MLB Power Rankings: Blue Streaking

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1. Los Angeles Dodgers (69-50; LW: 7) - Zuckerman: No, they don't have MLB's best record. But when you win 39 of 47, you deserve No. 1 ranking.

2. Atlanta Braves (74-47; LW: 1) - Roney: Beachy continues to provide a big boost to Atlanta's rotation, after a shaky debut. Better than trading for an ace at the deadline, for sure.

3. Boston Red Sox (72-50; LW: 2) - Roney: Their monster road swing isn't going all that great so far -- but the good news is, the Rays and Os are struggling even worse right now.

4. Pittsburgh Pirates (71-48; LW: 3) - Hughes: Pittsburgh is starting to slip as the Cardinals and Reds are surging. The NL Central is about to get real interesting.

5. Detroit Tigers (70-49; LW: 4) - Hughes: With the frontrunners for AL MVP and Cy Young in store, this could be their year. Verlander has to come around for it to happen, though.

6. St. Louis Cardinals (68-51; LW: 5) - Hughes: It doesn't matter who they throw out there or when, the Cardinals know how to win ballgames, especially this time of year.

7. Texas Rangers (70-51; LW: 9) - Zuckerman: Yu Darvish is only the 3rd pitcher in history with five 14-strikeout games in a season. The others: Nolan Ryan, Pedro Martinez.

Strasburg pitches well despite extreme heat

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Despite four days off and a chance to start the season anew after the All-Star break, the Nationals came away with an all too familiar result on Friday night. They got runners in scoring position before blowing chances and ended innings in the most frustrating of fashions.

Stephen Strasburg certainly did his job, regardless of the result, pitching seven strong innings with two earned runs off seven hits. The hits came early as Strasburg retired 11 consecutive batters before getting the hook.

The right-hander battled temperatures that rivaled his pitch speeds and a heat index of 105. And with a history of faltering in hot conditions, Strasburg pulled through and gave his team a chance to win.

“I always just try and drink a lot of fluids and stuff, do as much as you can,” he said. "When I flew in from San Diego on Wednesday I saw it was 95 at like 11 o’clock at night so I knew it was going to be interesting.”

MLB Power Rankings: Red Sox reign

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By Steve Roney
CSNwashington.com

There were undoubtedly those who figured the Red Sox would rebound from last year's last-place, 69-win season, but anyone who says they picked them to have baseball's best record at about the midpoint of the season is either lying or a huge fan of clam chowder. The AL East in general is top to bottom the best division in baseball -- though it can't match the NL Central's elite top three, all five divisional teams are within striking distance of first place, and only Toronto (at 44-46) owns a losing record.

Here's how Nationals Insider Mark Zuckerman, Nats writer Chase Hughes, and I see the rest of the major leagues shaking out:

1. Boston Red Sox (56-37; LW: 3) - Hughes: Boston has the majors’ best offense and much of it was built on the fly this offseason. Ben Cherington is a clear frontrunner for executive of the year.

2. St. Louis Cardinals (54-34; LW: 1) - Zuckerman: They've hit .338 with RISP. That's not sustainable over a full season, is it?

3. Pittsburgh Pirates (54-36; LW: 2) - Zuckerman: The pitching staff remains deep and talented. The lineup could probably use another bat, though.

4. Oakland A's (54-38; LW: 6) - Roney: Does anyone have a bigger All-Star gripe than Josh Donaldson? A .316/.385/.529 slash line with 15 homers and valuable defense should be enough to garner some midseason recognition.

Around the NL East: Breakups at the bottom

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By Steve Roney

CSNwashington.com

Atlanta Braves (51-38)

Would you have picked the Braves to lead the NL East for pretty much the entire first half of the season, and yet produce only one All-Star? Stranger things have happened, sure, but unless first baseman Freddie Freeman can continue to hold off Dodger wunderkind Yasiel Puig in the Final Vote, Craig Kimbrel will be the lone Brave in New York for the Midsummer Classic. Still, outside of Freeman and Mike Minor, there aren't many with legitimate gripes. So far, the sum is greater than the parts in Atlanta.

The outfield for the ages that hasn't yet materialized, though they will likely earn a bit of ignominy, as both Upton brother are almost a lock to hit 100 strikeouts by the All-Star break. Second baseman Dan Uggla more than beat them there, currently sitting with 111, though he does lead the team with 16 home runs. Chris Johnson continues to be a nice surprise, and Brian McCann is mashing like it's 2009 since his delayed debut. 

Player of the Week: McCann, C: 6 R, 1 HR, 4 RBI, .500 AVG