End-of-May Power Rankings

05/30/2024

By: Jeff Yoder

Good Morning!

It’s a quick breather from the late-night action before another busy weekend. We took the slow news day and crunched some numbers on the end-of-May MLB power rankings. A few new teams are rising up the standings. The Swiatek-Osaka battle in Paris was must-see TV, and both NHL Conference Finals could go to Game 7.

June is the month to crown some champions, and we’ll look ahead in tomorrow’s edition.

Letter Rip!

______________________________________________________________________________________

MLB

End-of-May Power Rankings

2 Months Into 2024 MLB Season — Let’s Play “Contender or Pretender?”

This week brings the closing number to the month of May, and that means two months of baseball are in the books (out of 6). It’s the 1/3-mark, and more than 1/3 of the league has cracked 30 wins. So who’s really great? And who’s just playing pretend?

Contenders: The Phillies, Yankees, and Dodgers have the rosters and records to prove they belong in this year’s upper echelon. L.A. just went on a five-game skid, but they’re too good to stay down for long. Three other teams have caught our attention — Orioles, Royals, and Guardians. Cleveland is on a heater right now, winning 9 of their last 10 in a blistering May stretch. The Guardians are a weekend series away from taking the best record in the majors.

Pretenders: The Ronald Acuna Jr. injury leaves the Braves slipping down our power rankings board. We’re still unsure about a handful of teams in the top half, namely clubs who looked inferior to another team in their division — Braves, Padres, Rangers, Cubs, and Red Sox. The hottest teams right now could turn us into believers sooner rather than later. The Cardinals, Giants, and Twins are riding some recent win streaks.

MLB Power Rankings

1. Phillies (39-18) —

2. Yankees (38-19) ↑3

3. Guardians (37-19) ↑2

4. Orioles (35-19) —

5. Dodgers (36-22) ↓2

6. Royals (35-22) ↑1

7. Brewers (32-23) ↑1

8. Braves (31-22) ↓2

9. Padres (30-29) —

10. Giants (29-28) ↑5

Teams 11-20: 11. Twins (30-25), 12. Mariners (31-26), 13. Cubs (28-28), 14. Cardinals (27-27), 15. Rangers (27-29), 16. Red Sox (28-28), 17. Diamondbacks (25-30), 18. Tigers (27-28), 19. Blue Jays (26-29), 20. Astros (24-32)

Teams 21-30: 21. Pirates (26-30), 22. Rays (27-29), 23. Nationals (25-29), 24. Reds (24-32), 25. Athletics (19-31), 26. Mets (22-33), 27. Angels (21-34), 28. Rockies (20-35), 29. Marlins (20-37), 30. White Sox (15-42)

CBS Sports: MLB Power Rankings: Guardians Creep Closer to Phillies & Yankees

______________________________________________________________________________________

TENNIS

Blockbuster in Paris

Photo: Clive Brunskill / Getty Images

#1 Iga Swiatek Staves Off Naomi Osaka’s Upset With 3rd-Set Comeback in French Open Epic (7-6, 1-6, 7-5)

We’re rolling at Roland-Garros! One of the few must-see early-round matches of the French Open went down Wednesday morning in Paris when Naomi Osaka had 1-seed Iga Swiatek on the ropes. Swiatek eked out the first set via tiebreaker (7-6) before Osaka won 10 of 11 games to take Set 2 (6-1) and hold a huge third-set advantage (4-1). It was 5-2 in favor of Osaka with match-point in that clinching third set, but Swiatek showed why she’s No. 1 in the world. The Polish superstar won six of the last seven games, showcasing a barrage of powerful backhand winners. Somehow, the 1-seed survived. But this was a fan’s delight for a second-round major matchup.

Iga’s Streak-atek: In case you forgot, Swiatek is the two-time defending French Open champion. Her Paris win streak is now 16 matches dating back to 2022.

