{"id":17452,"date":"2023-04-12T09:07:25","date_gmt":"2023-04-12T13:07:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/news\/?p=17452"},"modified":"2023-04-12T11:43:25","modified_gmt":"2023-04-12T15:43:25","slug":"updated-mlb-power-rankings-betting-advice-and-tips-for-mlb-week-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/news\/mlb\/updated-mlb-power-rankings-betting-advice-and-tips-for-mlb-week-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Ultimate MLB Power Rankings Week 2: And MLB Predictions &#038; Betting Picks"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/profile\/tony-finn\">WagerTalk MLB handicapper Tony Finn<\/a> gives us his weekly MLB power rankings after an exciting week to open the 2023 MLB season. Which teams are climbing up and falling down his power rankings? Read his MLB betting advice now! Also, check out WagerTalk&#8217;s ultimate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/sports-betting-guide\/how-to-bet-on-baseball\">guide to betting on baseball<\/a>.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<h2>MLB Power Rankings: Week 2<\/h2>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><b>1.\u00a0 Atlanta Braves<\/b><br \/>\n<b>Record: 7-4<br \/>\nWeek 1 ranking: 4<\/b>The Braves played their way to the top of the National League East without the services of Cy Young hopeful and starting pitcher Max Fried (out \/ hamstring).<\/p>\n<p>Young guns Jared Shuster and Dylan Dodd, a pair of left-handed top prospects, made their major league debuts over the past week, both fell well short of their top-of-the-ticket prospect status.<\/p>\n<p>Shuster, a former first-rounder in 2020 let his nerve get the best of him in his 2023 debut in Washington. Shuster surrendered four runs and walked five while striking out just one across 4.2 innings of work.<\/p>\n<p>Monday night found 23-year-old rookie Bryce Elder opposed the young Graham Ashcraft. Elder was allowed to throw 103 pitches through 6.1 innings of work which resulted in the rook allowing six hits, and zero runs while striking out seven (7) and walking one.<\/p>\n<p>The front office and Braves&#8217; coaching staff announced on Monday that Kyle Wright will begin the defense of his top MLB win total on Tuesday. Wright and his 21 wins started the season on the IL and will debut Tuesday against the Cincinnati Reds.<\/p>\n<p><b>2. Tampa Bay Rays<br \/>\nRecord: 10-0<br \/>\nWeek 1 ranking: 2<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Following a 1-0 victory over the Red Sox on Monday night the Rays have pitched and played their way to three consecutive shutouts.<\/p>\n<p>Monday night&#8217;s hard-fought win by Tampa, a 1-0 victory and shutout of the Red Sox was the Rays&#8217; first win by fewer than four runs through their first 10 contests.<\/p>\n<p>The Rays became the first major league team since the 1987 Milwaukee Brewers to open the season with 10 straight wins.<\/p>\n<p>To all the early success that Tampa has experienced in the first two weeks of the season critique has pointed to the Rays&#8217; schedule. The combined record of the four teams that Tampa has squared off against this early 2023 \u00a0season is 13-27.<\/p>\n<p>Tampa Bay Rays opponents during the team&#8217;s 10-0 beginning to the season:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Detroit 2-7<\/li>\n<li>Washington 4-7<\/li>\n<li>Oakland 2-8<\/li>\n<li>Boston 5-5<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Three of the four clubs (Detroit, Washington, and Oakland) that the Rays have played this season sit at the bottom of the division standings. Fourth place Boston is a slot ahead of the Baltimore Orioles in the American League East.<\/p>\n<p><b>3.\u00a0 Los Angeles Dodgers<br \/>\nRecord: 6-5<br \/>\nWeek 1 ranking: 5<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Manager Dave Roberts has done a poor job of accessing his bullpen core in the early stages of the 2023 season.<\/p>\n<p>The Dodgers&#8217; pitching staff surrendered double-digit runs in consecutive games in Week 1. The last time Los Angeles allowed 10-plus runs in back-to-back games was nearly 10 years ago.<\/p>\n<p><b>4. San Diego Padres<br \/>\nRecord: 6-5<br \/>\nWeek 1 ranking: 8<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The Padres have reorganized since beginning the season 0-2 winning six of their last nine games. San Diego has a Hollywood list of player personnel and on their worst day are better than 90 percent of the league.