Our MLB power rankings for May 22

1. Chicago Cubs (last week, 1): Manager Joe Madden is wary of club slinking into cruise mode.

2. Washington Nationals (6): Daniel Murphy can’t possibly flirt with batting .400 through the summer, can he?

3. Boston Red Sox (3): Streaky Jackie Bradley Jr. is on the kind of roll that recalls why he was touted as a 2013 rookie of the year candidate.

4. Chicago White Sox (2): Undersized and undervalued Adam Eaton is Sox equivalent of Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin.

5. Baltimore Orioles (9): First three-city road swing will test team with 17-8 home record, baseball’s best.

6. Philadelphia Phillies (9): So much for run differential: Phils began weekend on pace to be outscored by 112 runs this season ... and in second place behind the Nats in NL East.

7. San Francisco Giants (13): Seven-game road sweep last week was Giants’ longest since 1913.

8. Seattle Mariners (4): If M’s make it to playoffs, bounce-back series at Baltimore, after deflating weekend at home, will be identified as pivotal.

9. Cleveland Indians (16): Tribe outscored Reds, 43-16, during four-game sweep for Ohio Cup.

10. Texas Rangers (8): Rangers to fans: If you can’t stand the heat, help us build a new stadium with a retractable roof.

11. Pittsburgh Pirates (11): Alongside Starling Marte and Andrew McCutchen, Gregory Polanco is hitting his stride as Bucs’ third All-Star outfielder.

12. New York Mets (5): Ace right-hander Matt Harvey has a 5.77 ERA, and it’s fair to wonder if the 200 innings he threw last season didn’t take a toll on an arm that’s endured Tommy John surgery.

13. St. Louis Cardinals (12): Stephen Piscotty appearing better option as cleanup hitter than rotation of Matt Adams, Randal Grichuk and Brandon Moss.

14. Miami Marlins (10): In six games vs. Phillies, Giancarlo Stanton is 1 for 18, with a home run and 12 strikeouts.

15. Los Angeles Dodgers (14): Dodgers figure to be active trade-market players for bullpen help.

16. Colorado Rockies (19): Shortstop Jose Reyes returns soon from a domestic-violence suspension, but no way is he supplanting rookie Trevor Story.

17. Kansas City Royals (18): Defending champs finished first quarter of season with 20-20 vision toward last three-quarters of season.

18. Tampa Bay Rays (17): Long associated with pitching and defense, Rays exploded for 20 extra-base hits during three-game sweep at Toronto.

19. Detroit Tigers (23): Manager Brad Ausmus on Monday night meltdown that led to ejection: “A culmination of a lot of things.”

20. Toronto Blue Jays (15): Thanks to donating his chin as a punching bag for Rougned Odor, Jose Bautista has undergone a nickname change from “Joey Bats” to “Joey Battered.”

21. Oakland Athletics (26): “Toy Cannon” Khris Davis, generously listed at 5 foot 11, has hit 32 homers since Aug. 6 — three more than anybody else in majors.

22. Los Angeles Angels (27): Did road sweep of M’s last weekend persuade Halos to sign free-agent pitcher Tim Lincecum?

23. New York Yankees (22): Sloppy defense and careless base running is not doing Yanks any favors.

24. Milwaukee Brewers (28): Ah, the Midwest: Brewers on Thursday opened Miller Park roof for first time in 2016.

25. Arizona Diamondbacks (20): Starting pitching issues responsible for busy shuttle between Phoenix and Triple-A Reno.

26. Houston Astros (24): Promotions of speedy Tony Kemp and slugging third baseman Colin Moran made to provide spark for listless Astros.

27. San Diego Padres (21): Matt Kemp embodying Sinatra song lyric: “Riding high in April, shot down in May.”

28. Cincinnati Reds (25): Definition of Red Scare: Any time Bryan Price calls upon his bullpen.

29. Minnesota Twins (29): Seven months after finishing third in AL manager of the year vote, Paul Molitor is trusting that front office still has faith in him.

30. Atlanta Braves (30): Semi-retired Chipper Jones is not sure he wants to make a full-time commitment as team’s skipper.

This story was originally published May 21, 2016 at 3:01 PM with the headline "Our MLB power rankings for May 22."