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Since the Red Sox were unseated in the first week of the season, we've seen two teams trade off the top spot. The Dodgers have been voted our No. 1 team four times, but this week, we saw our voters give it back to the only other team to be on top of our poll this season -- the Astros, by unanimous acclamation. Snapping off a 10-game win streak amid their current 13-2 run earns its rewards. But beyond our top teams trading places, we saw some significant reshuffling among the MLB's elite. The Cubs took another step forward to No. 3, strengthening their claim that they might be the team to break beyond the Astros and Dodgers. And the Yankees returned to the top five while taking the Rays down a peg or two -- literally and figuratively -- to reclaim their perch atop the American League East. With the Twins holding steady to round out the top five and the Indians moving back into the top 10, the AL Central race could heat up, while the Cardinals' recent tumble reflects their struggles keeping up with the Cubs and Brewers. Among all teams this week, the club that made the biggest single gain was the Angels, who made a six-rung climb upward, fueled by the power hitting trio of Shohei Ohtani, Mike Trout and Tommy La Stella. The single biggest decline was suffered by the Mariners, whose 5-15 spiral in their past 20 games has erased almost all memory of their hot start. For Week 7, our panel of voters was composed of Bradford Doolittle, Christina Kahrl, Eric Karabell, Tim Kurkjian and David Schoenfield. Previous: Preseason | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6  
1. Houston Astros2019 record: 31-16
Week 6 ranking: 2 Who is the MVP of the Astros? Answer that question correctly, and you may well have the American League's early MVP of the non-Mike Trout division. There are plenty of candidates. According to FanGraphs, after Trout, Houston accounts for five of the next 15 players in the fWAR rankings: George Springer (No. 2), Alex Bregman (4), Michael Brantley (7), Gerrit Cole (13) and Carlos Correa (16). This version of the Astros looks even better than the one that took the 2017 World Series crown. -- Bradford Doolittle ICYMI: Astros' offense could be MLB's best ever
2. Los Angeles Dodgers2019 record: 31-17
Week 6 ranking: 1 The Hyun-Jin Ryu show continues, as he tossed seven scoreless innings in Sunday's win over the Reds, running his scoreless innings streak to 31 -- the third longest for a Dodgers pitcher in the past five years (Zack Greinke had that 45⅔-inning streak in 2015 and Clayton Kershaw had a 37-inning stretch the same year). Oh, the Cody Bellinger show is still a hot ticket as well, as he hit his 17th home run on Sunday with a .405 average. -- David Schoenfield ICYMI: How Jackie Robinson and disgraced exec Campanis changed the game
3. Chicago Cubs2019 record: 27-17
Week 6 ranking: 4 As hot as Kris Bryant has been of late, he's probably not even the hottest player on the Cubs. That honor goes to starter Kyle Hendricks, who entered his start Sunday on a run reminiscent of his dominant 2016 season. That season, Hendricks started 22 straight games at one point without allowing more than three earned runs. He went 14-5 during that stretch with a 1.56 ERA. -- Doolittle ICYMI: Slow approach fuels 11-K night for Darvish
4. New York Yankees2019 record: 28-17
Week 6 ranking: 6 They take two of three from the Rays to move into first place in the AL East. On Friday, the Yankees scored three in the bottom of the ninth for a 4-3 walk-off win, and on Sunday they scored seven runs in the sixth in a 13-5 victory. In injury news, Aaron Hicks returned from the injured list, but Miguel Andujar underwent season-ending shoulder surgery. In his place, Gio Urshela (.346/.400/.490) continues to produce. -- Schoenfield ICYMI: How the Yankees rallied to seize AL East lead
5. Minnesota Twins2019 record: 30-16
Week 6 ranking: 5 This is legit, folks. The Twins are among the leaders in runs scored and in preventing them, and rookie manager Rocco Baldelli is making all the right moves with his lineup, rotation and bullpen. Underrated shortstop Jorge Polanco leads the way offensively, as he continues to make strides in most every area, a true middle-of-the-order presence. Do not expect many MVP votes, but he is the Twins' MVP so far. -- Eric Karabell ICYMI: Can Polanco continue to be an MVP-caliber player? 
