Apparently, New York and Boston couldn’t get enough of each other after the Celtics and Knicks squared off in the NBA Playoffs. Now, it’s time for the NHL version of the sibling rivalry.

Greg Kaplan (Rangers fan) and Mike Aurigemma (Bruins fan) put their differences aside to get together and talk about the positives, negatives and eventual outcomes from this series. Naturally, they decided to put a little something on the line as well to amp up the stakes.

GK: And so we meet again, Michael. After the Bruins pulled off the miracle of all miracle comebacks and the Rangers curb-stomped their way through Game 7, we’re set up for a New York-Boston playoff showdown, NHL version.

Lay it out for me Mike. What have the Bruins done well so far in the playoffs that should have me, the Rangers fan, concerned?

MA: As a Ranger fan you have to be worried about the way the Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Nathan Horton line has played so far throughout the playoffs.  This is the kind of line that if they really get their head in the game they are extremely tough to stop mainly because of the physicality of Horton and Lucic.  This was the line everyone was worried about and people even wanted Lucic benched at times and at one point in the season he was a healthy scratch.  Now that they have turned it on you have to worry if you are a fan of the opposing team if you can stop them.  With that being said there are still issues for the Bruins that we will also touch on throughout this.

First, I want to hear your side of how the Rangers have been playing of late.  Obviously shutting down Ovechkin is no easy feat.

GK: The way Dan Girardi and Ryan McDonough played against the Ovechkin-Backstrom-Johansson line throughout the first round of the playoff is nothing short of dominating. John Tortorella was able to routinely get his best defensemen on the ice whenever Ovechkin was out there, even if that meant double-shifting the pair.

However, the real story for the Rangers in Round 1 was the play of Derek Brassard. Brassard was moved around a little from line to line because he kept finding ways to create scoring chances for others around him, be it Brian Boyle, Girardi or even for himself. Simply put, the Rangers would not have defeated the Washington Captials if not for the offense generated by Brassard, who was the centerpiece of the Marian Gaborik trade at the deadline.

And of course, there’s the play of Henrik Lundqvist. Outside of Game 1, Henrik was beyond dominant. Down three games to two, Henrik did not allow the Capitals to score another goal the rest of the series. He is the face of this franchise, this team’s best player and the most important Ranger at all times. He’s playing some of his best hockey right now, and that should terrify Boston fans.

Positives are nice to talk about, and either one of us could make the teams come out smelling like roses. Fact is, both teams went seven, so there were obvious problems both teams had to overcome. What has you concerned about your Bruins heading into Round 2?

MA: There are a lot of things that worry me about the Bruins right now.  First is how depleted they are at the blue line right now.  They played game 7 without Andrew Ference, Wade Redden and lost Dennis Seidenberg in the first few minutes of that game.  Without at least one of those three there is no chance they can go any further.  They cannot rely on two rookies in Dougie Hamilton and Bartkowski to play extended time at that position.  For a team that really thrives on defense and keeping the scoring low this has to be a huge concern.

Then there is of course the Jekyl and Hyde nature of this team that has come through so many times throughout this season.  When they are up, they are not a team to really keep the pressure on as they get relaxed, but if you put them up against the wall we saw how they can respond in Game 7.  Consistency is going to be extremely important for this team especially against a really tough Rangers team.

I could not talk about the negatives without touching on how little impact some important offensive pieces have had on this series.  It starts with Tyler Seguin and Brad Marchand who they need to get going to really add some offensive firepower to this series.  The Bruins are not used to relying solely on one line in a series and they cannot happen again as they need balanced scoring from three lines, which means the corpse of Jaromir Jagr needs to find a time machine before the start of this series.

Now let’s hear your side on what the Rangers should be concerned about heading into this series.

GK: My major concern with the Rangers is easy: Rick Nash. Nash was stymied against the Capitals. He couldn’t get any clear offensive opportunities, didn’t register a single goal and at time he looked gassed and unable to keep up on either end of the ice. The reason the Rangers went out last off-season and brought on Nash was to fix their problems they’ve experienced offensively in the playoffs. Over the better part of the last three years, while Henrik Lundqvist has been nearly pristine in the playoffs, they haven’t been able to put the puck in the net. Nash was brought in to be the answer, but only added to the conundrum against the Capitals. In order for the Rangers to advance deeper, they clearly need more offense from their best offensive weapon.

Outside of Nash, there aren’t a lot of things I’m too concerned about. They were terrible on the power play against the Capitals, but a portion of that again goes back to Nash being a non-factor. The injury to Ryan Clowe is a little worrisome because he’s a huge influx of toughness and energy this team lacked at points against the Caps, and one of the few bruisers the Rangers have on roster that can protect their stars. I’d love for there to be anybody else the Rangers could run out on their third defensive pairing than Steve Eminger, but that’s way down on my list.

I think the problem is Nash. The Rangers need him to find his touch and become a difference-maker.

Before we get into how the Bruins or Rangers win this series, who is the one player on the Rangers that has you terrified right now?

MA: I mean is it too easy to say Lundqvist because he is the scariest player by far right now.  We all know how hockey works and sometimes in the playoffs if you go up against a tough goalie who is in the zone you will definitely lose.  The Bruins also struggle mightily offensively so this is just set up for disaster when looking at it that way.  Lundqvist is one of the best in the game and I have a bad feeling he will show us why he is considered that once again in this series.

Who is the one Bruins player that you are terrified of going into this series?

GK: Honestly, I think it’s Patrice Bergeron. This guy has battled so many different injuries over the last handful of seasons, but lost in the mix is his incredible talent and determination. Lucic is another guy that I can see being a real pest in this series. He’s traditionally done well against the Rangers and Lundqvist, so his play-making could be the difference between a Rangers series win and them hitting the golf courses on suburban Long Island.

We’re getting to that point in the article where we need to make some predictions. Tell me, the Bruins win this series if they do what?

MA: The Bruins will win this series if they can get traffic in front of the net and cash in on some rebounds.  They need to make it uncomfortable for Lundqvist and really battle for position in front of the crease.  The Rangers will not back down, but if the Bruins stick just to the outside there is no way they win this series.

Now your turn, the Rangers will win this series if…

GK: The Rangers win this series if Rick Nash finds the scoring touch and Henrik Lundqvist continues to play like Henrik Lundqvist. New York will continue to struggle in the scoring department if they don’t get Nash going, it’s that simple. He’s the key to the offense. When teams don’t have to focus all their energy on Nash, they play a more effective style of defense against the likes of Ryan Callahan, Brad Richards and even Derek Brassard. Nash opens up the possibilities for more opportunities. And Lundqvist is a no-brainer. If he keeps playing at this current level of excellence, there might not be a team in the league that can beat him.

Prediction time, Mike. I have a feeling I know where you’re going based on the bet we made in regards to this series. But, what’s the outcome?

MA: I think this will definitely be a grind of a series where goals will be hard to come by.  I easily see this series going 7 and I once again see the Bruins coming out on top at home in a game 7.  Just hoping they will not make it as scary this time around for me.

I know which way you are leaning, but how many games do you see this series going?

GK: You know me too well. I have to go with the Rangers in 6. Lundqvist is playing too strong right now to fail. I’m excited to have you pay for my Red Sox/Blue Jays ticket in June when all is said and done.

It’s worth reminding everyone that anything before Memorial Day should be taken with a grain of salt. However, that hasn’t stopped fan bases from packing it in or panicking. I mean, would it be baseball if people weren’t always a little panicky?

**NOTE: RECORDS ARE FINAL AS OF 5/12**

1. Texas Rangers (+0, 24-13)

The bullpen trio of Joe Nathan, Tanner Scheppers and Robbie Ross has allowed a total of five runs over a combined 48 innings. That includes 36 strikeouts against 10 walks, plus 11 saves (all from Nathan) and 13 holds. That’s how you make games shorter and win ballgames.

2. St. Louis Cardinals (+0, 23-13)

All five starting pitchers on the Cardinals staff (even with Jake Westbrook going to the DL) have ERAs under 3. Do you understand how remarkable that is? And though it’s not official yet, Shelby Miller (5-2, 1.58 ERA, 10.05 K/9, 0.88 WHIP) is all but locking up the Rookie of the Year award six weeks into the season.

3. New York Yankees (+2, 23-13)

I don’t know what’s more unlikely, Vernon Wells putting up a .295/.343/.530 with 9 HRs, 20RBI, 4 stolen bases and 19 runs, or that some Angels fans actually miss him and that type of production. I mean, seriously, how is Vernon Wells (VERNON WELLS!) the best this season out of a group including Josh Hamilton, Mike Trout and Peter Bourjos? That’s why they play the games, they say.

4. San Francisco Giants (+2, 23-15)

Everybody was kung fu fighting! The Kung Fu Panda is off to a rip-roaring start, hitting .320/.363/.483 with 6 HRs, 26 RBI, six doubles and 21 runs. The funny thing is, there’s probably a good chance this year Sandoval will actually deserve to be the starting third baseman for the National League in the All-Star game. But, there’s not a chance in hell that David Wright doesn’t get the start with the game being in New York, in his home park. You know, what should have happened last year is going to happen a year later. That’s just how it works.

5. Cincinnati Reds (+4, 22-16)

There’s no sugar-coating it, Shin-Soo Choo has been an absolute blessing for the Reds this year. He’s provided stability at the top of the order and in center field, which had been a huge question mark for a number of years. That, and he’s producing at an All-Star level, hitting .309/.451/.547 with 7 HR and 17RBI, 10 doubles, 29 runs and four stolen bases. Scott Boras won’t have enough zeros to ask for on the end of his contract when he hits the open market after this season.

