With a .325 batting average, 9 home runs and 13 stolen bases, Hanley Ramirez has paced the surprising Marlins atop the NL East.

John Biever/SI

I'm stocking up on bottled water. And not just bottled water, but canned goods. And do you want to know why I'm buying water in massive gallon jugs, canned soup and beans? Because at this point, I'm convinced there's a strong chance Armageddon is on its way. And it's not just because I've had to listen to Tony Romo croon "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" at least four times on Baseball Tonight.

The Tampa Bay Rays have swept the California Angels (oh, I'm sorry, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim -- as a California transplant, even I dismiss this alliterative version of their team name as simple inconvenience of the tongue). They did this by holding one of the top ten offenses to five runs over three games. Meanwhile, the Twins took three of four from Boston, and simply out-powered them by scoring 28 runs to their 19.

As of Monday, May 12, sans Lance Berkman, who most expected a 30-home run season from but barely more, Ryan Howard, Travis Hafner, David Ortiz, Albert Pujols, Adam Dunn and Matt Holliday are tied for 22nd or less on the home run leader board. Two of the top three home run leaders are second baseman, (Chase Utley and Dan Uggla), a position that is no longer in a power vacuum. All of those names have fewer homers than Nate McLouth, Carlos Quentin, Mike Napoli and Adrian Gonzalez. Yes, Gonzalez, a man who hits in a park that might as well be the Grand Canyon.

Of the 11 teams with payrolls under $70 million, four of them lead their respective divisions, two of them are in second place, and all but two are still in their division races.

That's right, buy water. Lots of it. As interleague play begins, the Steinbrenner family must be thinking to itself that it has seen their worst nightmare come true. The Yankees aren't the only team in baseball anymore. In fact, they're under .500. And for the first time in perhaps a decade, Major League Baseball is beginning to take the shape of the NFL. It's starting to show some parity.

Oakland Athletics

Week: 3-2         
Last 10: 6-4          
Overall: 23-16, 1st AL WEST

Rich Harden is back. His return was less than stellar, as he didn't survive past the third, surrendering five runs on eight hits. He was pulled at pitch 90, but that may not have been soon enough as he squandered the early four run lead the Athletics' offense staked him. If you're a Harden owner though, this is a positive. He went 90 pitches in his first start back and he's still healthy ... at least momentarily. Expect shorter outings for awhile until Harden gets settled again and starts showing his A-stuff.

With Harden up, Chris Denorfia went on the DL with back spasms. Nevertheless, the decision as to who gets bumped from the starting rotation had to be made. With that in mind, Bob Geren demoted starter Chad Gaudin in favor of his two young southpaws, Greg Smith and Dana Eveland. Smith, who started in place of Gaudin Friday, is 2-2 with an even 3.00 ERA, posting 35 strikeouts in 45 innings. Eveland is 3-3 with a 3.23 ERA, striking out 35 in just over 47 innings of work. Both have a short leash as Gaudin has been reliable in the early part of the season, and since Gaudin has appeared to flame out later in the season, Geren may stagger starts for the right-hander in an effort to add to his longevity.

Travis Buck was sent to Triple-A Sacramento to begin his rehab assignment for shin splints. I hate to say it, but if shin splints are going to be powerful enough to sideline a 24-year-old for over two weeks, you can bet Buck and the DL are going to be friends for a long time coming. To use a dating term, if this was a relationship, the red flag has been raised.

UPCOMING SERIES: @CLE (5/13-5/15), @ATL (5/16-5/18)

Arizona Diamondbacks

Week: 2-4
Last 10: 3-7
Overall: 23-15, 1st in NL WEST

What a difference a month makes, well for almost everyone but Brandon Webb. Since entering May, the Diamondbacks have yet to win a series, and their three-game road trip to Chicago ended in a sweep.

Amazingly, Doug Davis, just a month removed from being diagnosed with thyroid cancer is pitching for the snakes' Triple-A affiliate. He threw 85 pitches, relinquishing two runs in 4 2/3 innings. Bob Melvin has stated he wants Davis to put one more start in Tucson under his belt before calling him back. Expect Davis back the last week in May.

Orlando Hudson is expected to return to the lineup Tuesday, which leaves Bob Melvin in the unenviable position of pushing a red hot Augie Ojeda back to a reserve role. With 12 hits in his last 28 at bats, the switch-hitter is sure to command some starts, which is a mixed bag for Stephen Drew owners. Though Ojeda might get a spot start now here or there, most likely the competition is healthy for Drew, as he can ill afford to ever dial it in.

Lastly, if Micah Owings ever decides he'd rather become a Rick Ankiel clone, no one will argue with him. Besides the fact that he's hitting .417, and already has a Silver Slugger award on his mantel, Owings sports a career 1.056 OPS rating. According to the New York Times, Melvin seeks out Owings now each game somewhat jokingly, asking him if he's wearing his spikes just in case.

UPCOMING SERIES: COL (5/13-5/15), DET (5/16-5/18)

Florida Marlins

Week: 6-1
L10: 8-2
Overall: 23-15, 1st NL EAST

There's an old mantra in Hollywood -- keep the talent happy. Actually, I think that mantra was created by the talent, but nevertheless, the Marlins are heeding it after signing Hanley Ramirez to a deal worth $70 million. So now Hanley can actually afford to register and insure a Lamborghini in Los Angeles.