6. Tampa Bay Rays2019 record: 27-17
Week 6 ranking: 3 Watching the Rays got toe-to-toe with the Yankees always has a David-versus-Goliath quality to it, but if there was one takeaway from the early showdown, it's that David might want to collect another couple of rocks for his slingshot. That didn't have much to do with the actual results of what was a competitive and entertaining series. It's just that at one point, Tampa Bay ceded first place in the AL East to a Bombers squad that has miraculously withstood an avalanche of injury-related misfortune. If the Rays and Yanks are virtually even now, what happens when New York's stars begin ramping up again? -- Doolittle ICYMI: Four things the Yankees have learned about the Rays
7. Milwaukee Brewers2019 record: 28-21
Week 5 ranking: 7 Last season, Christian Yelich hit .367/.449/.770 after the All-Star break, as he pulled away in the tight race for National League MVP. During that amazing stretch, he hit .376/.447/.848 at Miller Park. So far this season, Yelich is hitting .406/.524/1.141 at home. Add that together, and since last year's All-Star break, Yelich has hit .386/.475/.947 in 52 home games, with 162-game paces of 93 homers and 206 RBIs. OK, then. -- Doolittle ICYMI: Brewers call up top prospect Hiura
8. Boston Red Sox2019 record: 24-22
Week 6 ranking: 8 The typical lineup for the Red Sox these days includes eight above-average batters and, in Jackie Bradley Jr., the worst qualifying hitter in baseball. Boston's center fielder has always been uncommonly streaky, but with Mookie Betts capable of sliding over to center, Bradley is now in a race with Eduardo Nunez and Steve Pearce for who can get hot first. -- Sam Miller ICYMI: Early exit costs Sale shot at 20 K's
9. Philadelphia Phillies2019 record: 27-19
Week 6 ranking: 10 More tests are coming for Philadelphia's lineup and rotation over the next several weeks with road series against the Cubs, Brewers and Dodgers, three likely playoff teams. Right-handers Jake Arrieta and Zach Eflin should start four of the team's seven games this week, each coming off rough outings against the Brewers at home. Nick Pivetta and perhaps Dallas Keuchel remain just a phone call away. -- Karabell
10. Cleveland Indians2019 record: 25-20
Week 6 ranking: 12 Even with Corey Kluber shelved on the IL, the Indians are getting great work from their rotation, with Carlos Carrasco, Trevor Bauer and Shane Bieber ranking in the AL's top 10 in strikeout rate -- with Bieber's 15-K shutout Sunday helping seal the deal. Thanks to that trio, even as the Tribe reshuffles their outfield to squeeze some offense out of it it and even with the Twins building up a lead in the AL Central, the Indians are still one of just six teams in the AL with a winning record. -- Christina Kahrl ICYMI: Tribe call up speedy OF Mercado
11. St. Louis Cardinals2019 record: 24-23
Week 6 ranking: 9 The Cardinals' offense has been streaky in May -- seven games scoring one or zero runs but two others scoring at least 14 -- and leadoff man Matt Carpenter's slump has been much of the reason. He's off to the worst start of his career, as his .671 OPS was his lowest through the Cardinals' first 47 games in any of his eight full seasons. There is hope, though: He had a .690 mark (his second worst) through that many games in 2018 but roared back with a .970 OPS from that point forward. -- Tristan Cockcroft
12. Atlanta Braves2019 record: 25-22
Week 6 ranking: 13 The Braves took two of three from both the Cardinals and Brewers to climb back over .500. Austin Riley had a good first week in the majors, hitting .421 with two home runs in five games, but the biggest hit of the week was Freddie Freeman's walk-off home run off Josh Hader in the 10th inning Saturday. Freeman homered again Sunday, his fourth straight game with a home run. -- Schoenfield ICYMI: Soroka among top developments of season's start
13. Arizona Diamondbacks2019 record: 25-22
Week 6 ranking: 11 Arizona has gleaned more production from over-30 hitters than any team in baseball this year, and on Wednesday, 34-year-old Jarrod Dyson claimed the league lead in steals. Dyson, unsurprisingly, isn't actually as fleet as he once was, but the "one last heist" trope is a tried and true crowd-pleaser. -- Miller ICYMI: Can Snakes' offense continue to sizzle?
