The Sun's national baseball writer, Peter Schmuck, ranks the major leagues' 28 teams.
Rank, Team, Previous rank, Comment.
1. Cleveland Indians -- 1 -- Martinez (8-0) hasn't lost a game in nearly a year.
2. Atlanta Braves -- 3 -- Second half will prove they're best team in National League.
3. Cincinnati Reds -- 5 -- Rejuvenated Rijo makes them just that much tougher.
4. Boston Red Sox -- 4 -- How long can they hold off rebounding AL East contenders?
5. Philadelphia Phillies -- 2 -- Let division lead slip away during 1-8 slump.
6. California Angels -- 8 -- Scoring runs so fast, it'll make your halo spin.
7. Houston Astros -- 7 -- All-Star snub should be just motivation Bell needs for second half.
8. Colorado Rockies -- 14 -- Trying to prove that pitching is not 70 percent of the game.
9. Los Angeles Dodgers -- 6 -- Couldn't handle streaking Braves.
10. Detroit Tigers -- 13 -- Is this really happening?
11. New York Yankees -- 11 -- Starting to look like AL East favorite again, though they still have some ground to make up.
12. Oakland Athletics -- 12 -- McGwire (23 HR) is keeping them above .500 by force of will.
13. Texas Rangers -- 9 -- Gonzalez has hit stride at just the right time.
14. Chicago Cubs -- 17 -- Playing well again, but it's a long way back to the top.
15. Montreal Expos -- 18 -- Don't give up on them just yet.
16. San Diego Padres -- 15 -- Could have moved up standings with a good series in Florida.
17. Seattle Mariners -- 16 -- Trivia quiz: Who was the last AL RBI leader named Edgar or Tino?
18. Kansas City Royals -- 10 -- Opportunity knocked last week, but no one answered.
19. Baltimore Orioles -- 22 -- Let lowly Twins get in way of major recovery.
20. San Francisco Giants -- 19 -- Could get Matt Williams back before it's too late.
21. Chicago White Sox -- 20 -- Went on 8-3 tear and didn't gain an inch on Indians. Forget it.
22. Milwaukee Brewers -- 23-- Just marking time until they get a new stadium.
23. Pittsburgh Pirates -- 24 -- There's light at the end of the tunnel. Steelers training camp opens soon.
24. Toronto Blue Jays -- 21 -- May be ready to unload some high-priced talent soon.
25. Florida Marlins -- 26 -- Have same payroll as University of Miami football team. So why can't they win?
26. Minnesota Twins -- 27 -- Have won just two series all year. Unfortunately, one of them was at Camden Yards.
27. New York Mets -- 28 -- Typical tale of woe: Kent finally gets hot, then gets hurt.
28. St. Louis Cardinals -- 25 -- Meet me somewhere else.
:. Note: Statistics through Wednesday's games
