On to week four… Big Z has just been DLed. That is BAD news for the Cubs, who have been struggling as of late, and their woes put them in danger of falling right out of the rankings, something we never would have predicted 2 weeks ago. In other news, the Dodgers are hot. Toronto stays strong. Philadelphia has won 7 of 9 and are hot on the Florida trail for 1st place in the East, while the Mets and Braves, who a few weeks ago looked threatening, have fallen behind and will need strong rebounds to get back into the Rankings. St. Louis now looks like the best team in the NL Central and the Mariners look good out in the AL West. The Sox have been vulnerable against the Rays for some reason, leaving the Jays atop that division, but it is a close fight.

1. Blue Jays: Disagree with us if you like but the Blue Jays refuse to lose these days. They are back in control of the AL East. The Jays have the most runs in baseball and they have two excellent starting pitchers leading them to a cool 18-10 record. One wonders if the dream will end any time soon for Toronto–Boston has Youkilis and Pedroia and New York has CC and AJ and Tampa has stolen-base machine Carl Crawford and both a former Number 1 and Number 2 overall pick… but the Jays have a winning combination of shutdown pitching on clutch hitting.

2. Dodgers: One wonders about the long-term pitching prospects of this team but they enjoy a pretty easy top 5 pick because they hit so well and their ERA is actually really low so far. Orlando Hudson has been a top-3 second baseman in the NL so far this season, which has been a pleasant surprise. Manny is stll playing at an All-Star level. They keep winning. 

3. Red Sox: The Sox won 11 in a row, catapulting themselves back into the rankings… before losing 3-4 to the 4th place Rays. Don't forget that this is a very good division; but you still have to expect Boston to be unhappy with their relatively mediocre division record. They have a razor thin lead for the third spot because the Cardinals have lost two in a row to simply poorly pitching teams, and the Sox have put up 6 on the Yankees tonight.

4. Cardinals: Albert Pujols makes every pitcher week in the knees. He launched a grand slam a few days ago that reminded everyone watching just how incredible he is. The Cardinals' hero is on pace to hit more than 200 ribbies. The fact that the Cards are leading a surprisingly competitive division without the AwardWatch Cy Young man from the first week is a testament to their team ability. Still, the Cardinals were shut down by the Nats two games ago and by Phils pitching staff tonight and Rick Ankiel was severely injured going after a fly ball into the wall in a scary moment in the Gateway City, leaving the Cardinals with some questions after today's game.

5. Marlins: Emilio Bonifacio has cooled off. Hanley Ramirez has not been great. The Marlins have good starters. A tip of the hat to Josh Johnson, who is just unbelievable so far. But that bullpen… not so much. 7 straight losses can really hurt a team's morale. Florida has won a few but they are not as hot as they were a few weeks ago, and now the Marlins are in danger of losing the division lead to Philadelphia, and if they don't right the ship they are in danger of falling out of our rankings.

6. Phillies: The Phillies have suffered from terrible starting pitching through several weeks. However, when Chase Utley, Raul Ibanez and Ryan Howard step up to the plate, you can never, ever count out this team. Those first two name are in the NL top five in OPS, and Howard just hit his second grand slam of the season earlier tonight. Plus, things are, in fact, looking up for the rotatio: Joe Blanton, Jamie Moyer, and Cole Hamels have looked decent in their most recent starts, and if they continue to succeed, the Phightins will be a dangerous team in the East. Oh, and, here's an interesting note: Pat Burrell is batting in the .250s with only 1 home run; Raul Ibanez is at .344 with 8. We think that is about as funny as this weeks Book Worth a Look.

7. Mariners: They look legit after the first few weeks. Great pitching and a good outfield have Seattle rolling. With Los Angeles fading, the Mariners have a chance to run away with their division. Ken Griffey and the rest of the gang are making this team dangerous; plus, they have great defense in the outfield.

8. Tigers: Earlier in the season, we had an inkling that these guys might make a play for their division. With the Twins and Indians playing poorly, Miguel Cabrera might just be able to will this team to the playoffs.

9. Yankees: It is rather surprising, as we have continually noted, that the Yankees are only the third best team in their division. Texeira looks bad and their pitching hasn't quite settled in. Still, A-Rod's embattled return could push the Yankees back to the top, so we will withold judgment.

10. Cubs: Without Zambrano, the Cubs will be seriously tested. Alfonso Soriano is hitting home runs, but he will need to ramp up that OBP if the Cubs want to have any chance of making the playoffs. We shall see what happens here; they are still, however, a respectable 14-11.