14. Los Angeles Angels2019 record: 22-24
Week 6 ranking: 20 Albert Pujols and his contract will remain in town for a while, but it will be interesting to see if manager Brad Ausmus gives prospect Jared Walsh a regular chance against right-handed pitching. Pujols is struggling against, well, all pitching, and Walsh, better known for hitting and pitching in the minors, posted a .990 OPS against right-handers at Triple-A Salt Lake. He is ready to help the Angels, if called upon. -- Karabell ICYMI: Re-drafting 2009 -- Trout to Nationals?
15. San Diego Padres2019 record: 23-24
Week 6 ranking: 14 The Padres' 11 wins in one-run games this season are second most in the majors, and much of the reason can be traced back to closer Kirby Yates. Yates is on pace for 59 saves and 131 strikeouts. To put those numbers into perspective, only one pitcher in history has managed even as many as 50 saves and 125 K's in a single year -- Eric Gagne in 2003 (55 and 137). -- Cockcroft ICYMI: Can Padres keep Paddack fresh for October?
16. Pittsburgh Pirates2019 record: 24-20
Week 6 ranking: 16 Josh Bell and Gregory Polanco have been effectively carrying the Pirates' offense in May, with Bell specifically enjoying a 15-game hitting streak (snapped Thursday) while boasting .403/.467/.851 rates and eight home runs so far this month. The rest of the team, though, has struggled. -- Cockcroft
17. New York Mets2019 record: 20-25
Week 6 ranking: 15 Right-hander Zack Wheeler enters the week having made a third of his nine starts against the Nationals, allowing 17 earned runs over an ugly 15⅔ innings. In his six other starts, Wheeler has a 2.93 ERA with 49 strikeouts in 40 innings. Whom does Wheeler face this week? The Nationals, of course. He tamed Anthony Rendon & Co. last season, so expect that he should figure things out soon. -- Karabell ICYMI: Time running out for manager Callaway
18. Cincinnati Reds2019 record: 21-26
Week 6 ranking: 17 The Reds have their work cut out for them this week, facing the NL Central's top two teams, the Cubs and Brewers, on the road. While the Reds have struggled thus far against winning teams, winning just eight of 26 games against those .500 or better, they did steal a pair of wins from the Cubs on May 15-16 and will need to maintain that momentum against teams they're chasing in the standings. -- Cockcroft ICYMI: How legit is Luis Castillo's breakout?
19. Oakland Athletics2019 record: 22-25
Week 6 ranking: 22 Since Matt Olson's return from the IL, the A's are 7-4, and they were on the cusp of perhaps seeing that get to 8-4 before Sunday's late-game downpour suspended the game. Add in Khris Davis snapping a monthlong homerless stretch and Jurickson Profar creeping closer to the Mendoza line while his bat slowly warms up, and the A's are finally starting to see their lineup fire on (almost) all cylinders. -- Kahrl ICYMI: Oakland grants A's site for potential stadium
20. Colorado Rockies2019 record: 20-25
Week 6 ranking: 18 Could top prospect Brendan Rodgers, promoted Friday from Triple-A Albuquerque after he batted .356/.421/.644 in 35 games, be the answer at second base? The Rockies had gotten a mere .237 wOBA (behind .200/.264/.250 slash rates) out of their second basemen before Rodgers' arrival, and they were the only team to not get a home run from the position. -- Cockcroft
21. Washington Nationals2019 record: 19-27
Week 6 ranking: 23 Hard to believe, but the Nationals are now just 2-8 in games that Max Scherzer starts. Scherzer has pitched effectively -- he's 2-5 with a 3.72 ERA and 87 strikeouts in 65⅓ innings, although he has been hit harder this season: Batters are .254/.304/.405 against him compared to .188/.247/.332 last year. He has allowed two runs in five of his 10 starts and won just one of those games. On the other hand, he allowed zero runs or one run in 12 of 33 starts last year, which he hasn't done yet in 2019. -- Schoenfield ICYMI: How the Nats won their first series in a month
22. Texas Rangers2019 record: 21-23
Week 6 ranking: 21 Guess who's the major league leader in pitcher WAR? Would you believe it's Rangers lefty Mike Minor, now in his third consecutive year of wildly surpassing preseason expectations? -- Miller ICYMI: Joey Gallo, king of baseball's Three True Outcomes era