6. Detroit Tigers (-2, 20-15)

It’s truly remarkable that Justin Verlander and Anibal Sanchez have a combined win-loss record of 7-6. Verlander’s numbers so far this season: 1.93 ERA, 9.99 K/9, six quality starts. Sanchez’s numbers: 1.97 ERA, 11.43 K/9 (doesn’t hurt when you have a 17-strikeout game), six quality starts. They also have a combined 4.3 WAR through 15 starts. Again, 7-6 combined record. Not sure how that’s even possible.

7. Baltimore Orioles (+1, 23-15)

Serious question: could Manny Machado be better than Bryce Harper and Mike Trout? .331/.370/.521, 5 HR 24 BRI, 14 doubles, 28 runs, four stolen bases, plays a superb third with the ability to shift over and play short. Look, nobody cares about anybody’s fantasy team besides their own, but I was thrilled when I snagged Machado for only $9 last year in a dynasty league draft. Just how good can this kid be?

8. Atlanta Braves (-1, 21-16)

Remember when the Braves started 12-1? The problems in Atlanta have mostly been inconsistent play from their offensive stars (or consistently bad play from Dan Uggla and B.J. Upton), while their starting pitcher has been alright, but nothing special. We’ve discovered that Kris Medlen is human, but he’s not pitching nearly as bad as his 1-5 record would indicate. If Brian McCann can prove that he’s recovered from his myriad of injuries, his insertion in the line-up alongside Freddie Freeman and Justin Upton will go a long way to steadying the ship.

9. Boston Red Sox (-6, 22-16)

Not a good week at all for Red Sox fans. The team found out that they’ll be without Joel Hanrahan for the remainder of the season and their coming off a week in which they lost five of seven against the likes of the Twins and Blue Jays. The good news for the Red Sox continues to be the pitching of both Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester. We’ve talked about Buch, but Lester is hanging around at 5-0, 2.73 ERA, 7.69 K/9 and a 0.99 WHIP. There are still signs of optimism in Boston, even with this stretch of rough play.

10. Washington Nationals (+3, 20-17)

The Nationals may just be treading water right now, but thanks in large part to them avoiding any long stretches of bad play and the Braves fall from the top, they’re only a game out of first in the East. Gio Gonzalez and Dan Haren still look off, but the performances of their three rotation mates continue to make up for their shortcomings. Offensively, Adam LaRoche and Danny Espinosa need to do more. It’s no secret that Davey Johnson loves Steve Lombardozzi, so it wouldn’t surprise anyone if Lombardozzi started seeing more action at second base while Espinosa searches for his swing.

11. Pittsburgh Pirates (+3, 21-16)

Having just watched him terrorize the Mets for the better part of four days, Starling Marte is a pleasure to watch on the field. For starters, he can fly. His speed, coupled with Andrew McCutchen’s prowess in center, makes any ball hit into the left-center field gap an out. This year, Marte is proving that he has some pop to go with his legs, already hitting a total of 14 extra-base hits to go along with his 10 steals. There’s no reason to think Marte can’t consistently put up 20 homer/30+ stolen base seasons from the top of the line-up.

12. Cleveland Indians (+5, 20-15)

Angel Hernandez’s brain fart aside, the Indians have surged to the top of the American League Central on the back of a very strong week, all while getting little to no production from their middle infield tandem of Asdrubal Cabrera and Jason Kipnis. Now, if we can just get Trevor Bauer to throw some strikes. Unrelated know, and speaking of Bauer’s, JACK IS BACK.

13. Arizona Diamondbacks (+2, 21-17)

Patrick Corbin is living the dream right now. Seven starts this year, all quality, 5-0, 1.75 ERA, 6.99 K/9, 1.06 WHIP, 1.6 WAR. Nobody wake him! Shhhhhh. Side note, Heath Bell taking over the role of closer has to have some fans concerned. This has to be David Hernandez’s job sooner or later, right? Hopefully sooner?

14. Tampa Bay Rays (+2, 19-18)

Whoever spiked the punch James Loney has been drinking this year, hopefully you have enough supplies to last. Loney is off to a ridiculous .376/.429/.560 with 20 RBI. Sure, he’s just never going to hit home runs, but the value in Loney was always with his glove and his ability to hit for average. Last year he stopped hitting for average, which is why his stock dropped so low in the first place. It’s not to say that he’ll hit above .350 all year, but things are looking way up for Loney once again.

15. Colorado Rockies (-3, 20-17)

While the Michael Cuddyer injury is a huge blow, it does allow Nolan Arenado to stay in the line-up longer and figure out if he can stick this year. From a pitching perspective, Jorge De La Rosa has been a breath of fresh air once again in Colorado. If the Rockies have any ideas of being a competitive team this year, or any year really, they need to find more pitching. Right now, De La Rosa and Jhoulys Chacin have been part of the solution, but there’s still 60% that needs improvement.

16. Kansas City Royals (-6, 18-16)

Jeremy Guthrie’s pitching line makes my head hurt. Instead, I think we need to talk about Eric Hosmer and what type of player he truly is. You can live with a .270 batting average from Hosmer, but that was when we thought he was a 25+ homer guy annually. Maybe it’s just an early rough patch, but Hosmer’s .351 slugging percentage and one home run leave a ton on the plate. Last year, he slugged .359 with only 14 home runs. Maybe we were wrong to think that he’s a power guy. Maybe he’s more James Loney than Joey Votto. That changes a lot of things in Kansas City, however.

17. Oakland Athletics (-6, 19-20)

The difference between being 20-19 and 19-20, in the long run, is incredibly small. However, it’s truly the principle of the matter that Angel Hernandez screwed the A’s out of that win. Instead of talking about what the A’s have/have not done well, allow me to take some time out of this article and rip Angel Hernandez apart. This guy umps with a vendetta. He’s the most biased official in any sport. There are legitimate players/teams he hates. Look, call me a whiny Mets fan all you want, but there has never, NEVER, been a 50/50 call that has gone the Mets favor he’s had to make. Has it cost the Mets games? Were any of them as inexplicable as that blown home run call (AFTER A REPLAY!) that cost the A’s that game? Probably not. But the fact that they’ve happened on a repeated basis is a joke. It’s a shame to the game. Truly is.

18. Seattle Mariners (+4, 18-20)

OK, back to baseball. Breaking news: Felix Hernandez is a really good pitcher. Like, better than average. 5-2, 1.53 ERA, 8.59 K/9, 0.90 WHIP. Imagine if the Mariners ever put a line-up together to truly back up some of the great pitching talent their developing these days. Not seeing Felix Hernandez yet in the playoffs is one of the true disappointments in the game today.

19. Philadelphia Phillies (+2, 18-21)

I’m not sure we’re at that point just yet, but is there a possibly more valuable offensive trade chip in the league than Chase Utley? He’s put the boom back into his name, coming out to a .289/.344/.514 with 7 HR 24 RBI, 21 runs and even four stolen bases. Name a contender that wouldn’t love to have Utley hit somewhere near the top of their line-up outside of the Yankees and Rangers that wouldn’t improve their second base position with that trade. The talent the Phillies could bring back may make trading Utley a forgone conclusion.

20. Minnesota Twins (-1, 17-17)

In this strikeout-happy era we apparently now live in, someone forgot to tell the Minnesota Twins. Only two pitchers, Glen Perkins and Jared Burton, have K/9 rates above 9.0. Vance Worley is the staff leader in strikeouts with 21. However, it took him 39.0 innings to record that many. That’s a rate of 4.85 K/9. It’s not that strikeouts lead the wins, per say. But they sure do help.

21. San Diego Padres (+5, 16-21)

Moving on up! Chase Headley is healthy and back to doing Chase Headley things. Yonder Alonso is experiencing some early signs of a mini-breakout. Jedd Gyorko is slowly starting to find some comfort in the Major Leagues. If the Padres can solve some of their problems in the starting rotation, we’d be getting somewhere in San Diego.

22. Los Angeles Dodgers (+1, 15-21)

The Dodgers moved up a spot in the rankings not because they tried, but because the teams around them have generally been worse. Now, there are some signs of life for the Dodgers. Zack Greinke is scheduled to make his return from his collarbone injury. Hyun-Jin Ryu and Clayton Kershaw continue to lead the way for the rotation. The problem for the Dodgers really is that the line-up hasn’t fully clicked yet outside of Adrian Gonzalez. There are signs of life from Matt Kemp, but he still only has one home run on the season. Don’t jump off the bridge yet, but I think it’s OK to be worried.

23. New York Mets (-3, 14-20)

The Mets flat-out stink right now. I don’t know what else you want me to say. If not for Matt Harvey pitching every five days, you’d be hard pressed to find a reason to watch this team. I mean, they just signed Rick Ankiel for god’s sake! If there is any good news, it’s that Zack Wheeler is really close to finding himself a home in the rotation after a third straight dominant start in Las Vegas.

24. Chicago White Sox (+0, 15-20)

My buddy Vinny (you’ve read about him!) informed me last night that Chris Sale was “Harvey-ing”. I like that this is becoming a thing. The question was brought up during a recent Mets/White Sox game, actually. Should the Sox look into selling high on Jake Peavy? This is easily the healthiest he’s been in a number of years, and every team is always looking for more starting pitching. Look at what the Marlins got last year for Anibal Sanchez. The question is less about should the Sox trade him, but more about who is the ideal trading partner?