Watch: #1 Iga Swiatek Completes Unbelievable Comeback Against Naomi Osaka

Men’s Singles Highlights

#2 J. Sinner def. R. Gasquet (6-4, 6-2, 6-4)

#3 C. Alcaraz def. J. De Jong (6-3, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2)

#6 A. Rublev def. P. Martinez (6-3, 6-4, 6-3)

Women’s Singles Highlights

#3 C. Gauff def. T. Zidansek (6-3, 6-4)

SI: Tennis Fans Wowed by Iga Swiatek’s Heroic Comeback vs. Naomi Osaka

______________________________________________________________________________________

STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS

Photo: Jason Miller / Getty Images

Oilers Score 5 Straight Goals to Skate Past Stars (5-2) & Even Series 2-All

Another Game 4 on ice led to an all-even series, and both the East and West Finals have been reduced to a three-game series. Wyatt Johnston scored in the first minute for Dallas. Esa Lindell scored five minutes later. That was it. The Stars failed to find the net for the final 55 minutes last night in Edmonton while the Oilers scored five unanswered to flip an 0-2 deficit to a 5-2 free skate. It should’ve been 6-2 but the stick of Stars’ goaltender Jake Oettinger made a save on its own (check this out, it’s wild). They knotted the series at two games apiece, and there’s still life in Canada. Connor McDavid had three assists while five other Oilers buried one goal after another.

Top Skaters

C. McDavid (EDM): 3 Assists

J. Benn (DAL): 2 Assists

L. Draisaitl (EDM): 1 Goal

E. Bouchard (EDM): 1 Goal

W. Johnston (DAL): 1 Goal

E. Lindell (DAL): 1 Goal

Western Conference Finals

Gm 4: Oilers def. Stars (5-2)

Series Tied (2-2)

ESPN: Oilers-Stars Game 4 Takeaways, Early Look at Game 5 Matchup

______________________________________________________________________________________

HIGHLIGHTS

MLB

Paul Skenes Throws 9 Ks on 22nd Birthday

Jose Siri Makes Wall Catch & Walks Off for Rays

Brewers Light Up Cubs’ ERA Leader Shota Imanaga

Shohei Ohtani Snaps 9-Game Homerless Drought

______________________________________________________________________________________

HIGHLIGHTS

MLB

Paul Skenes Throws 9 Ks on 22nd Birthday

Jose Siri Makes Wall Catch & Walks Off for Rays

Brewers Light Up Cubs’ ERA Leader Shota Imanaga

Shohei Ohtani Snaps 9-Game Homerless Drought

Soccer

LAFC Blank Minnesota in West Clash (2-0)

Atlanta United Stomp Inter Miami (3-1)

Lionel Messi Scores 11th Goal in Return

WNBA

Liberty def. Mercury (81-78)

Sabrina Ionescu (22-6-9) Shines for NYL

Aces def. Lynx (80-66)

A’ja Wilson (29 pts, 15 rebs) Dominates

______________________________________________________________________________________

STORYLINES

WCWS: Breaking Down the Final 8

The Women’s College World Series begins Thursday, and the field in Oklahoma City is absolutely loaded. One of the wildest weeks of the collegiate sports calendar is about to begin. Let’s break down all eight softball finalists. (ESPN)

Bronny James Goes Pro

It’s official. Bronny James, the eldest son of Lakers star LeBron James, has elected to remain in the NBA Draft and forfeit his college eligibility. He’s projected as a second-round pick, but many in NBA circles think that’s generous. (CBS Sports)

Re-Writing MLB History

There’s a new slugging king in MLB history. Josh Gibson is now recognized as baseball’s greatest-ever power hitter after the Negro Leagues stats became official MLB history on Wednesday, adding 2,300 players (1920-1948) to the record books. (Sporting News)

______________________________________________________________________________________

NEWS

Charges Dropped Against Scottie Scheffler From Louisville Arrest (ESPN)

Clippers & Head Coach Tyronn Lue Agree to 5-Year, $70 Million Extension (Yahoo! Sports)

Pistons in Talks With WNBA to Revive Detroit Shock in Future Expansion (SI)

Tyson Fury-Oleksander Usyk Heavyweight Title Rematch Scheduled for Dec. 21 (USA Today)

Anthony Edwards Promises New Shoes for Cowboys’ Micah Parsons, Says T-Wolves Will Force Game 6 (CBS Sports)

Mets Reportedly DFA Jorge Lopez After Viral Comments Following Ejection vs. Dodgers (B/R)

______________________________________________________________________________________

SCHEDULE

Today’s Must-Watch List

NBA Playoffs