<\/p>\n<p><b>5. Milwaukee Brewers<br \/>\nRecord: 7-3<br \/>\nWeek 1 ranking: 14<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The Brewers won two of three from the Cardinals in a matchup between the past two NL Central champions. The favorites to take the Brewers to the wire this season has been who I thought they would be. St Louis&#8217; starting rotation is either injured, pitching injured or has forgotten what the definition of Quality Start is.<\/p>\n<p>The Cardinals&#8217; first five have recorded only one quality effort through 10 games this season. Former Top Gun and the Redbirds&#8217; No. 1 in the rotation, Jack Flaherty, has walked 13 batters in 10 innings.<\/p>\n<p><strong>6. Texas Rangers<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Record: 6-4<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Week 1 ranking: 1<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><b>7. Houston Astros<\/b><br \/>\n<strong>Record: 5-6<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Week 1 ranking: 7<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><b>8. New York Yankees<\/b><br \/>\n<strong>Record: \u00a06-4<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Week 1 ranking: 9<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><b>9. New York Mets<\/b><br \/>\n<strong>Record: 6-5<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Week 1 ranking: 3<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><b>10. Toronto Blue Jays<\/b><br \/>\n<strong>Record: 6-4<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Week 1 ranking: 12<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><b>11. Cleveland Indians<\/b><br \/>\n<strong>Record: \u00a07-4<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Week 1 ranking: 10<\/strong><br \/>\n<b><br \/>\n12. Minnesota Twins<\/b><br \/>\n<strong>Record: \u00a06-4<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Week 1 ranking: 6<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><b>13. Los Angeles Angels<\/b><br \/>\n<strong>Record: 5-5<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Week 1 ranking: 13<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><b>14. Chicago Cubs<\/b><br \/>\n<strong>Record: 5-4<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Week 1 ranking: 18<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><b>15. Chicago White Sox<\/b><br \/>\n<strong>Record: \u00a05-6<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Week 1 ranking: 16<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><b>16. Philadelphia Phillies<\/b><br \/>\n<strong>Record: \u00a04-6<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Week 1 ranking: 15<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><b>17. Seattle Mariners<\/b><br \/>\n<strong>Record: \u00a04-7<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Week 1 ranking: 17<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><b>18. St Louis Cardinals<\/b><br \/>\n<strong>Record: 3-7<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Week 1 ranking: 11<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><b>19. Pittsburgh Pirates<\/b><br \/>\n<strong>Record: 6-4<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Week 1 ranking: 25<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><b>20. Baltimore Orioles<\/b><br \/>\n<strong>Record: \u00a05-6<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Week 1 ranking: 21<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><b>21 Arizona Diamondbacks<\/b><br \/>\n<strong>Record: 7-4<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Week 1 ranking: 19<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><b>22. Boston Red Sox<\/b><br \/>\n<strong>Record: 5-5<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Week 1 ranking: 20<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><b>23.\u00a0 San Francisco Giants<\/b><br \/>\n<strong>Record: \u00a04-6<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Week 1 ranking: 22<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><b>24. Miami Marlins<\/b><br \/>\n<strong>Record: 4-7<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Week 1 ranking: 23<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><b>25. Colorado Rockies<\/b><br \/>\n<b>Record: 5-6<br \/>\nWeek 1 ranking: 26<\/b><\/p>\n<p>There have never been two teams in all of baseball that were more dependent on the advantages of the home field like the Cincinnati Reds and the Colorado Rockies. If Great American and Coors Field could only pitch, hit, and run.