Last week’s ranking in parentheses, statistics are through Friday’s games:
1. ST. LOUIS: Adam Wainwright said he’ll try to return in 2015. Good luck if he does, National League. (1)
2. KANSAS CITY: Baseball Prospectus projected 72 wins for the Royals. They beat that with 43 games to spare. (2)
3. PITTSBURGH: How Clint Hurdle picks the leadoff hitter: “I have my wife run out and get a magic 8-ball at Toys R Us.” (3)
4. CHICAGO CUBS: Joe Maddon declares American Legion Week, meaning the Cubs show up late and just play. (4)
5. N.Y. YANKEES: In his fifth major league game, Greg Bird had his first multi-home run game. (6)
6. TORONTO: David Price has yet to lose as a Blue Jays pitcher. (5)
7. HOUSTON: The average Dodgers starter Friday earns nearly 20 times more than Mike Fiers. (12)
8. N.Y. METS: On Friday, Yoenis Cespedes had three home runs, five hits, seven runs batted in and a stolen base. (11)
9. DODGERS: That weird odor in Houston? That’s the smell of money going up in flames. (7)
10. SAN FRANCISCO: On Friday, Madison Bumgarner had more hits (and home runs) than the Dodgers. (8)
11. TEXAS: Who would’ve predicted the Astros and the Rangers would be battling, along with the Angels, for the division? (10)
12. BALTIMORE: Cal Ripken Jr. recently brought up the prospect of managing. The Orioles don’t have an opening. (13)
13. ANGELS: In the first three weeks of August, Mike Trout hit .183 with one home run. (13)
14. TAMPA BAY: Only pitcher this year to throw a CG with fewer than 100 pitches and more than 10 Ks? Chris Archer. (14)
15. SAN DIEGO: With the Padres revving up late, the NL West could have three teams with winning records. (17)
16. ARIZONA: Or four, with the Diamondbacks flirting with .500 for much of the year. (16)
17. MINNESOTA: The Twins dropped six games in the division race over the last month. They’re still in second place. (18)
18. DETROIT: No AL batter comes within 39 points of Miguel Cabrera, who needs just a few more at-bats to be qualified. (19)
19. CHICAGO WHITE SOX: Over his last two starts, Chris Sale has struck out 29 of 52 batters faced. (21)
20. WASHINGTON: Recipe for a collapse: injuries, horrendous defense and a pinch of head-scratching managing. (15)
21. BOSTON: For deposed GM Cherington, signing Hanley and Sandoval outweighed winning a World Series. (23)
22. CLEVELAND: Even the Indians are still clinging to faint postseason hopes. The second wild card is weird. (20)
23. SEATTLE: Felix Hernandez has given up 27 earned runs over his last 28¿2/3¿ innings. (24)
24. MILWAUKEE: The Brewers are 25 games back in the division. That is not a misprint. (26)
26. OAKLAND: The Athletics had lost seven in a row before sweeping the Dodgers. (27)
25. ATLANTA: Shelby Miller is 0-9 since May 23. His earned-run average in that span: 3.11. (22)
27. CINCINNATI: Before the Reds lost seven in a row, their last victory was also over the Dodgers. (25)
28. COLORADO: Last week, the Rockies gave up three homers to Yoenis Cespedes and a 493-foot shot by Michael Taylor. (28)
29. MIAMI: Marlins won Game 1 of much-anticipated Phillies series to capture the second-to-last spot in the rankings. (30)
30. PHILADELPHIA: They gave the Dodgers their infield, now where are they keeping that time machine? (29)
