1. Detroit Tigers

2014 RECORD PLAYOFF % PREVIOUS RANK 28-18 88.8% 1

Some suggested the Tigers showed a glimmer of vulnerability last week, at one point losing four consecutive games as both Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer labored through rough outings in Cleveland (and the former struggled against the Rangers, too). Those people would be wrong, because Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer happen to be Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, lousy outings notwithstanding.

2. San Francisco Giants

2014 RECORD PLAYOFF % PREVIOUS RANK 32-18 88.6% 2

Wednesday night's clash with the Rockies proved rather disastrous for the Giants, as the division leaders watched both Matt Cain and Santiago Casilla suffer hamstring injuries. The club remains unsure if Cain, diagnosed with a Grade 1 strain, will require a stint on the disabled list, while Casilla, who owns a 1.37 ERA over 22 appearances this season, is expected to miss four weeks.

3. St. Louis Cardinals

2014 RECORD PLAYOFF % PREVIOUS RANK 28-22 75.8% 10

Matt Adams has homered just once since April 30

Jason Motte's return to the bullpen - he spent the entire 2013 season recovering from Tommy John surgery - coincided nicely with an impressive surge from the Cardinals, who have lost twice in their last 11 games. Though the home runs remain scarce, the Cardinals' offense is starting to show signs of life: Allen Craig is batting .314 over the last two weeks while Kolten Wong has recorded at least one hit in each game since being recalled May 16.

4. Toronto Blue Jays

2014 RECORD PLAYOFF % PREVIOUS RANK 29-22 55.3% 12

Toronto's explosive offense continues to assert itself as one of the league's best, as the Blue Jays lead the majors with 70 home runs this season and have managed a collective 123 wRC+ in May, the second-highest mark in the league. Edwin Encarnacion, meanwhile, keeps rolling along as baseball's most unheralded star, blasting 12(!) home runs with a 1.193 OPS over his last 19 games.

5. Oakland Athletics

2014 RECORD PLAYOFF % PREVIOUS RANK 30-20 81.6% 3

The A's have enjoyed heretofore unprecedented stability in the ninth inning of late, as left-hander Sean Doolittle has thrived in the closer role, converting three saves in as many chances since May 12 while boasting an incomprehensible 32:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 22 appearances. Jim Johnson, meanwhile, who's making $10 million this year, is pitching in the sixth inning these days. In other words, Oakland made a savvy personnel decision that other teams might be reluctant to make. Qu'elle surprise!

6. Los Angeles Dodgers

2014 RECORD PLAYOFF % PREVIOUS RANK 27-24 84.4% 5

If you're looking for evidence that the Dodgers have yet to realize their potential, consider that Clayton Kershaw owns a 3.49 ERA through five outings after giving up seven runs over 1 2/3 innings two starts ago. Like Kershaw, the Dodgers are better than they have shown thus far, as they boast one of the league's top rotations and an offense featuring several legitimate/potential superstars.

7. Milwaukee Brewers

2014 RECORD PLAYOFF % PREVIOUS RANK 30-21 52.6% 4

Jonathan Lucroy is 14-for-28 (.500) over his current seven-game hitting streak

The month of May hasn't been nearly as kind to the Brewers, as the club's vaunted bullpen has floundered a bit, tallying a National League-worst 15 meltdowns while surrendering eight home runs across 59 1/3 innings (1.21 per nine). Ryan Braun, incidentally, continues to deal with lingering soreness in his wonky right oblique, and prior to Sunday's outburst had struggled at the plate since coming off the disabled list.

8. Los Angeles Angels

2014 RECORD PLAYOFF % PREVIOUS RANK 28-21 83.4% 9

Jered Weaver has been central to the Angels' recent surge, and though the 31-year-old has routinely outperformed his peripherals throughout his career, he's bound to regress at least a little bit. Weaver's .215 batting average on balls in play represents a career-low despite the fact that he's inducing more ground balls than usual, and he's issuing walks in 7.3 percent of his plate appearances, his highest mark since 2009. He's also serving up homers with greater frequency and opponents are hitting .313/.387/.463 against him on their third trip through the batting order.

9. Atlanta Braves

2014 RECORD PLAYOFF % PREVIOUS RANK 28-21 65.0% 6

Gavin Floyd, who missed most of 2013 recovering from Tommy John surgery, has emerged as a surprisingly reliable option at the back of Atlanta's rotation, authoring a 2.49 ERA while managing a 4.8:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio, the 14th-best mark among starters. So I suppose it makes sense that Freddie Freeman would have his back.