<\/p>\n<p><b>26. Cincinnati Reds<\/b><br \/>\n<b>Record: 4-5<br \/>\nWeek 1 ranking: 24<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The Reds will not go on any extended winning streaks this season. Scoring runs outside of Great American is an issue for the current Cincinnati 26-man roster. When they find themselves with a lead entering the top or bottom of the ninth there is not a single arm in the bullpen that can be relied on to close out a victory.<\/p>\n<p><b>27. Washington National<br \/>\nRecord: 4-7<br \/>\nWeek 1 ranking: 28<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The Nationals are years away from contending for a Fall Classic wild card slot. Even when, or if, the Nats become a contender on the Senior Circut, exiting the Grapefruit League and entering the regular season with series openers against the Atlanta Braves and Tamp Bay Rays is just not fair.<\/p>\n<p>Tuesday night finds the best of the Washington pitching staff in search of a grip on his four-seamer that can induce swings and misses. Josiah Gray will test the newest piece of his arsenal against Ohtani and Trout. What is the definition of insanity again? Doing the same things over and over and expecting different results?<\/p>\n<p><b>28. Detroit Tigers<br \/>\nRecord: \u00a02-7<br \/>\nWeek 1 ranking: 27<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The Motor City squad began the season with a six-game road trip. The Tigers were swept by the Rays in Tampa Bay but followed the winless series in Florida by winning two of a three-game set in Houston against the reigning world-champion Astros.<\/p>\n<p>The season-opening home series found the Tigers dropping all three of the team&#8217;s weekend set to the Boston Red Sox.<\/p>\n<p>The Detroit faithful, those who have supported the good, the bad, and the ugly of the Motor City; always remember and never forget that in a minute the Red Wings and upstart Lions will be dropping the puck and kicking off the 2023 regular season.<\/p>\n<p><b>29. Kansas City Royals<br \/>\nRecord: 3-8<br \/>\nWeek 1 ranking: 29<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The Royals are not the favorites to finish in the basement of the AL Central this 2023 season but that will projection will change quickly if Kansas City can&#8217;t figure out which direction home plate is.<\/p>\n<p>Surprisingly the KC starting rotation has held its own 10 games into the new season. Jordan Lyles is the lone Royals&#8217; starter to surrender more than two runs in a start. Veteran closer Aroldis Chapman has been focused but the KC bats of Franmil Reyes and Matt Duffy have not. The KC Rat Pack that includes Michael Massey, M.J. Melendez, Vinnie Pasquantino, and Bobby Witt Jr. ended the first weekend of the season with a slash line of .136\/.239\/.237 that started on Opening Day through Sunday&#8217;s close of the season&#8217;s Opening Weekend Series.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><b>30. Oakland Athletics<br \/>\nRecord: 2-8<br \/>\nWeek 1 ranking: 30<\/b>Does Las Vegas want to open its arms to the team that is remembered more for being the AL West&#8217;s most likely club to finish in the basement of the division, year in and year out?<\/p>\n<p>The young 2023 season for Athletics has been filled with lows. The last time the A&#8217;s won was a week ago Tuesday when they defeated the Cleveland Indians by a 4-3 final. The attendance for that Tuesday&#8217;s victory was a heartbreaking 3,407 fans.<\/p>\n<p>The Coliseum can hold nearly 50,000 with standing room only. JJ Cooper of Baseball American reported that 11 MLB farm affiliates drew more on Tuesday than the A&#8217;s.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gtly.ink\/5VHh39miH\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-17295 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/fanduel_logo_large.png\" alt=\"Fan Duel logo\" width=\"290\" height=\"210\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Interested in placing a MLB bet? Visit FanDuel to get a <a href=\"https:\/\/gtly.ink\/5VHh39miH\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">$1,000 no sweat first bet<\/a> in Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia or Wyoming.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>MLB Free Picks at WagerTalk<\/h3>\n<p>Visit our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/free-sports-picks\/mlb\">MLB Free Picks Page<\/a> where our handicappers are consistently loading up free plays across the daily MLB slate!<\/p>\n<h3>First Pitch | MLB Betting Preview for Wednesday, April 12<\/h3>\n<p>Join Drew Martin and a rotating panel of guests for First Pitch as we break down the daily baseball slate from a betting perspective every weekday at 1:45pm ET \/ 10:45am PT for First Pitch discussing the MLB betting slate.