Sox -- 23 -- Frank Thomas still worth the price of admission.
23. Toronto Blue Jays -- 19 -- Need closer to rebound in 1996.
24. Philadelphia Phillies -- 16 -- Only No. 1 team in Power Rankings history to drop into bottom five the same season.
25. New York Mets -- 26 -- Embryonic team could grow into a contender in '97 or '98.
26. St. Louis Cardinals -- 27 -- Busch league.
27. Minnesota Twins -- 28 -- Even have worst home record in baseball.
28. Pittsburgh Pirates -- 25 -- In fierce battle with Cardinals and Mets for next year's No.1 draft choice.
Note: Statistics through Wednesday's games.