On a month to month basis in the marathon that is the MLB season, teams get hot and others get cold. You can think of it as Fire and Ice. A team could be on fire in April and lay an abject dud in June. The natural ebb and flow that is the way of life in baseball can move on and on. At the beginning of each month we will break down who was on fire and who is ice cold heading into the new month. There is no point in delaying any longer, below is the May edition of the Fire and Ice Power Rankings. Let’s see who is on the right track heading into the second month of the 2015 MLB season.
| Ranking | Team | Status | Injuries That Matter Most |
| 1 |  | On Fire | Adam Wainwright 60-Day DL (Season) |
These guys just know how to build a ball club and how to contend. Granted it was not the toughest competition but they did take two-of-three from Washington taking seven of their last 10 in April. The Cardinals continued to win in May with 4 straight wins to start the month. Overall they have won eight in a row and have built a six and a half game lead in the central.
| Ranking | Team | Status | Injuries That Matter Most |
| 2 |  | On Fire | Masahiro Tanaka 15-Day DL, Ivan Nova 60-Day DL (June) |
This was supposed to be a further demise of the “old” Yankees in 2015 and the beginning of the season appeared to provide merit. However, the Yankees won seven-of-10 to end the month of April sweeping the Tigers on the road and taking two-of-three from the Mets at home. As May begins they have won four-of-five including sweep of the Red Sox in Fenway. The Bronx Bomber lead the AL East by three games.
| Ranking | Team | Status | Injuries That Matter Most |
| 3 |  | On Fire | Jed Lowrie 15-Day DL (July) |
You would be hard pressed to find anyone that saw this coming. Who knows if these youngsters can last but they ended April with nine wins in their last 10 and had a four game lead in the West with multiple wins against AL West rivals. As the calendar rolls over to May, the Astros have continued winning three-of-five and extended their lead to six games.
| Ranking | Team | Status | Injuries That Matter Most |
| 4 |  | On Fire | Hyun-Jin Ryu 60-Day DL (June), Carl Crawford 15-Day DL (May), Yasiel Puig 15-Day DL (May) |
After the Dodgers left a series against the defending World Series champions on April 23rd they have found their grove. They took two-of-three from the Padres, two-of-three from the Giants, swept the Diamondbacks while winning eight of their last 11 games. The team appears to be rounding into form for the long haul as they have a three and a half game lead in the NL West.
Loading ...| Ranking | Team | Status | Injuries That Matter Most |
| 4 |  | Cold As Ice | Jarrod Parker 15-Day DL (May), Ben Zobrist 15-Day DL (May) |
The Athletics lost seven-of-10 to end the month. All losses were within the division including three to the Angels and a sweep to the Astros at home. So far in May they are a three and two but wins came against the Rangers and Twins so take that for what it is worth. Their next six games are against the Twins and Mariners so let’s see if things can turn around a bit here. I would not expect this team to stay cold for too long since they have the talent to make the playoffs on the roster.
| Ranking | Team | Status | Injuries That Matter Most |
| 3 |  | Cold As Ice | David Wright 15-Day DL (May), Bobby Parnell 15-Day DL (May), Zack Wheeler 60-Day DL (Season), Travis d'Arnaud 15-Day DL (May) |
The hype was there and the boys from Queens were playing great baseball to start 2015 but then they entered the Bronx. Since then they lost two-of-three to the crosstown Yankees, lost two-of-three to the Marlins, and lost three-of-four to the Nationals. Overall they are four and six in their last 10 games. They still lead the NL East by four games but who knows how long it will last at this rate.
| Ranking | Team | Status | Injuries That Matter Most |
| 2 |  | Cold As Ice | Bronson Arroyo 60-Day DL (Season), Patrick Crobin 15-Day DL (June) |
The Diamondbacks were losers of six-of-10 to end the month of April but did end by winning two games at home against the Rockies so things appeared to be picking up. But, they promptly started May by losing three straight to the Dodgers. They have been off the last couple of days due to a Postponement and scheduled day off. Up next are the Padres and Nationals so things could be interesting. And I thought things were turning around in Arizona.
| Ranking | Team | Status | Injuries That Matter Most |
| 1 |  | Cold As Ice | Mike Minor 60-Day DL (June), Chris Johnson 15-Day DL (May) |
The Braves lost eight-of-10 to end the month. Their losses include being swept by the Mets, and losing two-of-three to the Phillies and Nationals. So far in May, they are two and two but did lose the series opener at home to the Phillies. With the Nationals, Reds and Marlins up next things do not appear to be getting an easier in Atlanta any time soon. The hot April start is starting to become a distant memory. But hey, they are supposed to be rebuilding anyway and any experience these guys get can only help in 2016.
Note: All calculations based on games played up to and including May 5 2015
Loading ...
Leave a Reply