<\/p>\n<div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><div  style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto;\"  id=\"_ytid_98068\"  width=\"870\" height=\"489\"  data-origwidth=\"870\" data-origheight=\"489\" data-facadesrc=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Ce6dVT2RN-o?enablejsapi=1&origin=https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com&autoplay=0&cc_load_policy=1&cc_lang_pref=&iv_load_policy=1&loop=0&rel=0&fs=1&playsinline=0&autohide=2&hl=en_US&theme=dark&color=red&controls=1&disablekb=0&\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__ epyt-facade  no-lazyload\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-spai-excluded=\"true\" class=\"epyt-facade-poster skip-lazy\" loading=\"lazy\"  alt=\"MLB Predictions, Picks and Odds Today | MLB Betting Advice and Tips | First Pitch | April 12\"  src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/Ce6dVT2RN-o\/maxresdefault.jpg\"  \/><button class=\"epyt-facade-play\" aria-label=\"Play\"><svg data-no-lazy=\"1\" height=\"100%\" version=\"1.1\" viewBox=\"0 0 68 48\" width=\"100%\"><path class=\"ytp-large-play-button-bg\" d=\"M66.52,7.74c-0.78-2.93-2.49-5.41-5.42-6.19C55.79,.13,34,0,34,0S12.21,.13,6.9,1.55 C3.97,2.33,2.27,4.81,1.48,7.74C0.06,13.05,0,24,0,24s0.06,10.95,1.48,16.26c0.78,2.93,2.49,5.41,5.42,6.19 C12.21,47.87,34,48,34,48s21.79-0.13,27.1-1.55c2.93-0.78,4.64-3.26,5.42-6.19C67.94,34.95,68,24,68,24S67.94,13.05,66.52,7.74z\" fill=\"#f00\"><\/path><path d=\"M 45,24 27,14 27,34\" fill=\"#fff\"><\/path><\/svg><\/button><\/div><\/div><span itemprop=\"video\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/VideoObject\"><meta itemprop=\"embedUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Ce6dVT2RN-o\"><meta itemprop=\"name\" content=\"MLB Predictions, Picks and Odds Today | MLB Betting Advice and Tips | First Pitch | April 12\"><meta itemprop=\"description\" content=\"\u26be\ufe0f MLB Predictions and Betting Tips for Wednesday, April 12: Get your popcorn ready for tonight&#039;s pitching matchup in Atlanta as Spencer Strider takes on Hunter Greene. How many strikeouts are on the menu? Join Drew, Tony, Rob and Bryan for First Pitch. #mlbpicks | #mlbpredictions | #mlbpredictionstoday | #mlbbettingtips Stand By 00:00 Introduction 04:07 Rays vs Red Sox (Bryan Leonard) - 06:00 Orioles vs Athletics (Tony Mejia) 11:19 Diamondbacks vs Brewers (Rob Veno) 14:35 Giants vs Dodgers (Bryan Leonard Best Bet) 21:10 Rockies vs Cardinals (Tony Mejia Best Bet) 24:25 Braves vs Reds (Rob Veno Best Bet) 27:20 Cubs vs Mariners (Drew Martin Best Bet) 31:16 \ud83d\udc4d You can get free MLB picks and betting tips direct from Vegas by following the WagerTalk handicappers on Twitter: \u25ba WagerTalk: https:\/\/twitter.com\/WagerTalk \u25ba Sportsmemo: https:\/\/twitter.com\/sportsmemo \u25ba GoldSheet: https:\/\/twitter.com\/thegoldsheet \u25ba Drew Martin: https:\/\/twitter.com\/DrewMartinBets \u25ba Rob Veno: https:\/\/twitter.com\/robvenosports \u25ba Tony Mejia: https:\/\/twitter.com\/MejiaDinero \u25ba Bryan Leonard: https:\/\/twitter.com\/BLeonardSports \u2663\ufe0f New to the world of sports betting? 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Check out some of these sign-up bonus offers directly from a few of our favorite sports books: \u25ba PointsBet: https:\/\/wt.buzz\/pb \u25ba Caesars: https:\/\/wt.buzz\/caesars \u25ba BetMGM: https:\/\/wt.buzz\/betmgm *Additional terms and conditions may apply, must be 21+, must be physically present in applicable states, new users only. \ud83d\udc4d Make sure to SUBSCRIBE to WagerTalk TV, \ud83d\udd14 CLICK the Bell and never miss an episode! \ud83d\udc40 WagerTalk TV, available for viewing on... \ud83d\udcfa Twitch: http:\/\/wt.buzz\/twitch \ud83d\udcfa Apple: http:\/\/wt.buzz\/ios \ud83d\udcfa Android: http:\/\/wt.buzz\/android \ud83d\udcfa Amazon: http:\/\/wt.buzz\/fire \ud83d\udcfa Roku: http:\/\/wt.buzz\/roku \ud83d\udc4d Stay connected with WagerTalk \ud83d\udcfa https:\/\/wt.buzz\/tv \ud83d\udc4d Facebook: https:\/\/wt.buzz\/fb \ud83d\udc26 Twitter: https:\/\/wt.buzz\/tw \ud83d\udcf8 Instagram: https:\/\/wt.buzz\/ig \ud83d\udcf0 reddit: https:\/\/wt.buzz\/rd \u2764\ufe0f iHeart Radio: https:\/\/wt.buzz\/iheart \ud83c\udf4e Apple Podcasts: https:\/\/wt.buzz\/ap \ud83d\udccc Pinterest: https:\/\/wt.buzz\/pin\"><meta itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/Ce6dVT2RN-o\/0.jpg\"><meta itemprop=\"duration\" content=\"PT33M16S\"><meta itemprop=\"uploadDate\" content=\"2023-04-12T18:36:26Z\"><\/span>\n<h3>Daily MLB Game Previews From WagerTalk and Sportsmemo<\/h3>\n<p>Read up on betting previews on daily MLB games from handicappers here at WagerTalk and over at Sportsmemo. We help guide you in your betting providing free written breakdowns for various games. See our previews for today&#8217;s games now!