10. Washington Nationals

2014 RECORD PLAYOFF % PREVIOUS RANK 25-25 55.3% 7

Rumblings of Ryan Zimmerman moving to the outfield refuse to relent, but the injured 29-year-old probably remains more valuable at third base, his throwing issues notwithstanding. Zimmerman's return would allow Anthony Rendon to move back to second base, the position he played for the majority of 2013, while consequently displacing Danny Espinosa, who's hitting .136 with 38 strikeouts and two walks since April 25.

11. Colorado Rockies

2014 RECORD PLAYOFF % PREVIOUS RANK 27-23 29.7% 8

Justin Morneau is hitting .345/.398/.607 in 23 games at Coors Field this season

All due respect to LaTroy Hawkins, it might behoove the Rockies to hand ninth-inning duties over to Adam Ottavino, the 28-year-old right-hander with a 1.69 ERA and 0.80 WHIP through 24 appearances. That's not an indictment of Hawkins' effectiveness, it's just that the Rockies probably can't afford to squander too many late leads given the names in their rotation.

12. New York Yankees

2014 RECORD PLAYOFF % PREVIOUS RANK 26-23 44.6% 13

Masahiro Tanaka lost his first professional baseball game since August of 2012 on Tuesday, allowing four runs - three earned - on eight hits over six innings in a 6-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs. It's hard to interpret that as anything but a presage of the Yankees' impending doom.

13. Baltimore Orioles

2014 RECORD PLAYOFF % PREVIOUS RANK 25-23 22.2% 11

Reinforcements could arrive shortly for Baltimore's suspect rotation, as veteran left-hander Johan Santana is poised to begin a rehabilitation assignment and may join the Orioles sometime in June. Frankly, Santana can't arrive soon enough, as the Orioles have dropped five of their last eight games and only one of their starters owns an ERA below 4.08.

14. Kansas City Royals

2014 RECORD PLAYOFF % PREVIOUS RANK 24-25 15.6% 15

Mike Moustakas' atrocious start to the season compelled the Royals to option their struggling third baseman to Triple-A Omaha this week, his first stint in the minors since 2011. On a roster replete with underperforming youngster, Alex Gordon is starting to get things going a little bit, posting an .882 OPS over his last 15 games.

15. Seattle Mariners

2014 RECORD PLAYOFF % PREVIOUS RANK 24-25 18.1% 19

A hamstring injury landed Corey Hart on the disabled list this week

Taijuan Walker, who has battled shoulder problems since Spring Training, is poised to make his first rehab start Wednesday and will likely throw 70-75 pitches for Triple-A Tacoma. The prospect's eventual return should fortify an already impressive rotation that boasts the sixth-best ERA in the American League.

16. Cincinnati Reds

2014 RECORD PLAYOFF % PREVIOUS RANK 22-26 12.4% 16

Jay Bruce's return from the disabled list - he was activated less than three weeks after undergoing knee surgery - was dampened considerably by the loss of Joey Votto, whose quad strain will keep him out until at least June 5. Votto's absence is particularly disconcerting as the Reds are clueless at the plate right now, hitting .233/.289/.336 over the last 14 days.

17. Miami Marlins

2014 RECORD PLAYOFF % PREVIOUS RANK 26-25 7.6% 20

What's the name of that talented, young outfielder on the Marlins? You know, the one with the power? Oh, right, it's Marcell Ozuna, the 23-year-old Dominican who's tied for 10th in the National League with nine home runs this season. His plate discipline is lacking, but Ozuna boasts considerable power for a center fielder and is quickly becoming a nice complement to Giancarlo Stanton in Miami's outfield.

18. Tampa Bay Rays

2014 RECORD PLAYOFF % PREVIOUS RANK 23-28 27.5% 18

Alex Cobb returned from his oblique injury with aplomb Thursday, tossing six-plus scoreless frames while notching six strikeouts against the Oakland A's. Alas, Cobb is powerless to rectify Tampa Bay's offensive woes, as the hapless Rays are hitting just .244/.307/.349 this month, managing the fifth-worst wRC+ in the American League.

19. Boston Red Sox

2014 RECORD PLAYOFF % PREVIOUS RANK 20-29 12.5% 14

Mired in one of the worst skids in recent history, the defending World Series champions have lost 10 straight games, a stretch that included six consecutive losses at Fenway Park - the first winless homestand of six games or more since June of 1994. It's highly unlikely the acquisition of Stephen Drew will repair these tattered Sox.

