10. New York Yankees: 27–23 record; 4.6 runs scored, 4.3 runs allowed—The third-place Yankees have yet to hit their stride this season, but there are signs of a breakout. Slow-starting Mark Teixeira has come on of late posting a .548 slugging percentage in May, while the similarly sluggish Alex Rodriguez had a .314 batting average over the same stretch. Forty-year-old starter Andy Pettitte has a 3.49 ERA through his first four starts while Hiroki Kuroda is coming off his best start of the season—eight shutout innings in a 2–0 win over Oakland. Despite the lukewarm start, the Yankees are still just a game and a half out of first place. Previous: 9
9. Miami Marlins: 29–22 record; 4.0 runs scored, 4.0 runs allowed—Winners of eight of their last 11 contests the Marlins, that made so much noise in free agency last winter, have quietly crept up to within a half a game of the NL East lead. Cubs castoff starter Carlos Zambrano is his old self again sporting a 3.00 ERA through 10 starts with a 3–3 record. Fellow starter Mark Buehrle is fairing the best of their three mammoth free-agent signings with a 3.26 ERA and 5–4 record through 10 starts. Twenty-two-year-old outfielder Giancarlo Stanton has hit 12 of his 13 home runs in May. Previous: NR
8. Baltimore Orioles: 29–22 record; 4.5 runs scored, 4.4 runs allowed—With five losses in a row, one has to wonder whether this is the beginning of the end for the Orioles that haven’t finished above third place in the AL East since 1997. Good pitching is generally a high need to sustain any success in baseball and the Orioles don’t have much of it. Just two starters have ERAs under 4.00 (Jason Hammel and Wei-Yin Chen) on the season, though closer Jim Johnson has made a name for himself with 16 saves and an 0.84 ERA. Adam Jones, who just signed a six-year $85.5 million extension, is third in the American League with 16 home runs. Previous: 7
7. Chicago White Sox: 29–22 record: 4.7 runs scored, 4.0 runs allowed—The hottest team in baseball is none other than new manager Robin Ventura’s Chicago White Sox. Winners of eight straight games and 12 of their last 13 Chicago has benefited from bounce-back performances courtesy of highly-paid veterans Alex Rios, (.283 batting average, and is paid $12 million) Adam Dunn (16 home runs, $14 million), and Jake Peavy (6-1 record, 3.07 ERA, $17 million). Under-appreciated 36-year-old first baseman Paul Konerko continues to amaze with an AL-leading .381 batting average while hitting 11 home runs. Previous: NR