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/news\/mlb\/\"><strong>WagerTalk MLB Game Previews<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportsmemo.com\/news\/mlb\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Sportsmemo MLB Game Previews<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<h3>WagerTalk Live Odds Screen<\/h3>\n<p>WagerTalk\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/odds?sport=L5&amp;type=4&amp;cb=0.041518762314237456\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">live odds screen<\/a> features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the MLB moneylines, run lines and betting percentages for all baseball games.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>**************************************************<\/strong><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Looking for more free sports picks and sports betting tips?<\/span><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><strong>Latest Betting Odds and Public Action<\/strong><strong>: <\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/wt.buzz\/odds\" data-schema-attribute=\"\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Vegas lines<\/a> updated in real time, including who the public is betting on. <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Last Minute Handicapping Advice<\/strong><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">: Check out our extensive library of <\/span><a style=\"font-size: 12pt;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/sports-betting-guide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">handicapping tips<\/a><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"> and advice from professional Vegas handicappers (we also recommend taking the time to look over our <\/span><a style=\"font-size: 12pt;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/videos\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sports betting tips video library<\/a><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Want an expert opinion?<\/strong><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"> Check out the latest <\/span><a style=\"font-size: 12pt;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/free-sports-picks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Free Sports Picks<\/a><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"> and <\/span><a style=\"font-size: 12pt;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/picks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Best Bets<\/a><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"> from our team of expert sports handicappers.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>Make sure to bookmark all the above!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WagerTalk MLB handicapper Tony Finn gives us his weekly MLB power rankings after an exciting week to open the 2023 MLB season. Which teams are climbing up and falling down his power rankings? Read his MLB betting advice now! Also, check out WagerTalk&#8217;s ultimate guide to betting on baseball. MLB Power Rankings: Week 2 1.\u00a0 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":8462,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[4,2495,2493,2496,2494,708,727,2459,709,2492],"class_list":["post-17452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb","tag-mlb","tag-mlb-betting","tag-mlb-betting-advice","tag-mlb-betting-info","tag-mlb-betting-tips","tag-mlb-odds","tag-mlb-picks","tag-mlb-power-rankings","tag-mlb-predictions","tag-mlb-week-2"],"basic_html":"<div><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/profile\/tony-finn\">WagerTalk MLB handicapper Tony Finn<\/a> gives us his weekly MLB power rankings after an exciting week to open the 2023 MLB season. Which teams are climbing up and falling down his power rankings? Read his MLB betting advice now! Also, check out WagerTalk's ultimate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/sports-betting-guide\/how-to-bet-on-baseball\">guide to betting on baseball<\/a>.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<h2>MLB Power Rankings: Week 2<\/h2>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><b>1.