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A quick recap of how the local teams fared this past week…

Los Angeles Dodgers

Highlights of the Week: They took two of three against the Snakes in Arizona, pulling into a first place tie in the NL West. Friday’s 8-7, extra inning win was exciting, but Sunday’s win was huge. Down 4-1 in the ninth, the Blue scored five times en route to a 6-5 victory. That was followed by a 16 run outburst Monday night, fueled by five James Loney RBIs. Things are starting to look up.

Lowlights of the Week: Andruw Jones, for whom this spot could be permanently dedicated. The so-called offensive savior went a combined 2-10 with a lone RBI and five strikeouts.

The Week ahead: Two more in Colorado, then a weekender at home against the lowly Nats.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Highlights of the Week: Their sweep of the defending champion Red Sox was both a statement and a much needed psychological boost against a team that has thoroughly dominated them over the years. LAA blasted Boston 11-3 on Friday night - led by Garret Anderson’s five RBIs, then logged a pair of comeback wins over the weekend.

Lowlights of the Week: Getting shut down by Indians pitcher Paul Byrd (4-10, 5.28 ERA) is always going to leave a sour taste in your mouth.

The Week ahead: Two more against the Tribe at the Big A before heading to Baltimore to face the O’s this weekend.

This Week’s MLB Power Rankings (July 15-22) with the team’s current standings and their rise/fall since last Week’s rankings:

1. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (60-39) (no change): Cherish your saves record as much as you can, Mr. Thigpen.

2. Chicago Cubs (58-41) (no change): Despite last night’s loss, Rich Harden’s second consecutive dominating performance has Cubbie fans optimistic about playing deep into October.

3. Tampa Bay Rays (58-40) (+1): Evan Longoria’s play is going to garner some much deserved MVP talk.

4. Boston Red Sox (58-43) (-1): Don’t worry about this team. They’ll be right there until the very end, especially with Big Papi expected back this week.

5. Chicago White Sox (55-43) (no change): They’ve looked sluggish, losing four of five out of the break.

6. Minnesota Twins (55-45) (no change): A huge four game series looms next week against the White Sox.

7. St. Louis Cardinals (57-45) (no change): Can their rotation hold up long enough to help them capture the NL Central? We know their offense will.

8. Milwaukee Brewers (57-43) (no change): Snatching Ray Durham from the Giants was another solid move by the team’s front office.

9. Philadelphia Phillies (53-46) (no change): Can they have a third straight N.L. MVP in Chase Utley?

10. New York Mets (53-46) (no change): Six of their final nine games in July are against the Phils and Marlins.

11. New York Yankees (55-45) (+1): Don’t look now, but the Pinstripers are only 4.5 games out of first and are very much in the Wild Card race.

12. Florida Marlins (52-47) (+2): With a chance to move into a three way tie atop the NL East, the Fish absolutely flopped against the Braves.

13. Oakland Athletics (51-48) (-2): Maybe trading away their starting pitchers is starting to catch up to them?

14. Texas Rangers (52-48) (-1): In what is a sure sign of the apocolypse, Ranger pitching has allowed a grand total of one run in the past two games.

15. Detroit Tigers (50-49) (no change): The 19 runs they posted last night is just a reminder of how explosive this offense can be.

16. Los Angeles Dodgers (49-50) (+3): Matt Kemp is starting to look real comfortable in the leadoff spot.

17. Arizona Diamondbacks (49-50) (+1): Need a reason they won’t win the NL West? Try the Bullpen.

18. Toronto Blue Jays (48-51) (-2): Another team with a high payroll that is grossly underachieving this season.

19. Cincinnati Reds (48-53) (+2): Homer Bailey (0-3, 6.29 ERA) hasn’t exactly lived up to the hype.

20. Baltimore Orioles (48-50) (-3): Outfielder Luke Scott was named AL Player of the Week.

21. Atlanta Braves (47-52) (-1): Can Chipper Jones (.372 avg) still make a run at .400? Stay tuned.

22. Houston Astros (46-53) (+1): Outside of Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee, fans in Houston haven’t had much to cheer about this season.

23. Kansas City Royals (45-55) (-1): Finishing with a .500 record still isn’t totally out of the question.

24. Colorado Rockies (43-58) (+3): Injuries will keep this team from repeating anything like last season’s magical run.

25. Cleveland Indians (44-54) (no change): With a little over a week left before the trade deadline, the Tribe may not be done dealing players.

26. Pittsburgh Pirates (45-54) (-4): Another team that should be moving multiple players as the trade deadline nears.

27. San Francisco Giants (40-58) (-1): It was a shame that Tim Lincecum coudn’t show off his stuff last week in the All-Star game.

28. Seattle Mariners (38-61) (no change): Hey, they went a week without firing or releasing someone. Progress.

29. Washington Nationals (38-61) (+1): So when does Redskins season start?

30. San Diego Padres (38-62) (-1): Their 15 road wins is the least in the Majors.

Discuss:

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