25. Milwaukee Brewers (-7, 15-20)

To say that the Brewers have hit a rough patch would be an understatement. What’s been the cause of it directly, I think it’s a lot of things just going wrong at the exact same time. Yovani Gallardo has not looked like the rotational ace we’ve seen in the past. Milwaukee is still getting plenty out of Carlos Gomez, Jean Segura and Ryan Braun, but Rickie Weeks and Jonathan Lucroy have looked terrible out of the gates. Not everything is gelling right now.

26. Los Angeles Angels (-1, 14-23)

It makes no sense how bad the Angels have looked at times this season. If it’s not coming from Howie Kendrick, Mike Trout or Mark Trumbo, it’s not coming at all from the Angels line-up. Notice how I didn’t mention Albert Pujols or Josh Hamilton as contributors. The pitching staff, for the most part, has been terrible. They’ll get Jered Weaver back soon, but how much of a difference will he truly make? He has to be better than what they have now, but that’s not saying much at all.

27. Toronto Blue Jays (+0, 15-24)

You could make a strong case that the Cubs should actually leap-frog over the Blue Jays in the Power Rankings this week. This is a team that let Ramon Ortiz start a game for them last week. Brandon Morrow leads the team among pitchers that qualify for the ERA title at 4.69. R.A. Dickey has been heart-breakingly bad. Truth is, it really doesn’t seem like things are going to get better.

28. Chicago Cubs (+0, 15-22)

Speaking of the Cubs, that’s a nice, brand new seven-year, $41 million they have bestowed on Anthony Rizzo. Seriously, between Rizzo and Starlin Castro, the Cubs have more of a foundation than a ton of teams in baseball today. They have some work to do on the pitching end of the spectrum, but they’re clearly a work in progress trending upwards.

29. Miami Marlins (+0, 11-27)

I’m sorry, I’m not seeing any positives to report on here.

30. Houston Astros (+0, 10-28)

The Astros playoff percentage somehow dropped after last week. They’re down to 0.1%. There’s still hope!

Inspired by a brilliant post on the popular site Buzzfeed, Greg Kaplan and Vinny Ginardi decided to come together after a long lay-off and figure out what the shootout line-up would be if the Mighty Ducks were in that situation. 

Mighty Duck #1: Adam Banks.

VG: He’s the best player to wear a Duck’s jersey and it’s not even close. Sure, he may get hurt all the time, but let’s not forget that Banks got asked to move up to varsity from JV in D3. It’s always been clear that Banks is far more talented than his Duck teammates, and there’s nobody I’d have more confidence in to find the net in a shootout.

GK: There was never a Duck that possessed the all-around talent that Adam Banks had. If you were to compare these Ducks to an actual an actual NHL team today like the New York Rangers, Banks would be Rick Nash. Nash is the unquestioned most talented player on the Rangers, but everybody rallies around Ryan Callahan, who is also the captain (we’re getting there!). Callahan may get the attention and the headlines, but it’s Nash’s skill that makes all of his teammates better. Adam Banks made every Duck better, and open ice to him is like a theme park. As long as he stays healthy, he’s your #1.

Mighty Duck #2:  Russ “Knucklepuck” Tyler.

VG: IT’S KNUCKLEPUCK TIME! Seriously, you think somebody can stop that? Because I don’t. Russ may not be the most athletic of the bunch, but he sure can find the back of the net. And in a shootout, that’s all that matters.

GK: The second slot in the line-up is really the only slot that would generate any sort of debate. Would you want Woo Woo Kenny Wu’s magnificent skating? Unfortunately, Wu always looked better than he finished, so that type of inconsistency wouldn’t play in a shootout. What about Fulton Reed’s rocket-powered slap shot? As powerful as it was, it only hit the net once out of 10 shots on average, and you don’t really want a Zdeno Chara-like player in your shootout. It has to be Tyler. The knucklepuck is the ultimate equalizer, and the perfect complement to Banks before for him, and this guy after him…

Mighty Duck #3: Charlie Conway.

VG: You think of the Ducks, you think of Charlie Conway. He’s the heart and soul the team; the leader. If the game’s on the line, you want Charlie to be the one who determines the outcome. Plus, he’s already done it before (WARNING: DON’T CLICK THIS LINK UNLESS YOU ARE PREPARED FOR YOUR BODY TO BE OVERTAKEN BY GOOSEBUMPS AND A SEVERE SENSE OF NOSTALGIA).

GK: OF COURSE IT’S CAPTIAIN QUACK THAT GETS TO GO LAST! THAT’S HOW SHOOTOUTS WORK! Charlie made up for his lack of talent in the first two movies for his incredible heart. In the third film, he took his talents to the next level, became a complete two-way hockey player and started to perform on the same level of an Adam Banks. And, like Vinny pointed out, Charlie’s already done it once! That’s a proven leader and a proven performer.

DUCKS FLY TOGETHER!

Going into the year, there was a lot of hope and optimism that even if the New York Mets weren’t going to be competitive, there were players on the roster that could take the next step in their development and have some significant growth. While in some situations, what we’ve learned seems to be less optimistic for the future (like the continuing conundrum of Lucas Duda, is Ruben Tejada really the shortstop of the future, can Ike Davis ever put together a full, productive season, etc.), there is one story line that hasn’t only lived up to expectations, but tied 25-pounds of C-4 to them and decided to build something bigger.

Matt Harvey.

There was a strong fear throughout the Mets fan community that trading away R.A. Dickey would cripple the rotation in more ways than one. First, it would obviously remove the National League’s best pitcher from 2012, which is crippling in its own right. Second, it put a massive amount of pressure on the remaining rotational pieces. And third, maybe most damning to the Mets organization and the fans, was that the move eliminated what honestly was the only must-see attraction the Mets had last year.

To put it simply, Harvey has answered the call. In fact, as magical as R.A. Dickey’s 2012 was – mostly because of his masterful execution of an unpredictable pitch – Harvey could be off to an even better start. Let’s review Harvey’s numbers through his first seven starts…

49.1 IP, 4-0, 1.28 ERA (leads Majors), 58 strikeouts (10.6 K/9), 0.69 WHIP (leads Majors), 290 ERA+ (leads Majors), 4.0 H/9 (leads Majors), 4.83 K/BB.

Twice this year, Harvey has taken a no-hitter into the 7th inning. He lost his first one in Minnesota when Justin Morneau clipped the foul pole. In his most recent start, which you’ve heard about by now, Harvey retired the first 20 batters he faced, gave up an infield single to Alex Rios deep in the hole at short, then proceeded to retire the next seven he faced, amassing 12 strikeouts along the way.

Harvey has become so fascinating to watch this year because he has been using three pitches that have been unfair to opposing hitters. The first, and most obvious, is his 95+ MPH fastball. Harvey is third in all of baseball in average fastball velocity. It’s a pitch he not only throws hard, but can locate at will. Rarely, if ever this year, has Harvey left a fastball over the middle of the plate where a hitter can take advantage of.

He’s also flashed a change-up that had widely been viewed as his “worst” pitch. This year, his change-up has been his go-to out pitch against left-handed hitters. It falls off the table moving away from lefties. When it comes in, it looks like a fastball that’s going to be right in a lefty’s wheelhouse, down and in. However, by the time the pitch reaches the batter, it’s dive-bombed to the right and away, often falling out of the zone completely. It’s been nearly impossible for opposing hitters to A) lay off of it or B) adjust to it.

However, if there is one pitch in Harvey’s arsenal that brings out a certain amount of nastiness, it’s his slider. It’s been a marvel so far this season, much like Dickey’s knuckler was last year. It’s a slider that has a ton of bite, breaks hard left and clocks in around the 90-92 MPH range. When Harvey has it rolling exactly how he wants, it’s an impossible pitch to hit. Case and point, Tuesday night against the White Sox. Harvey’s command of his slider is what will define his career, and it is at a remarkable peak to begin the 2013 season.

Harvey also throws a curveball that is generally effective, but not on the level of his other three offerings. That’s generally why he throws it less often (around the 9-10% range of total pitches thrown). It’s a pitch he’s using right now to keep hitters honest more so than it is a pitch he tries to utilize to generate outs.

Harvey has become must-see baseball, and not only to Mets fans. He’s one of the rare pitchers in baseball where you don’t need a rooting interest in the outcome to enjoy a game in which he starts. If the season were to end this weekend, the discussion for the National League Cy Young would probably be limited to Harvey, Jordan Zimmermann, Mat Latos and Clayton Kershaw.

The sad truth with the Mets right now is that their starting rotation outside of Harvey is deplorable. I’m willing to chalk Jonathon Niese’s struggles up to a slow start to the season, and he’s still a perfectly capable #3 starter, or even a #2 starter if he gets back on the right track. But the likes of Shaun Marcum, Dillon Gee and Jeremy Hefner are flat-out not good. Marcum has a track record of success, but he has a longer track record of injuries. Gee doesn’t look like the same pitcher anymore than he was before he had shoulder surgery to remove a blood clot. And Jeremy Hefner is just awful. I don’t understand what management sees in him that is anything more than a long reliever/mop-up duty guy that can help a team affiliate win in AAA, but not much else.