\u00a0 Atlanta Braves<\/b>\n<b>Record: 7-4\nWeek 1 ranking: 4<\/b>The Braves played their way to the top of the National League East without the services of Cy Young hopeful and starting pitcher Max Fried (out \/ hamstring).\n\nYoung guns Jared Shuster and Dylan Dodd, a pair of left-handed top prospects, made their major league debuts over the past week, both fell well short of their top-of-the-ticket prospect status.\n\nShuster, a former first-rounder in 2020 let his nerve get the best of him in his 2023 debut in Washington. Shuster surrendered four runs and walked five while striking out just one across 4.2 innings of work.\n\nMonday night found 23-year-old rookie Bryce Elder opposed the young Graham Ashcraft. Elder was allowed to throw 103 pitches through 6.1 innings of work which resulted in the rook allowing six hits, and zero runs while striking out seven (7) and walking one.\n\nThe front office and Braves' coaching staff announced on Monday that Kyle Wright will begin the defense of his top MLB win total on Tuesday. Wright and his 21 wins started the season on the IL and will debut Tuesday against the Cincinnati Reds.\n\n<b>2. Tampa Bay Rays\nRecord: 10-0\nWeek 1 ranking: 2<\/b>\n\nFollowing a 1-0 victory over the Red Sox on Monday night the Rays have pitched and played their way to three consecutive shutouts.\n\nMonday night's hard-fought win by Tampa, a 1-0 victory and shutout of the Red Sox was the Rays' first win by fewer than four runs through their first 10 contests.\n\nThe Rays became the first major league team since the 1987 Milwaukee Brewers to open the season with 10 straight wins.\n\nTo all the early success that Tampa has experienced in the first two weeks of the season critique has pointed to the Rays' schedule. The combined record of the four teams that Tampa has squared off against this early 2023 \u00a0season is 13-27.\n\nTampa Bay Rays opponents during the team's 10-0 beginning to the season:\n<ul>\n \t<li>Detroit 2-7<\/li>\n \t<li>Washington 4-7<\/li>\n \t<li>Oakland 2-8<\/li>\n \t<li>Boston 5-5<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nThree of the four clubs (Detroit, Washington, and Oakland) that the Rays have played this season sit at the bottom of the division standings. Fourth place Boston is a slot ahead of the Baltimore Orioles in the American League East.\n\n<b>3.\u00a0 Los Angeles Dodgers\nRecord: 6-5\nWeek 1 ranking: 5<\/b>\n\nManager Dave Roberts has done a poor job of accessing his bullpen core in the early stages of the 2023 season.\n\nThe Dodgers' pitching staff surrendered double-digit runs in consecutive games in Week 1. The last time Los Angeles allowed 10-plus runs in back-to-back games was nearly 10 years ago.\n\n<b>4. San Diego Padres\nRecord: 6-5\nWeek 1 ranking: 8<\/b>\n\nThe Padres have reorganized since beginning the season 0-2 winning six of their last nine games. San Diego has a Hollywood list of player personnel and on their worst day are better than 90 percent of the league.\n\n<b>5. Milwaukee Brewers\nRecord: 7-3\nWeek 1 ranking: 14<\/b>\n\nThe Brewers won two of three from the Cardinals in a matchup between the past two NL Central champions. The favorites to take the Brewers to the wire this season has been who I thought they would be. St Louis' starting rotation is either injured, pitching injured or has forgotten what the definition of Quality Start is.\n\nThe Cardinals' first five have recorded only one quality effort through 10 games this season. Former Top Gun and the Redbirds' No. 1 in the rotation, Jack Flaherty, has walked 13 batters in 10 innings.\n\n<strong>6. Texas Rangers<\/strong>\n<strong>Record: 6-4<\/strong>\n<strong>Week 1 ranking: 1<\/strong>\n\n<b>7. Houston Astros<\/b>\n<strong>Record: 5-6<\/strong>\n<strong>Week 1 ranking: 7<\/strong>\n\n<b>8. New York Yankees<\/b>\n<strong>Record: \u00a06-4<\/strong>\n<strong>Week 1 ranking: 9<\/strong>\n\n<b>9. New York Mets<\/b>\n<strong>Record: 6-5<\/strong>\n<strong>Week 1 ranking: 3<\/strong>\n\n<b>10. Toronto Blue Jays<\/b>\n<strong>Record: 6-4<\/strong>\n<strong>Week 1 ranking: 12<\/strong>\n\n<b>11. Cleveland Indians<\/b>\n<strong>Record: \u00a07-4<\/strong>\n<strong>Week 1 ranking: 10<\/strong>\n<b>\n12. Minnesota Twins<\/b>\n<strong>Record: \u00a06-4<\/strong>\n<strong>Week 1 ranking: 6<\/strong>\n\n<b>13. Los Angeles Angels<\/b>\n<strong>Record: 5-5<\/strong>\n<strong>Week 1 ranking: 13<\/strong>\n\n<b>14. Chicago Cubs<\/b>\n<strong>Record: 5-4<\/strong>\n<strong>Week 1 ranking: 18<\/strong>\n\n<b>15. Chicago White Sox<\/b>\n<strong>Record: \u00a05-6<\/strong>\n<strong>Week 1 ranking: 16<\/strong>\n\n<b>16. Philadelphia Phillies<\/b>\n<strong>Record: \u00a04-6<\/strong>\n<strong>Week 1 ranking: 15<\/strong>\n\n<b>17. Seattle Mariners<\/b>\n<strong>Record: \u00a04-7<\/strong>\n<strong>Week 1 ranking: 17<\/strong>\n\n<b>18. St Louis Cardinals<\/b>\n<strong>Record: 3-7<\/strong>\n<strong>Week 1 ranking: 11<\/strong>\n\n<b>19. Pittsburgh Pirates<\/b>\n<strong>Record: 6-4<\/strong>\n<strong>Week 1 ranking: 25<\/strong>\n\n<b>20. Baltimore Orioles<\/b>\n<strong>Record: \u00a05-6<\/strong>\n<strong>Week 1 ranking: 21<\/strong>\n\n<b>21 Arizona Diamondbacks<\/b>\n<strong>Record: 7-4<\/strong>\n<strong>Week 1 ranking: 19<\/strong>\n\n<b>22. Boston Red Sox<\/b>\n<strong>Record: 5-5<\/strong>\n<strong>Week 1 ranking: 20<\/strong>\n\n<b>23.\u00a0 San Francisco Giants<\/b>\n<strong>Record: \u00a04-6<\/strong>\n<strong>Week 1 ranking: 22<\/strong>\n\n<b>24. Miami Marlins<\/b>\n<strong>Record: 4-7<\/strong>\n<strong>Week 1 ranking: 23<\/strong>\n\n<b>25. Colorado Rockies<\/b>\n<b>Record: 5-6\nWeek 1 ranking: 26<\/b>\n\nThere have never been two teams in all of baseball that were more dependent on the advantages of the home field like the Cincinnati Reds and the Colorado Rockies. If Great American and Coors Field could only pitch, hit, and run.\n\n<b>26. Cincinnati Reds<\/b>\n<b>Record: 4-5\nWeek 1 ranking: 24<\/b>\n\nThe Reds will not go on any extended winning streaks this season. Scoring runs outside of Great American is an issue for the current Cincinnati 26-man roster. When they find themselves with a lead entering the top or bottom of the ninth there is not a single arm in the bullpen that can be relied on to close out a victory.\n\n<b>27. Washington National\nRecord: 4-7\nWeek 1 ranking: 28<\/b>\n\nThe Nationals are years away from contending for a Fall Classic wild card slot. Even when, or if, the Nats become a contender on the Senior Circut, exiting the Grapefruit League and entering the regular season with series openers against the Atlanta Braves and Tamp Bay Rays is just not fair.\n\nTuesday night finds the best of the Washington pitching staff in search of a grip on his four-seamer that can induce swings and misses. Josiah Gray will test the newest piece of his arsenal against Ohtani and Trout. What is the definition of insanity again? Doing the same things over and over and expecting different results?\n\n<b>28. Detroit Tigers\nRecord: \u00a02-7\nWeek 1 ranking: 27<\/b>\n\nThe Motor City squad began the season with a six-game road trip. The Tigers were swept by the Rays in Tampa Bay but followed the winless series in Florida by winning two of a three-game set in Houston against the reigning world-champion Astros.\n\nThe season-opening home series found the Tigers dropping all three of the team's weekend set to the Boston Red Sox.\n\nThe Detroit faithful, those who have supported the good, the bad, and the ugly of the Motor City; always remember and never forget that in a minute the Red Wings and upstart Lions will be dropping the puck and kicking off the 2023 regular season.\n\n<b>29. Kansas City Royals\nRecord: 3-8\nWeek 1 ranking: 29<\/b>\n\nThe Royals are not the favorites to finish in the basement of the AL Central this 2023 season but that will projection will change quickly if Kansas City can't figure out which direction home plate is.\n\nSurprisingly the KC starting rotation has held its own 10 games into the new season. Jordan Lyles is the lone Royals' starter to surrender more than two runs in a start. Veteran closer Aroldis Chapman has been focused but the KC bats of Franmil Reyes and Matt Duffy have not. The KC Rat Pack that includes Michael Massey, M.J. Melendez, Vinnie Pasquantino, and Bobby Witt Jr. ended the first weekend of the season with a slash line of .136\/.239\/.237 that started on Opening Day through Sunday's close of the season's Opening Weekend Series.\n\n<\/div>\n<div><b>30. Oakland Athletics\nRecord: 2-8\nWeek 1 ranking: 30<\/b>Does Las Vegas want to open its arms to the team that is remembered more for being the AL West's most likely club to finish in the basement of the division, year in and year out?\n\nThe young 2023 season for Athletics has been filled with lows. The last time the A's won was a week ago Tuesday when they defeated the Cleveland Indians by a 4-3 final. The attendance for that Tuesday's victory was a heartbreaking 3,407 fans.\n\nThe Coliseum can hold nearly 50,000 with standing room only. JJ Cooper of Baseball American reported that 11 MLB farm affiliates drew more on Tuesday than the A's.