23. Seattle Mariners2019 record: 23-26
Week 6 ranking: 19 It's obviously too early to pass judgment, but the Mariners can't be feeling too good right now about the James Paxton trade. Justus Sheffield has 28 walks in 37 innings in Triple-A as he continues to struggle with his control. Erik Swanson was sent back down to the minors with an 8.04 ERA in six starts after allowing 15 runs his past two outings (and nine runs four starts ago). -- Schoenfield
24. Chicago White Sox2019 record: 21-24
Week 6 ranking: 27 Lucas Giolito has been one of baseball's most improved players and suddenly looks like the prospect that farm-system mavens once thought he could become: a legit No. 1 starter. Giolito is 3-0 with a 1.85 ERA over four starts this month, but that's only part of the story. He has added four K/9 to his strikeout rate from last season -- from 6.5 to 10.5. According to Statcast, Giolito has dropped his wOBA allowed from .345 to .292. Among 123 pitchers to have thrown at least 500 pitches in both 2018 and 2019, only three have improved their wOBA allowed by more (Martin Perez, Domingo German and Luis Castillo). -- Doolittle ICYMI: Carlos Rodon, Nate Jones out for the season
25. San Francisco Giants2019 record: 20-25
Week 6 ranking: 24 While the lament of Giants fans might focus on what the team's greats have lost to age, one star's skill has lost nothing to Father Time -- Buster Posey ranks second among MLB catchers in the catcher-framing stats strikes looking above average and framing runs above average. A good thing, too -- the staff's 4.49 ERA ranks 19th in MLB, so it needs all the help it can get. -- Kahrl ICYMI: Top 10 landing spots for Bumgarner
26. Toronto Blue Jays2019 record: 19-27
Week 6 ranking: 26 For a team playing for the trade deadline, the week brought good news -- Marcus Stroman got his ERA back under 3.00, flashing a new changeup grip that went viral -- and terrifying news, as Aaron Sanchez exited with another blister. Blisters have been devastating for Sanchez's career, though the initial prognosis was optimistic. -- Miller ICYMI: Vladdy Jr. hits first two HRs of his career
27. Detroit Tigers2019 record: 18-26
Week 6 ranking: 25 You can take it as a reflection of Miguel Cabrera's contact skills that, despite being one of the slowest players in the game and despite his daunting power outage, he's third in the AL in BABIP (.387). And before you cite the likelihood of regression, remember that he does have four batting titles and a career .345 BABIP. The challenge is whether he can maintain that while struggling to deliver even an average slugging percentage for a first baseman. -- Kahrl ICYMI: Casey Mize and the craziest minor league stats ever
28. Kansas City Royals2019 record: 16-31
Week 6 ranking: 28 Career Royal Alex Gordon continues to hit as if it is ... well, the last time he finished a season with an OPS near .900 was all the way back in 2011. This new version, after years of struggles, is making more contact than ever, cutting down on the strikeouts and, as always, is flawless defensively in left. Gordon is also in the final year of his contract. His name will be a hot topic the next few months. -- Karabell ICYMI: Top prospect Lopez called up from minors
29. Baltimore Orioles2019 record: 15-31
Week 6 ranking: 29 Baltimore's prayers were answered -- back-to-back days against the mighty Yankees this week washed away by rain -- but when the floods receded, the Orioles had no Spahn and no Sain. Orioles pitchers remain on track to break the all-time record for home runs allowed, now by about 75 big flies. -- Miller ICYMI: Scouting notes on top O's prospects
30. Miami Marlins2019 record: 13-31
Week 6 ranking: 30 The Marlins might be the lowly Marlins, but a home sweep of the Mets -- including a pair of shutout victories over the weekend -- has to be sweet. Sandy Alcantara finished New York off on Sunday with what we might call a double-Maddux -- a shutout spun with fewer than 100 pitches (he threw just 89) and in less than two hours (the game took 1:59). -- Kahrl
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