Lost in the mud of the Mets current rotation is the bright future that may be ahead. Scouts across baseball are still painting Zack Wheeler as a better pitching prospect than Matt Harvey, which is incredibly hard to believe but still has buzz growing in Flushing. Each day, more fans are calling for a Wheeler promotion from AAA, which will certainly happen at some point this season, it’s only a question of when (most likely mid-June).

Then there’s the combination of Rafael Montero in AA and Noah Syndergaard in A+. Montero is a command artist who can spot all of his pitches with precision, while Syndergaard is a taller, bulkier version of Wheeler with a similar type make-up, but a couple of years away from the show. Both pitchers will be fun to keep track of as they continue their climb through the system, but the soonest either will see the Majors (that would be Montero) is probably 2014.

Nevertheless, as dark and depressing as some games may become this year for the Mets, Matt Harvey will remain the reason to watch every fifth day. And as the Mets continue to look outside the organization for anything that will help their starting line-up (are we seriously playing Andrew Brown right now in the outfield?), there is one thing to always remember.

We got Matt Harvey. We got hope.

Even with that being said, there are a few lessons we can take away from the beginning of the season that are almost guaranteed to carry over throughout the dog days of summer, like the Marlins and Astros being historically bad, the Rangers being better than many gave them credit for in the pre-season, and possibly the swan song of a former Cy Young award winner’s career.

So, five+ weeks into the season, how do the teams stack up in comparison to one another? Let’s take a look…

**NOTE: RECORDS ARE FINAL AS OF 5/5**

1. Texas Rangers (+0, 20-11)

Let’s put a few things in perspective here five weeks into the regular season. Yu Darvish has K’d a remarkable 72 hitters in his first 45.2 innings this year. That’s a rate of 14.19 strikeouts per nine innings. Let’s assume Darvish merely matches his 191.1 innings from last year. That keeps him on pace to strike out roughly 301 hitters this year, not to mention break the single-season K/9 mark for a starting pitcher, which currently belongs to Randy Johnson’s 2001 season when he struck out a mind-boggling 372 hitters in 249.2 innings pitched. Johnson was also the last pitcher to strike out as many as 300 batters in a single season, notching 334 in 2002. So, yeah. Darvish is on pace for a very special season.

2. St. Louis Cardinals (+5, 20-11)

The Cardinals starting rotation has rightfully grabbed the headlines in the National League Central, but their offense has been quietly having a complete season from top to bottom as well. Despite only one home run, Allen Craig maintains the team lead in RBI with his 25, while Yadier Molina proves last year’s offensive output was no fluke and the outfield combination of Carlos Beltran and Matt Holliday have combined for 13 home runs and 40 RBI through the first week of May.

3. Boston Red Sox (-1, 20-11)

The Red Sox were hitting fine before he returned from injury, but David Ortiz’s insertion back into the everyday line-up has taken them to another level. In his first 13 games, Ortiz has pounded out a line to the tune of .440/.473/.840 with four home runs and 17 RBI. Sure, that’s only indicative of his first 50 at-bats, but could you have asked for a better 50 at-bat beginning to a season?

4. Detroit Tigers (+7, 19-11)

Keeping in mind the “Astros Effect” (basically, any team will look much better than they might be a week after having played the Astros), six everyday position players are currently sport batting averages higher than .288. Three players (Austin Jackson, Prince Fielder and Miguel Cabrera) have already scored 20+ runs. Of course, there’s the start to Cabrera’s season in total, which might as well just be considered a continuation from his 2012 campaign (.385/.465/.615, 6HR 36RBI). Couldn’t ask for a better start offensively of any one collective unit.

5. New York Yankees (-2, 18-12)

By hook or by crook, the Yankees are still putting up wins despite playing without arguably their most important players (not named Robinson Cano or C.C. Sabathia, of course). We’ve talked about the success of Travis Hafner and Vernon Wells that has fueled the Bombers line-up, but credit needs to go to Hiroki Kuroda for his work in the rotation. A 2.25 ERA to start the year in his first six starts to go along with four wins and striking out nearly a batter an inning. While everyone else in the rotation has been up and down, Kuroda has been a beacon of consistency.

6. San Francisco Giants (+9, 19-12)

Winning six consecutive games, including a weekend sweep of the division rival Dodgers, is how you jump a league-best nine spots in the Power Rankings. How’d the Giants get here exactly? Madison Bumgarner is a massive help, he of the 1.55 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and five quality starts. In fact, Bumgarner hasn’t given up more than two runs in any of his first six starts this season. Matt Cain looked to have righted his ship over the weekend, which would go a long way to getting the Giants back to that deadly 1-2 punch that won them a World Series last year.

7. Atlanta Braves (-3, 18-12)

It’s a good thing the Braves got out to that ridiculously hot start to begin the year because the wins they amassed early on have been able to mask their struggling play as of late. Right now, B.J. Upton can’t hit himself out of a paper bag. I made the argument in the off-season that the Braves made a big mistake by passing up Michael Bourn to go after Bossman Junior. Sure, Bourn’s injury kind of makes all this a wash, but Upton’s .154/.233/.279 is awfully hard to look at.

8. Baltimore Orioles (-2, 18-13)

Manny Machado is wasting no time at all when it comes to establishing himself as a star in the league. After coming out of the gates sluggish, Machado is up to .309/.352/.522 and his 21 RBI are good enough for third on the team besides sluggers Chris Davis and Adam Jones. However, as we’ve been saying all year, the Orioles will only be as successful as their starting pitchers. Right now, it seems as though Baltimore is winning in spite of their rotation. That trend will have to change in order to make the playoffs.

9. Cincinnati Reds (-1, 18-14)

Still get the feeling that the Reds are simply laying in the weeds, waiting for other teams to fall back to the pack before they make their move. Though Joey Votto isn’t hitting home runs at his normal pace either, the power drought from Jay Bruce is a large part of what’s holding the Cincinnati offense back. Bruce only has one home run in his first 134 at-bats, and his .358 slugging percentage is well off his career pace. It’s early, and playing in Great American Ballpark, there’s plenty of time for Bruce to get back into the 30+ home run range.

10. Kansas City Royals (+4, 17-10)

It’s incredible what some starting pitching can do for a team’s fortunes. We went over the success of James Shields and Ervin Santana last week, but maybe it’s time we start paying more attention to Jeremy Guthrie. Six starts into his season, 4-0, 2.40 ERA. However, unlike Santana and Shields who can miss bats, you worry about the amount of contact Guthrie pitches to. His 1.11 WHIP, 5.88 K/9 and six home runs allowed tend to suggest that Guthrie is getting a little lucky this year. However, who’s to say he can’t stay lucky?

11. Oakland Athletics (+1, 18-14)

Someone needs to tell Josh Reddick the season started. After a breakout 2012 season that had Red Sox fans cursing at management for moving him in the off-season, Reddick is off to a .152/.266/.250 start with only one home run. Even with that ugly season line, the struggles of Chris Young and a rather pedestrian starting pitching performance thus far, A’s fans have to be encouraged they are where they are in the standings right now.

12. Colorado Rockies (-2, 18-13)

Baseball fans that aren’t Colorado Rockies fans know all about Carlos Gonzalez, Troy Tulowitzki and are quickly learning about Dexter Fowler and Wilin Rosario. However, often lost in that scrum, especially this year, is Michael Cuddyer. He’s come in, established a huge veteran presence in the locker room, and has mashed to the tune of .333/.400/.613 with seven home runs and 24 RBI. He won’t get the headlines with the young stars around him, but his performance is maybe more important and establishes a balance to the deep Rockies line-up.

13. Washington Nationals (+0, 17-15)

Things just aren’t clicking yet in Washington, but the key word is yet. Adam LaRoche is off to a terrible start, Ryan Zimmerman is coming off the DL and the trio of Stephen Strasburg/Gio Gonzalez/Dan Haren have been anywhere from disappointing to downright atrocious. Again, I still believe this is the deepest team in the National League East and will have the final say as to who wins the division. But, there are more weaknesses in the armor than I originally thought, which has to be slightly concerning even this early in the season.

14. Pittsburgh Pirates (-9, 17-14)

Alright, I admit it. I got carried away with the Pirates last week, and this right now is probably a more appropriate place for the Buccos right now. There’s still plenty to like about the Pirates beginning to the season, specifically closer Jason Grilli and left fielder Starling Marte. Keep in mind, the Pirates are currently three games over the .500 mark while Andrew McCutchen struggles through an early funk and James McDonald has been largely ineffective. Watch what happens to this team when those two players start to take off.

15. Arizona Diamondbacks (-6, 16-15)

Didi Gregorius and Paul Goldschmidt have been fantastic so far this year, but they can’t do it themselves. Martin Prado, Cliff Pennington and Miguel Montero are all hitting below .230, with Prado’s line stinging the most considering the incredible start Justin Upton has busted out to in Atlanta. Doesn’t matter how well you pitch if your offense isn’t going to consistently score runs.

16. Tampa Bay Rays (+0, 14-16)

David Price, we’re waiting on you. I don’t think anybody would’ve believed that he’d surrender 8+ runs in two of his first seven starts after capturing the 2012 Cy Young. Nor do I think anyone would’ve believed that the Rays are 1-6 in games started by Price. This is the judgment year for Price, or so we’ve been told. If the Rays deem themselves out of the race by the trade deadline, will they move their ace? And what kind of package are we talking about for a pitcher of his caliber? This could be a fun little debate…

17. Cleveland Indians (+8, 14-14)

It’s pretty incredible the Indians are at .500 right now without a true ace, a healthy Michael Bourn or a consistent Asdrubal Cabrera. However, when Carlos Santana is as hot as he is and Mark Reynolds continues to crush, anything is possible.

