Another week, and not much change atop our weekly power rankings. The Cubs and Red Sox continue to roll despite injuries to key players while the Astros have begun to lose ground in a competitive NL Central.

The Phillies and Marlins are riding prolific offenses; the defense of the Tampa Bay Rays has carried an inconsistent, untested lineup; and don’t look now, but the Detroit Tigers have won seven in a row. Read more »

Sure, Boston Red Sox outfielder Coco Crisp’s three-game homer streak has come in hitter’s havens and with a nicked up Manny Ramirez limited in the outfield and unable to DH (national league parks). But, even when the power slows and Ramirez returns to health, Crisp should still be playing, and producing, every day.

Manager Terry Francona will gladly place Crisp and Jacoby Ellsbury side-by-side in the outfield, especially with Crisp providing an offensive spark. He can play either left or center, which means Manny could stay in the DH role and Crisp could stay in the lineup. Remember, David Ortiz will be out of the DH mix for at least a few weeks with a torn tendon in his wrist. Read more »

There’s good reason to think that Kansas City Royals shortstop Mike Aviles is for real. He has hit the ground running in Kansas City after tearing up minor league pitching for the last five and a half seasons. Through 12 games, Aviles is hitting .333 with 3 home runs, 6 RBIs, 12 runs, 9 extra-base hits and a 1.051 OPS.

On Tuesday night, he added to his resume with a game-winning home run in the eighth inning off Cardlinals lefty Ron Villone.

Aviles produced big numbers in four different minor league stops, quickly working from rookie ball in 2003 to being the Royals’ minor league player of the year at Triple-A Omaha last season. He was even better this season, hitting .336 and ranking fifth in the Pacific Coast League in slugging (.631) at the time of his May 29 callup.  Read more »