\n\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gtly.ink\/5VHh39miH\"><img class=\"alignnone wp-image-17295 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/fanduel_logo_large.png\" alt=\"Fan Duel logo\" width=\"290\" height=\"210\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Interested in placing a MLB bet? Visit FanDuel to get a <a href=\"https:\/\/gtly.ink\/5VHh39miH\">$1,000 no sweat first bet<\/a> in Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia or Wyoming.<\/em><\/p>\n\n<h3>MLB Free Picks at WagerTalk<\/h3>\nVisit our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/free-sports-picks\/mlb\">MLB Free Picks Page<\/a> where our handicappers are consistently loading up free plays across the daily MLB slate!\n<h3>First Pitch | MLB Betting Preview for Wednesday, April 12<\/h3>\nJoin Drew Martin and a rotating panel of guests for First Pitch as we break down the daily baseball slate from a betting perspective every weekday at 1:45pm ET \/ 10:45am PT for First Pitch discussing the MLB betting slate.\n\n[embedyt] https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Ce6dVT2RN-o[\/embedyt]\n<h3>Daily MLB Game Previews From WagerTalk and Sportsmemo<\/h3>\nRead up on betting previews on daily MLB games from handicappers here at WagerTalk and over at Sportsmemo. We help guide you in your betting providing free written breakdowns for various games. See our previews for today's games now!\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/news\/mlb\/\"><strong>WagerTalk MLB Game Previews<\/strong><\/a>\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportsmemo.com\/news\/mlb\/\"><strong>Sportsmemo MLB Game Previews<\/strong><\/a>\n<h3>WagerTalk Live Odds Screen<\/h3>\nWagerTalk\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/odds?sport=L5&amp;type=4&amp;cb=0.041518762314237456\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">live odds screen<\/a> features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the MLB moneylines, run lines and betting percentages for all baseball games.\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>**************************************************<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Looking for more free sports picks and sports betting tips?<\/span><\/h4>\n<ul>\n \t<li style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><strong>Latest Betting Odds and Public Action<\/strong><strong>: <\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/wt.buzz\/odds\" data-schema-attribute=\"\">Vegas lines<\/a> updated in real time, including who the public is betting on. <\/span><\/li>\n \t<li style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Last Minute Handicapping Advice<\/strong><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">: Check out our extensive library of <\/span><a style=\"font-size: 12pt;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/sports-betting-guide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">handicapping tips<\/a><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"> and advice from professional Vegas handicappers (we also recommend taking the time to look over our <\/span><a style=\"font-size: 12pt;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/videos\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sports betting tips video library<\/a><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">)<\/span><\/li>\n \t<li style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Want an expert opinion?<\/strong><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"> Check out the latest <\/span><a style=\"font-size: 12pt;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/free-sports-picks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Free Sports Picks<\/a><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"> and <\/span><a style=\"font-size: 12pt;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/picks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Best Bets<\/a><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"> from our team of expert sports handicappers.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>Make sure to bookmark all the above!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17452","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17452"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17452\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8462"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17452"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17452"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}