18. Milwaukee Brewers (+0, 14-16)

Who had Carlos Gomez as the 30-game WAR leader in 2013? Anyone? No? Gomez is currently sitting at .368/.417/.642, 6HR 12RBI, 21 runs, seven stolen bases and Gold Glove-caliber defense. Basically, Gomez is emerging as the best player from the massive Johan Santana trade back in 2007. Only problem is Gomez isn’t playing for the Minnesota Twins anymore, either. Sorry, Twins fans, but this is probably more than just a remarkable early season start.

19. Minnesota Twins (+1, 13-14)

Speaking of the Twins. It has to be nearly impossible to look at the early season stats for Carlos Gomez, then glance over at what Opening Day center fielder Aaron Hicks is up to. .118/.232/.188 with three total extra base hits and 12 runs. Let me know when you stop shaking your head, Minnesota. I’ll wait.

20. New York Mets (+2, 12-16)

As a die-hard Mets fan, allow me to use this time to point out what I’ve disliked about this team so far: Marlon Byrd is no longer a Major League outfielder, let alone one that should be starting four times a week. Ike Davis is struggling because he’s standing further away from the plate than Henry Roewengartner. Jordany Valdespin needs to be playing everyday. The bottom 60% of the starting rotation just needs to be punted for anything different, including Jeremy Hefner who tricked management into believing he’s good again when really he’s just not. And yet, this team has some things to be hopeful about. They’ll battle the Phillies all year-long for the mediocrity title that comes from finishing third in the East.

21. Philadelphia Phillies (-2, 14-18)

And speaking of those Philadelphia Phillies. Well thank god Roy Halladay finally came out and said he’s pitching injured. Because nobody who watches any of his starts from the halfway point of last year could’ve told you that maybe something was wrong with his shoulder. Nobody saw that coming. Plain and simple, Halladay has been arguably the worst pitcher in all of baseball thus far in 2013. Something is terribly wrong, and at 35-years old, you have to wonder if he’ll ever get it right again or if his career as we know it is over.

22. Seattle Mariners (+1, 15-18)

Hey, Mets fans. Through his first 24 games with his new team, Jason Bay is off to a .262/.355/.446 start with three home runs and nine RBI and 10 runs scored. Basically, Jason Bay is doing literally the minimum we wanted him to do and would’ve been happy with him doing as a Met. I’m still convinced he’s going to hit 40 home runs this year. There’s nothing I’m more certain about in the world of sports.

23. Los Angeles Dodgers (-6, 13-17)

Vinny Ginardi and I were down on the Dodgers entering the season and jumped on the under for their win total, but I don’t think either of us thought they would look this bad or be this hurt. Hanley Ramirez is back on the DL for the second time this year, and Mark Ellis, one of the lone bright spots for this team early on, may not be far behind him. The Yankees right now are the best-case scenario for what can happen to a team suffering through injuries. The Dodgers are the worst-case scenario.

24. Chicago White Sox (+0, 12-17)

Speaking of Vinny (see what I’m doing here?), thanks to the White Sox make-up game on Monday, he’s going to be robbed of what would’ve been an epic match-up between White Sox hurler Chris Sale and Mets young gun Matt Harvey. That’s just rude. RUDE.

25. Los Angeles Angels (-4, 11-20)

Last year, we were willing to make excuse after excuse for why the Angels were off to such a slow start, and that they were too talented to fail for the entire season. This year, I don’t think the courtesy will be there. They’re not pitching (only 14 quality starts from their starting pitchers so far this season). They’re not hitting (Josh Hamilton and Albert Pujols both hitting below .240 with a combined seven home runs). Can they turn it around? Sure. Does that mean they will? I’m not so certain.

26. San Diego Padres (+2, 13-18)

The good: Chris Denorfia, Yonder Alonso, Jedd Gyorko and Chase Headley. The bad: Clayton Richard, Clayton Richard, Will Venable and Clayton Richard one more time.

27. Toronto Blue Jays (-1, 11-21)

The Toronto Blue Jays have the third-lowest percent chance of making the playoffs, according to ESPN. Let that sink in for a second. A team that added Mark Buerhle, Josh Johnson, Jose Reyes, R.A. Dickey and Emilio Bonifacio (and the immortal Mike Nickeas!!!) are trapped in the cellar of the American League East and have been feeble on both sides of the ball. Then again, this is pretty much what the 2012 Marlins did last year with the exact same plan, sans Dickey.

28. Chicago Cubs (-1, 11-20)

Surprisingly, the Chicago Cubs are NOT one of the two teams that have a smaller chance of making the playoffs than the Toronto Blue Jays. In fact, that probably says more about how bad the Blue Jays have played this year than anything else, right? That the Cubs have a higher chance of making the playoffs than the Blue Jays? I’m sorry, that was uncalled for. Let me cheer up Cubs fans.

29. Miami Marlins (+1, 10-22)

The Miami Marlins have a 1.5% chance at the playoffs in 2013.

30. Houston Astros (-1, 8-24)

The Houston Astros have a o.2% chance at the playoffs in 2013. And honestly, that’s probably too high.

With the need to over-analyze a show together since The Challenge is on hiatus, Greg Kaplan and Mike Aurigemma have come together and decided to give The Amazing Race: Season 22 a chance. Each week, the two will break down what has happened, where the show is going, the team that has been eliminated and, of course, the front-runners.

To read previous recaps from this season, make sure to check out our Amazing Race page under the Pop Culture tab!

GK: Well, Mike, we did it. We successfully went through a season of The Amazing Race together, and actually had a pretty good time doing it. For maybe the first time in the history of us watching shows together, I accurately predicted which team was going to win from the very beginning. Waiver Wire favorites the hockey playing Battaglia brothers took home the cool million bucks. Were there any surprises in the finale for you?

MA: There really were not that many surprises as to how the teams finished. I thought it was expected to be honest with you.  One thing I was disappointed with was that it seemed as if the second and third place teams walked away with nothing.  But maybe I missed something about that.  We know that in The Challenge those teams that finish in second and third still get some kind of prize.  I was kind of disappointed to hear that as I think they would deserve something for getting that far and being that close.

One thing we touched on throughout this whole season was how three teams quit.  Did CBS just straight up lie to us?  And how do you feel about that?

GK: Well remember, Max and Katie walked away with a solid haul, winning three of the final four legs and taking home prizes that included two new cars and $20,000. I actually liked that the emphasis was put on winning legs more than finishing in the top three. Keeps the meaning for each individual challenge higher than it would if you knew you would finish in the money by simply placing. That, and these people were pretty much on an all-expense paid vacation for the last six weeks, so it’s hard to feel bad for them.

Now, back to CBS. This has to be the first time I can ever imagine that we were blatantly lied to about how a season will turn out. What is the added benefit for CBS to come out before the show starts and say “Hey, three of these teams are going to quit. And by three, we mean one due to injury.” I don’t understand it. I don’t really know if it added any additional drama to each week when we were thinking a team was going to bail out, but it was certainly at the front of our thoughts. Do you see a benefit CBS thought they were gaining by advertising this season as the one where three teams quit? Did three teams actually quit and we just didn’t notice?

MA: I think the firefighters intentionally tipped the boat over early on to get eliminated.  I really do not know what happened here and why they would needed to release that information.  I mean it is not like we were not going to find out that they lied and made that all up.  So no it just looks awful on their part.  It could not have been an actual plan for them to release that information.  It had to be someone just starting a rumor and then it spread.  If that was an intentional move by CBS it was just awful and I really cannot believe it.

We know the Battaglia’s were able to come out and win this one.  It definitely helped for them to get a lead as we know that they can sometimes lose the lead if they are not that far ahead.  Was there a time where you thought they might not have walked away as the champions?

GK: Well the major concern we’ve had all season with the Battaglia Brothers goes back to their terrible luck with taxis and individual driving abilities. Everybody got on and off the ferry from Ireland to London at the exact same time, and yet the Battaglia Brothers found a way to be behind. Max/Katie and the Roller Derby Moms walked into the bar literally at the exact same time, yet our hockey brothers were MIA. I don’t know how they pulled off that feat, but in that moment I was worried they’d fall too far behind to make up a difference. Luckily, the next stop after that was the airport, where each team had to wait for a flight, so they were able to nullify the time gap.

After that, there wasn’t really a moment where I was worried about their standing. Despite wanting to kill each other with the Tray It road block, they were never in any real trouble since the Country Singers struggled with the bog swimming and the Derby Moms forgot how to read. We knew it’d be a dog fight between Max/Katie and the Battaglias to the very end, but Max failing to find someone with the right briefcase pretty much clinched it all.

One thing I did notice on the last leg was that each team actually took strong notes throughout the trip that really helped them at the end. Considering both of us will be trying out for this show, is this something we would’ve thought of? I don’t think so.

MA: Honestly, that was the first thought going through my head.  I was sitting there saying wow these teams took really good notes.  I was amazed by that actually and I knew right then and there we would be stuck.  I mean we never took notes in college when we were told to never mind a situation like this where there was no direction saying that at all.  Would have put us in a big heap of trouble for sure.

I hate to bring injury into this at all, but were we robbed of watching Dave and Connor go up against the Battaglia brothers here.  They were clearly the best team even with the injury and it seemed like that could have been quite the battle in that last leg.

