Week 3 is here, and the Los Angeles Dodgers have risen to the top. The Dodgers were most people’s choice as the best team in baseball preseason, and they’re doing it with both great offense (5.22 runs per game, 4th in the league) and great pitching (2.67 ERA, good for 3rd). They have the best record and, more importantly, the top spot in the 64tacos weekly MLB power rankings. I’m sure they’re particularly thrilled about the latter.

Another much hyped team this preseason, the Yankees, get another mention this week. Unfortunately, still not for a good reason. Somehow, while the Yankees pitching staff is holding it together and then some (3.44 ERA, 7th in baseball), the team has slumped to 6-10 and near the bottom of our power rankings. Why? No offense whatsoever. Yep, it’s the Upside Down; the Yankees can’t hit. Ok, it’s only 10% of the season, but Aaron Judge has been healthy and so has Giancarlo Stanton, their other injury prone power hitter. Everybody not named Kyle Higashioka (the backup catcher with only 13 at bats) is underperforming expectations with the bat. I don’t think this will persist all season, so there’s plenty of hope for New York the rest of the way. But right now, they stink.

As for the Tigers, not a very good week. They did finish off a sweep of the Astros, but then were swept in a four game series in Oakland to finish out the road trip. A day off followed by a snow out back in Detroit mercifully ended the week with a whimper. The biggest team weakness this year, among a few, has been relief pitching. Detroit is dead last in reliever’s ERA (6.99), well behind the pack (next worst? Texas at 5.59). The starters have been solid (13th in the league at 3.89), but with the lack of home runs against Oakland (just one in 4 games), the offense has slumped. After 6 runs in 4 games out west, the Tigers are down to 28th with 3.44 runs per game. We will see if they can bounce back at home against the Pirates and Royals next week.

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