Reds crack top five in power rankings

The Reds have certainly been flexing
their muscles lately.

ESPN released its latest batch of MLB Power Rankings on Monday and don't look now, but the Cincinnati Reds continue to climb their way toward the top. Dusty Baker's bunch was able to jump up three spots to fifth over last week's ranking thanks to a 3-game sweep at home over archrival St. Louis over the weekend. The fact that they entered the week riding a season-high 6-game winning streak certainly didn't hurt their cause either.

Only the Washington Nationals (3rd) ranked higher among National League teams than did the Redlegs. And rightfully so considering the young Nats currently own the league's best record at 51-35. The Reds aren't too far behind however, at 50-38.

The top two spots in the rankings remain unchanged as the Yankees and Rangers, respectively, held down their positions.

Here's how the rest of the NL Central fared:

7th - Pittsburgh Pirates (49-39)

11th - St. Louis Cardinals (46-43)

22nd - Milwaukee Brewers (42-46)

27th - Chicago Cubs (36-52)

30th - Houston Astros (33-56)

Quick notes:
+ The Astros have lost 14 of their past 15 games and are on pace to lose over 100 games again. 'Houston, we have a problem.'
+ St. Louis oddly moved up on the list despite going winless (0-3) during the week. They went from 13th to 11th. How do you explain that?
+ The Buccos next 15 games are against teams currently with losing records.
+ Meanwhile, the Reds next 17 games are also against teams with losing records.