GK: That’s a good point. I still think the Battaglia’s would’ve had the advantage physically, but Dave and Conor seemed like the clear-cut favorites considering their all-around abilities. Both were in great shape thanks to the different biking or swimming events both said they did often, and both had a good understanding of how to negotiate foreign countries, which is something we saw many teams struggle with, specifically Chuck and Wynona.

I was thinking last night about different combinations of people who would make The Amazing Race more interesting. Besides the two of us teaming up and taking down this show, what combo of people would you want to see try to compete on the show?

MA: How about CT and uhm anyone.  But actually I really like the idea of just having regular people on a show like this.  It is not that physical where you just want to see some huge guys going out there and trying to hurt each other.  It also never gets insanely competitive either so I really like the idea of having just regular people.  Now if you put me on the spot I would have to go with Dennis Rodman and Vince Vaughn.  I mean Rodman just has great knowledge of other countries so he would be great and if you add all the funny lines Vince Vaughn would have throughout the race it would be absolutely money.

Who would you like to see pair up on this show excluding us again from the possible answers.

GK: To me, it’s an easy question to answer. Is there a more perfect format to team up Kobe Bryant and Shaq? The two would be forced to communicate and literally spend every waking hour together as they travel across the world. That’s what we call perfect television.

Sadly Mike, this marks the end of our first Amazing Race campaign. We’ll be back to watch more, and obviously compete once I get up to Boston to make our tryout reel (June 26th, for those curious when the filming will begin). The only question left to ask: what the hell do we do now until The Challenge comes back?

MA: It is definitely going to leave quite a void.  There is a space in my life that needs to be filled and I am not sure what will end up bridging the time from now until The Challenge starts back up.  Just have to hope that the start of that is right around the corner because I need that entertainment in my life.

I’m only on disc two of season two, but I’ve had a very important realization:

How different would my life be if I never saw even one episode of Boy Meets World?

Seriously. Every episode is a life lesson that is of paramount importance to the development of a kid’s prime years. You know, puberty. Ever had a question you didn’t really want to ask your parents, and felt a little odd to ask your friends? Boy Meets World answers it for you, and with meaning.

In hindsight, hell even in the now, it’s a show that has it all. It has high school/middle school drama, sexual innuendos flying left and right, and everything in between. Boy Meets World even does the impossible: it makes English class seem interesting and full of meaningful material that goes beyond the pages of a book. I mean, really. Who knew that if you actually read the material in books like Pygmalion or Othello you could learn something? English teachers should’ve acted like Mr. Turner, then maybe I would’ve participated more. Alright, that’s unfair. I actually had an awesome English teacher sophomore and junior year, and still refused to partake in the learning.

Basically, what I’m getting at is you need to go back and re-watch all of Boy Meets World. It’ll make you want to find true love and somehow go back to being a teenager, even though you know perfectly well that being a teenager was probably the hardest thing you’ve ever done.

It’s a marvelous show. That’s really all I have to say. Don’t believe me? Well, then you’ve had the roughest of rough childhoods.

So, who are this week’s biggest climbers? Which teams took a tumble out of the Top 10? Is it time to believe in the Colorado Rockies? Greg Kaplan shares with us the dirty details..

**NOTE: RECORDS ARE FINAL AS OF 4/28**

1. Texas Rangers (+1, 16-9)

Pitching has long been viewed as the hurdle that could keep the Rangers from being the strong, top-of-the-division team they have been the last few years. Additional injuries to Matt Harrison, coupled with the injuries to Feliz and Colby Lewis only reinforced that worry. However, Yu Darvish has been nothing short of magical, Justin Grimm has stepped up in his first three starts since his promotion, while Derek Holland and Alexi Ogando continue to be more than just rotational fillers. Right now, it seems as though the Rangers are primed, when everyone is healthy, to have a deep, loaded rotation for a run in October.

2. Boston Red Sox (+4, 18-7)

Alex Herd wrote for us last week that Yu Darvish has made his claim to the Cy Young in the month of April, but I think he forgot about Clay Buchholz, who may have a better case. Five starts, all quality, 5-0, 1.19 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 39 strikeouts in 37.2 innings. It’s hard to pitch better than that in your first month of the season. While it’s hard to imagine Buchholz continuing this kind of domination the rest of the way, his remarkable improvement, Jon Lester’s return to form and their shutdown bullpen (save Alfredo Aceves, who has been demoted), this Boston pitching staff is absolutely for real.

3. New York Yankees (+4, 15-9)

We can keep telling ourselves that it’s only a matter of time until all of their injuries catch up to them, but what’s to say that they actually will? Add Francisco Cervelli and Ivan Nova to the list of injured Yanks. However, Vernon Wells and Travis Hafner have combined to hit 12 home runs (what), Brett Gardner has tallied 12 RBI to go with his three home runs (he had 15 entering this season, and averaged about 30 RBI a year) and Robinson Cano continues to be Robinson Cano. Maybe, just maybe, as the Yankees start to get healthy, they keep this type of success up throughout the rest of the season.

4. Atlanta Braves (-3, 15-9)

The hard truth is, the Braves weren’t going to win games at the pace they were to begin their season. The real question for Atlanta has to be their offense. Yes, Justin Upton has hit home runs at a near-historic pace. However, considering he has 12 home runs, you’d think he’d have more than just 19 RBI. Jason Heyward is out until the end of May (and was slumping before his injury), the team has had zero production from both B.J. Upton and Dan Uggla (or, as my buddy Jim O’Donnell, resident Braves fan, refers to him as, Struggla) and their no better than middle-of-the-pack in just about every offensive category. Not to mention, they were struck out 17 times in eight innings by Anibal Sanchez. Not Justin Verlander, or even Max Scherzer. Anibal Sanchez. Red flag raised. 

5. Pittsburgh Pirates (+11, 15-10)

Amazing what a team can do when they start hitting as a unit. It’s not like the Pirates had an easy road of it, either, sweeping three straight from Atlanta, taking three of four from the Phillies and then taking two over the weekend from the Cardinals as well. Hence the jump in 11 spots in the Power Rankings, the largest gain of any individual team this week. The road isn’t getting easier, however, as they play three against Milwaukee and Washington. This is the part of the schedule insiders would expect them to struggle, so brownie points are being earned for their impressive showing.

6. Baltimore Orioles (+4, 15-10)

While pitching is still a concern in Baltimore (more so than ever with the elbow injury to super-prospect Dylan Bundy), the line-up has had no problem picking up the slack early on. Chris Davis (.352) and Adam Jones (.339) have combined for 48 RBI, Manny Machado has been on fire over the last couple of weeks and even Nate McLouth (yes, that Nate McLouth) is off to a .351/.455/.486 early season line.

7. St. Louis Cardinals (+2, 14-10)

It’s a Jekyll and Hyde situation in St. Louis right now. The starting rotation is out of their mind. Jake Westbrook is dreaming, so make sure nobody wakes him up from his 0.98 slumber. You come to expect greatness from Adam Wainwright, Shelby Miller is living up to his expectations, and even Jaime Garcia and Lance Lynn have been good, if not great. However, that bullpen. That bullpen is the only reason they’re not on top of the NL Central right now. They’re going to need more than Edward Mujica and Randy Choate to win the division. Hell, if you’re relying on Mujica and Choate period, you’re in some trouble.

8. Cincinnati Reds (-3, 14-12)

You get the feeling that the Reds are just lying in the weeds. Tony Cingrani has been better than advertised in his first three starts, striking out 28 batters in his first 18 innings while compiling a o.89 WHIP. The question is, does Cingrani stay in the rotation when Johnny Cueto comes off the DL? He has to, right? Also, can the Reds make a case for one of the best post-season 1-2-3′s with Latos/Cueto/Cingrani, then Chapman closing? Uh, yeah, they can.

9. Arizona Diamondbacks (+3, 15-10)

Considering Brandon McCarthy has been awful and Ian Kennedy has been underwhelming, Patrick Corbin has not only needed to step up, but has done so in impressive fashion. Every start has been quality, he leads the staff with his three wins and, teamed with Wade Miley, have truly buoyed the D’Backs to the top of the NL West.

10. Colorado Rockies (+1, 15-10)

Speaking of the top of the NL West, while the Rockies pitching still scares me, their offense has been arguably the best in baseball.  The likes of Wilin Rosario, Carlos Gonzalez, Troy Tulowitzki and Dexter Fowler have been better than you could’ve asked for. However, the amount of heavy lifting they’re already doing will be required for the entirety of the regular season unless they make a move to shore up their rotational needs.

11. Detroit Tigers (+2, 13-10)

Miguel Cabrera has to be the best hitter in the game today. After a slow first week or so, Cabrera is back up to .363/.436/.559 with four HRs and 28 RBI. Between Cabrera and Prince Fielder, who is off to a blazing start of his own, the two have piled up 55 RBI in the first month of the season. Oh, and Anibal Sanchez struck out 17 Braves over the weekend. This team is going to be fine.

12. Oakland Athletics (-9, 14-12)

Just when the A’s were starting to hit a bit of a skid, Yoenis Cespedes came back from injury and immediately made an impact. The pitching has gone a little cold, but the rotation is both too talented and too deep to struggle for an extended period of time. I’m willing to chalk it up as a bad week and see what the A’s do on the rebound heading out of it.