20. Texas Rangers

2014 RECORD PLAYOFF % PREVIOUS RANK 25-25 15.4% 17

Injuries effectively reduced the Rangers to rubble this week, as first baseman Prince Fielder is poised to undergo season-ending neck surgery while second baseman Jurickson Profar is expected to miss another two to three months after aggravating the shoulder injury that's kept him on the disabled list for the entire campaign thus far.

21. Chicago White Sox

2014 RECORD PLAYOFF % PREVIOUS RANK 25-27 8.0% 22

Chris Sale made his first start since April 17 on Thursday and was predictably sublime, carrying a perfect game into the sixth inning while notching 10 strikeouts and allowing no runs in a 3-2 win over the New York Yankees. Jose Abreu, meanwhile, is poised to come off the disabled list as soon as he's eligible. Things could be worse in Chicago.

22. Minnesota Twins

2014 RECORD PLAYOFF % PREVIOUS RANK 23-24 10.5% 23

Brian Dozier leads all second basemen with 11 home runs in 2014

Phil Hughes has enjoyed something of a resurgence in Minnesota thus far, with a 1.60 ERA over his last six starts while avoiding the home-run vulnerability that made him so terribly ineffective with the Yankees. The 27-year-old's 2.68 FIP represents the 13th-lowest mark among qualified starters, while his microscopic 2.7 percent walk rate constitutes a career-best.

23. New York Mets

2014 RECORD PLAYOFF % PREVIOUS RANK 22-27 5.3% 21

Jenrry Mejia may be the remedy for New York's ninth-inning woes, as the 24-year-old has yet to allow an earned run in seven relief appearances since joining the bullpen earlier this month, while notching three saves in as many chances.

24. Cleveland Indians

2014 RECORD PLAYOFF % PREVIOUS RANK 24-27 16.2% 24

Justin Masterson, an impending free agent, continues to undermine his earning potential with his lousy performance in 2014. A marked decline in velocity has marred Masterson's campaign, and the 29-year-old owns a career-worst 5.32 ERA across 11 starts while managing a 10.7 percent walk rate, the fifth-worst mark among qualified starters.

25. Pittsburgh Pirates

2014 RECORD PLAYOFF % PREVIOUS RANK 22-27 8.2% 25

The Pirates removed Wandy Rodriguez from the 40-man roster this week, designating the veteran left-hander for assignment after he managed a 6.75 ERA over six starts. Brandon Cumpton appears to be the favorite to grab his spot his in the rotation, as the 25-year-old has been dominant with Triple-A Indianapolis and owns a 2.81 FIP through two starts with the Pirates.

26. Philadelphia Phillies

2014 RECORD PLAYOFF % PREVIOUS RANK 21-26 7.1% 26

Maybe Cliff Lee's sore elbow, an injury that could sideline him for an extended period of time, will finally help general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. realize that his old, decrepit team needs a complete overhaul. It seems unlikely, as he recently handed out multi-year deals to Carlos Ruiz and Marlon Byrd, but you can always hope.

27. San Diego Padres

2014 RECORD PLAYOFF % PREVIOUS RANK 23-28 4.9% 27

The Padres are probably the least compelling team in the majors and really want to make it clear that they just no longer care at all, as evidenced by the uniforms they sported this week:

[Courtesy: MLB.com]

28. Arizona Diamondbacks

2014 RECORD PLAYOFF % PREVIOUS RANK 20-32 1.7% 28

Diamondbacks general manager Kevin Towers put his Phoenix mansion on the market this week, a few days after the club hired Tony La Russa to serve as their new chief baseball officer. Towers was subsequently spotted handing out resumes on the street while holding a sign that read: "Will trade away Justin Upton for food."

29. Chicago Cubs

2014 RECORD PLAYOFF % PREVIOUS RANK 18-30 1.4% 29

Small sample caveats apply, but right-hander Jake Arrieta has been thoroughly impressive through four starts for the Cubs, crafting a 2.33 ERA (3.06 FIP) while tallying 20 strikeouts over 19 1/3 innings. Sustained competence from the 28-year-old, who's still earning a pre-arbitration salary, could make Arrieta a compelling trade candidate in a couple of months.

30. Houston Astros

2014 RECORD PLAYOFF % PREVIOUS RANK 19-32 0.2% 30

Improved command and an increasingly effective slider have done wonders for left-hander Dallas Keuchel, who owns a 2.55 ERA (2.65 FIP) across 10 starts. The 26-year-old also boasts one of the best sinkers in the league, as he leads the majors with a 67 percent ground-ball rate and has yielded only one home run in his last 52 2/3 innings.

Playoff odds courtesy of Baseball Prospectus.