13. Washington Nationals (-5, 13-12)

Jordan Zimmermann has to be the most underrated player in all of baseball. Period. End of discussion. Zimmermann rolls out of bed and puts up a quality start. Not just a three runs in six innings quality start, either. He’s already 4-1 with a 2.00 ERA and 0.86 WHIP. Yes, other parts of the Nationals rotation have unexpectedly struggled to start the year, specifically Gio Gonzalez. As long as Jordan Zimmermann is healthy, everything will eventually be OK. 

14. Kansas City Royals (+0, 13-9)

So far, so good on the Ervin Santana and James Shields fronts. Which brings us to Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas. Part of the reasoning behind moving Wil Myers in the first place to get Shields was the belief that Kansas City already had stars in their line-up playing their two corner infield positions. However, Hosmer is off to a slow start after a really poor sophomore season, ending the month of April without a home run and a .250/.337/.306 line, while Moustakas has fallen to .195/.276/.295. Again, it’s still relatively early and the Royals are winning despite their poor performances. Just something to keep your eye on a little longer.

15. San Francisco Giants (-11, 13-12)

This is the worst I’ve ever seen Matt Cain start a season. Before he became the star, front-line starter he is now, he was still the guy that would go seven innings, surrender two or fewer runs and not get run support (think Jordan Zimmermann). Now, however, he’s just all sorts of out of sync. I don’t think there is the fear of him becoming the next Tim Lincecum or anything like that as far as losing his touch, but it’s brow-raising for now.

16. Tampa Bay Rays (+4, 12-13)

At what point is it enough for the Rays to promote Wil Myers? Sure, he’s not exactly destroying the ball in AAA right now, but outside of Evan Longoria and James Loney (who knew?), nobody in Tampa Bay is hitting on a daily basis. Even BEN Zobrist (last week, I called him Evan. Apologies, Rays fans) has cooled off. If the Rays want to keep pace with the Red Sox, Orioles and Yankees, they’ll need to find offense. It would seem that some serious offense is sitting and waiting in AAA.

17. Los Angeles Dodgers (+0, 12-12)

It’s a good thing the Dodgers signed every and any starting pitcher this off-season, because they’re quickly running out of options for their starting rotation. Greinke, Capuano, Billingsley and even Stephen Fife have been lost to various injuries. The good news is of the pitchers that have been left standing, both Clayton Kershaw and Hyun-Jin Ryu have been very impressive. When/if the offense gets going, the Dodgers should be able to remain near the top of the division and Wild Card races.

18. Milwaukee Brewers (+0, 12-11)

Carlos Gomez has caught fire. He already has 12 extra base hits this season as part of his .360/.415/.616 early season line. Paired with Jean Segura and his .367/.418/.567 start, Ryan Braun and Yuniesky Betancourt (wait, what?) have had a field day hitting behind them in the Brewers line-up.

19. Philadelphia Phillies (+4, 12-14)

Look, I’m just going to say it. Ryan Howard looks like a shadow of the player he used to be. It is painful to see him try to run or stretch for a ball in the dirt at first base. I don’t know if he’s playing injured, or if he’s never fully healed from his Achilles injury, but he is permanently hobbled. At least there’s not a ton of money and years left on his contract…

20. Minnesota Twins (+2, 11-10)

The best story out of Minnesota so far this season has to be the performances of Kevin Correia. Through his first five starts, he’s put together a 3-1 record with a 2.23 ERA and 1.07 WHIP. The remarkable part of it all is Correia has done all this while striking out 3.72 batters per nine innings. He’s playing to contact, and balls are just finding gloves right now. How long that lasts, well, we’ll see.

21. Los Angeles Angels (-2, 9-15)

The lesson we’ve learned so far this season? It doesn’t matter how many weapons you have in your line-up when nobody is going to pitch for you. The starting rotation has combined for only 11 quality starts in their first 26 games, and no starter has an ERA better than Tommy Hanson’s 3.91. Of course, it also doesn’t help when your star pick-up last offseason is only hitting .204/.252/.296. 

22. New York Mets (-7, 10-13)

-___- I still don’t know entirely what this face even means, but I feel it accurately describes where this Mets season is, and where it is likely to go.

23. Seattle Mariners (+3, 11-16)

Leave it to the Mariners to have two starting pitchers compile ERAs below 2.00, combine to throw 10 quality starts, strike out 91 batters in a total of 80+ innings, and yet post a combine record of 5-3. Moving in the fences can help your team only so much when the product on the field is inadequate to compete. Just ask the Mets.

24. Chicago White Sox (+1, 10-14)

Not much is going right for the ChiSox right now. Adam Dunn has his strikeout percentage at 36.4%, Chris Sale has cooled off considerably, and no everyday player not named Conor Gillaspie is hitting over .300. A lot of things need to start going right for the White Sox to get back on track.

25. Cleveland Indians (-1, 9-13)

Somewhere lost in the Indians start to the season has been the play of Carlos Santana. Outside of Indians fans and his fantasy owners, nobody is truly taking notice to his .389/.476/.722 start to the season. Almost half his hits have either been home runs or doubles (13 of 28), and he’s had Mark Reynolds and his 1.019 OPS right behind him as well. 

26. Toronto Blue Jays (-5, 9-17)

Of the batters that qualify for the batting average race, J.P. Arencibia leads the way at .253. Of the starting pitchers that have had at least four starts, J.A. Happ is the only one with an ERA under 4. That, my friends, is why the Blue Jays have been off to such an incredibly poor start. Also, who had John Buck as the best player to come out of the seven-player Mets/Blue Jays trade that involved R.A. Dickey and Travis d’Arnaud?

27. Chicago Cubs (+0, 9-15)

It was a questionable move, at best, when the Cubs locked up pitcher Edwin Jackson to a five-year deal in the off-season. He’s done nothing to silence the critics thus far, coming out of the gates with a 6.27 ERA and a 2:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio (34 to 17). 

28. San Diego Padres (+0, 9-15)

Eric Stults, Edinson Volquez and Clayton Richard have combined to make 16 starts so far this year. None has an ERA below 5.50. Need I say more.

29. Houston Astros (+0, 7-18)

Normally this is the time where we talk about how Jose Altuve is a near lock to get into his second consecutive All-Star game. Instead, I’d like to focus on Lucas Harrell a little. If there’s any reason to believe in a light at the end of the tunnel, Astros fans have to like what they’ve seen from Harrell, who leads the team in wins, ERA and strikeouts out of the gates. His last two starts have been his best, so how he develops throughout the rest of the season is a story line to watch.

30. Miami Marlins (+0, 6-19)

Placido Polanco and Greg Dobbs hit third and fourth for the Marlins with Giancarlo Stanton now on the DL. 

With the playoffs scheduled to get underway Tuesday night, resident hockey experts Mike Aurigemma and Greg Kaplan take a timeout from their Amazing Race and The Challenge to write down some bold predictions heading into hockey’s second season. Who will represent each conference in the Stanley Cup? Which players will stand out and shine for their teams? Will there be a surprise this season? Mike and Greg share their thoughts…

GK: Mike, of all the things we’ve gone back and forth on in our years together, none bring more joy to me personally than the NHL Playoffs. Before we even jump head first into the playoffs, how did the shortened regular season go for you?

MA: I kind of liked the shorten season to be honest with you. In both basketball and hockey I do not think there is a reason for 82 games so I definitely enjoyed this. I do think it would have been better if we saw some more rest between games. There were definitely some tired and beat up teams at points throughout the season.

How did you think it all played out?  And were you expecting certain teams to struggle that had success and vice versa?

GK: Honestly Mike, it was a frantic season to try to keep up with. It was exhausting for the players to play on such short rest, and it was mentally exhausting for fans to keep up with the pace of games over and over. I’ll admit it, at certain points of the year, I lost focus on the game and before I knew it, I was two weeks behind.

As far as what I expect from some teams, I don’t think we’re going to see a surprise team come up and take the cup this year like we may have in the last couple of years. Instead, I think the surprises we will see will be teams that got off to great starts in the regular season finally wear down in the playoffs. The teams that will be most successful are the teams that are best buoyed. What I mean by that is the most balanced, less complicated teams will find the most success.

That being said, let’s get right into it. First, we need to establish the favorites. Who do you have at the top of your pecking order heading into the post-season?

MA: I mean I hate to really pick the complete favorite, but I just do not see anyone beating the Penguins in the Eastern Conference right now.  Sure they may still have questions about goaltending, but we have seen Marc-Andre Fleury get hot before so the potential is definitely there.  And they have had success this year without both Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby.  Not many other teams would be able to do that and it shows the absolutely amazing depth that they have on their roster.  Not to mention the great deals they made at the deadline to bring in talented players such as Jarome Iginla.

Now on to the Western Conference where Chicago has definitely been the best team, but I think we will see someone else come out from the west.  The St. Louis Blues I think have the goaltending and defense to really slow down the attack of the Blackhawks.  One thing they were missing last year was the experience of postseason play so I think that will definitely help them out this time around.

Who would you pick as your favorites in each conference?

GK: I hate to agree with you on the Penguins, so I’ll gloss over them. If I had to pick a “surprise team” out of the East, it would probably be the Washington Capitals. This is a team that’s hot at the right time, which is something we see all the time in the NHL Playoffs. For the first month plus of the regular season, Washington looked like a lost cause and seemingly couldn’t get out of their own way. However, they had the benefit of playing in arguably the worst division in the entire NHL, caught fire towards the end and are rewarded with a generous three-seed.

In the West, I really do like these Anaheim Ducks. This is a team that a lot of people were expecting to fall off eventually after their blazing start, but they just never did. They weren’t getting the headlines in the West thanks in large part to the historic start and impressive season Chicago got off to. But Anaheim is probably the most complete team in the West, and I’d be surprised if they didn’t get to at least the Conference Finals.

As far as first round match-ups go, which do you think will be the most interesting or competitive?

MA: I actually like a lot of match-ups out west.  They all seem really intriguing from the defending champs Los Angeles Kings against the St. Louis Blues or even the San Jose Sharks against the Vancouver Canucks as it is two teams who have really struggled during the postseason.  But I will have to go with the Anaheim Ducks against the Detroit Red Wings.  I also really like the Ducks, but Detroit really was able to pull it our towards the end of the season to get into the playoffs and now you know they will be a tough out.  With the experience and talent on that team, I really do not think they will go down easy at all.

In the Eastern Conference there really is not one match-up that really stands out to me, but if I had to pick I would say the Capitals going up against the New York Rangers.  Mainly because I think Henrik Lundqvist is just a special talent and could really take over a series.

Give me a few players that you are looking out for this postseason.

GK: I’m glad you mentioned the Rangers/Capitals match-up. It feels like every year, the playoffs start with that battle, and every year it’s a blood bath. Both teams seem to have gaping holes, but got hot at the right time to get into the dance. Both are very strong home teams, finishing tied for second in the East in home wins. I truly believe it’ll be a seven game series that’s going to come down to which team can score enough, which has been a problem historically for both teams in the postseason.

As far as players I’m watching out for, the first one to me feels kind of obvious. That’s Phil Kessel. Kessel tallied 52 points in the regular season, led the Leafs in both goals and assists and is now returning to face the team where he first established his stardom. I’m fascinated to see how he’s received on a nightly basis if he plays up to his potential and leads the Leafs to an upset.

Out West, I think it would be Zach Parise. Here’s a guy that has literally made his living off his success in the post-season, and I think Wild fan across the nation (I’m looking at you, George Morris) have been waiting for the breakout to happen with Parise. If it’s ever going to happen in Year 1, it’ll be here in the playoffs.

Who do you have as standing out? And is it too soon for me to ask who you have in your Stanley Cup Final?

MA: I have to say I think Kessel struggles as he has in every game that he has played the Bruins since the trade.

As far as players I am watching out for, I think we will see a fantastic performance from Carey Price this postseason.  The fans up in Montreal might be in for something special this time around.  He will need to be outstanding for them if they want to go deep into the postseason and the Senators in the first round will not be an easy match-up.

Out West, I will be looking out for the Sedin twins as they are basically just one person.  We have seen them struggle at times in the playoffs and I do not think that will happen this time around as they will be firing on all cylinders.

Now on to Stanley Cup Predictions, I think that it will be the Penguins coming out on top against the Blues.  Pittsburgh is just so talented and deep that they will be really tough to stop.  Who do you have in the Stanley Cup Finals?

GK: For the sake of not making it a sweep in Pittsburgh, I’m going to say the Ducks surprise and knock off the Penguins in seven in the Finals.

Quack, Quack, Quack, Mr. Ducksworth!

With the need to over-analyze a show together since The Challenge is on hiatus, Greg Kaplan and Mike Aurigemma have come together and decided to give The Amazing Race: Season 22 a chance. Each week, the two will break down what has happened, where the show is going, the team that has been eliminated and, of course, the front-runners.

To read our previous recaps of The Amazing Race, check out our Race tab under the Pop Culture section!

GK: We’re back together again! Finally, I had nothing holding me back from enjoying another rousing episode of The Amazing Race.

After a week in which there were no eliminations, the YouTubers finally got the boot after getting U-Turned again and failing to move the massive whiskey barrels. Finishing just in front of them who also got U-Turned and had to do their speed bump were the Roller Derby Moms. What’d you see this week Mike? Anything stand out to you? Any surprises?

MA: I do have to say the roller derby moms really stepped up in this one.  Everything went against them in this leg as they had the “speed bump”, got a later flight when they thought they had an earlier one and got U-turned as well.  They definitely showed that they deserve to be here after being able to get through all of that.

One thing that stood out to me about the YouTubers was that I felt a lot of times throughout this race they did not take it too seriously.  You never really saw a sense of urgency from them even when it looked like they were going to get eliminated.  It just seemed like they were a step behind everyone else when it came to intensity.

What did you take away from this episode?

GK: That’s a good point about the YouTubers. I don’t know if it’s just their personality, but they seemed to be on vacation more than they were on a race of some sort, which makes it even more surprising that they lasted until the final five teams.

As far as takeaways go from this leg, the Battaglia Brothers further proved that if it’s going to be anything physical towards the end, they’re going to have a massive advantage. Where it took the Derby Moms four total trips to roll the barrels and the YouTubers about six trips to roll together, the Battaglia’s said “Screw it, I’m carrying it” and champed their way through. That was flat-out impressive.

However, while they continue to impress during the challenges, the Battaglia Brothers seem to have a hard time capitalizing on their leads. They were the first team to finish their road blocks, but Max and Katie beat them to the finish line because they navigated the road more efficiently. This isn’t the first time this has happened, and as we get closer to the end, it’s going to remain a problem that could cost them the title.

I know we’re beating a dead horse when we talk about this, but CBS still claims that two more teams are going to quit this race. The problem is, we’re going into the season finale next week and there are only four teams left. Mike, again, they’re lying to us, right?

MA: Well I mean I do not think they are lying to us, but the fact that they made that a big storyline saying how 3 teams would quit, but really it is just two teams dropping out in the finals is kind of disappointing really.  I can definitely see two teams stopping in the final round if it is just too much and they start to get far behind.  I do not really consider it quitting as much if it is in the Season Finale really.  Kind of disappointing that is what it looks like will end up happening.  As far as which teams it could be, I really think it might be any of the 4 remaining teams besides the Battaglia brothers mainly because I do not think there is a physical challenge that could make them stop competing.

Also did you have any idea this was going to be the finale next week?  I feel like that was kind of just dropped on us right at then end there.

GK: Very surprising to me. Usually, producers do a big “there are only three episodes remaining” tease of some sort, but we didn’t get anything like that this time. To be fair, it is a two-hour finale, so it’s almost two episodes wrapped up into one.

Going back to which teams seem likely to drop out at the very end, it feels like a lock that one will be the Country Singers. They’re always crying, and they tend to struggle with certain obstacles. This week, the bag pipes were almost their downfall, though it did provide us with way too many sexual innuendos.

If you put a gun to my head and asked me to pick a second team to quit, I think it’ll be Max and Katie. Think about it, the last two weeks, they’ve won two new cars and $20,000 total. I can see them cutting their losses and telling themselves they’re getting out ahead. To me, the Roller Derby Moms and Battaglia Brothers have too much pride to pack it in. Do you agree?

MA: I definitely agree about the country singers as they have looked really vulnerable at times throughout this race.  The second team is tougher because although Max and Katie could call it quits they are really rolling right now and have a lot of confidence where I feel like they will keep pushing on.  I also feel that the two of them have pretty big egos and would not want to be the first one to come out and say they quit, but who knows because I definitely do not see the Battaglia brothers quitting or the roller derby moms although that is who I would pick.

Alright well let’s get to predictions to who you think will walk away from this race as champions.  You think Dave and Connor shock the world and come back to win this leg?  But really I have to imagine you will go with the Battaglia’s.

GK: Dave and Connor have been secretly competing along with everyone the whole time, just waiting for their chance to strike. Karma is on their side, they’re unbeatable!

No but seriously, this has to be the Battaglia’s race to lose. They’ve dominated certain portions of the race, have almost exclusively stayed towards the front of the pack with the exception of one or two legs and have the brute strength no other team still standing has. They’ve also been the most patient with each other throughout the race. Not once has one become annoyed with the other because of a slow pace or poor execution of a leg. We haven’t seen them break, blow up or cry and the same cannot be said for the other three teams still in the race.

Stacking up the other three teams, I truly believe the Country Singers are going to call it quits. They’ve gone a lot further than either of us expected out of the gates, and I get the feeling they’re not going to be able to finish this last leg.

I get what you’re saying about Max and Katie, but we have seen them melt down before on this show. Remember back to when it took them about 10 times to nail down the car-drifting road block that nearly cost them the competition all together. I think they really should be thrilled with what they’ve won so far on this race, especially the last two weeks. The only way I see the Roller Derby Moms packing it in is injury or a family emergency. Otherwise, they’re my second place team. What do you think happens in the final two hours?

MA: I hate to agree with you about picking the Battaglia’s to win it all, but I really just do not see a way they lose this.  I think this is going to be a really long last leg so they should be able to separate themselves from the rest of the field.  If they are close coming down to then end with any of the other teams I could see them slipping up just because of poor execution or knowing how to get to a certain place.  I just do not see how it will end up being that close towards the end of the race.

As for the other three teams, I still like Max and Katie as a darkhorse team.  I think they have really picked things up lately.  Sure there will be some times where they get into it with each other, but I just think they have improved each week.

Either way it should be an interesting finale.  We are big fans of “The Challenge” and they seem to always make the finale incredibly difficult and that is exactly how I feel this will be as well.  It will push them to their limits in so many different ways and it would not surprise me to see two teams crack and call it quits.  No matter how it turns out, I am really excited to so what they have planned.