So, anyone still believe that professional players aren't affected by position in the batting order? The Marlins became one of several teams to juggle the lineup in order to effectuate more run production from his leadoff turned power hitters. Dan Uggla could not be more grateful, as since his move from the second spot in the order to the No. 5 and No. 6 spots, Uggla has batted a combined 19-for-32 with eight home runs. Up until this point, his highest mark from round-trippers in a month was seven. The whole scenario would normally garner consideration to make him a sell-high candidate: small market team, subpar average hitter, strikes out a lot -- his past stats read more like those of Adam Dunn.

However, not only is Uggla hitting his peak, he's at a position where besides Chase Utley and Brandon Phillips, no one has shown the kind of pop consistency he has in recent years. He also has 11 doubles, nearly half his 2006 total already. Though his contact rate has been suspect and his eye is still at 0.41, if you can tolerate the middling average, I believe what warrants keeping Uggla is not just his power, but the team he now plays for. This Marlins offense is 8th overall in runs produced, and has the best slugging percentage of the NL.

Lastly, there's a reason they say pitching wins ballgames. During their seven game winning streak, no starter on the Marlins staff yielded more than four runs, and in five of the seven games, the starter gave at least six innings of work. Both times where the Marlins starters failed to make it out of the fourth inning (ironically the two were Mark Hendrickson and Scott Olsen -- their most consistent duo thus far) Logan Kensing picked up both wins while lowering his ERA to 2.55 to go with his 1.25 WHIP. Renyel Pinto has just been lights out in long relief, logging almost 26 innings and posting a 0.70 ERA with a 1.01 WHIP. If you follow the theory of maximized relief innings, both are candidates.

UPCOMING SERIES: @CIN (5/13-5/15), KC (5/16-5/18)

Washington Nationals

Week: 2-5
Last 10: 4-6
Overall: 16-23, 5th NL EAST

With high expectations for young Elijah Dukes, '08 certainly hasn't started the way either he or the Nationals would have liked. Dukes has yet to hit safely in any game, though he's only played in four. His plate discipline is suspect, in addition to his rather unpredictable temper. He's worth a flier in NL-only leagues, since he's got decent speed and untapped power. But if you were going to create the human version of Bull Durham's Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh in a person, he's right here.

Paul LoDuca and Johnny Estrada's age continues to play a part in their fragility as they're both back to the DL, and Jesus Flores has been called up. You may recall that Flores was batting a swift .364 when he was demoted. Since being pushed back in the starting lineup May 10, Flores has gone 3-for-9 with two doubles and two RBI. You can pick him up now.

Since moving to the bullpen, Matt Chico has had back to back two-inning stints where he's allowed just one run. However, it took him 85 pitches to depose the 17 batters he faced - not exactly numbers to win back your starting job. He's 24, so the Nationals will work to develop him, and with the here-today-gone-tomorrow Mike O'Connor, Chico may see action starting again soon. For the second time this year Chris Schroder has been recalled from Columbus and is likely to pitch out of the bullpen. In appearances earlier this year, Schroder delivered four innings, giving up three hits, one earned run and striking out one. If he starts, monitor him, if he's in the bullpen, yawn and go back to bed.

UPCOMING SERIES: @NYM (5/13-5/15), @BAL (5/16-5/18)

Baltimore Orioles

Week: 3-3
Last 10: 4-6
Overall: 19-19, 3rd AL EAST

Context is everything. With the Orioles slowly falling from grace -- OK, plummeting from grace (taking three of four from the Royals isn't that big of a deal folks) -- it appears the press in Baltimore is trying to find a silver lining in an impending series of storm clouds. After what the press dubbed a dominating performance against the Royals, Steve Trachsel was being lauded for delivering the type of performance the Orioles expected from him. Hold the phone here people - he was dominant against the 28th ranked run-producer in the league. And if by dominant, sportswriters mean 5 2/3 innings for two earned runs and two strikeouts, I think we need to redefine our terms. Trachsel is 37, and while a veteran presence is nice in the lineup, his numbers aren't so far off those of Matt Morris, as he's lasted just only three innings or less in his three of his four prior starts.

Even more ominous for the O's, the only starter in the Orioles lineup batting over .280 is shortstop Freddie Bynum, and that's only because he hasn't had enough opportunities to lower his average yet. He recently came off the DL to recapture the starting job at the expense of Luis Hernandez who was powering his way to a .250 average while playing sloppy defense. Bad news if he's your shortstop, as Dave Trembley will keep Bynum starting in an attempt to stop the bleeding, that is, until Bynum starts bleeding again. He's only 28 and has seen DL stints at least twice per year since becoming a regular in '06, and has never managed more than 71 games in a season. Though he'll occasionally supplant Brian Roberts in the leadoff spot, he'll generally bat eighth. I'd say tread lightly, but there's not enough earth here for tread to matter.

UPCOMING SERIES: BOS (5/13-5/14), WAS (5/16-5/18)

Pittsburgh Pirates

Week: 5-0
Last 10: 7-3
Overall: 18-20, 5th NL CENTRAL

I know I'm repeating myself when I ask, "So you don't think professional players are affected by position in the lineup?" Well ask Freddy Sanchez where he'd rather hit: the two-hole (.220), the three-hole (.240) or leadoff (.357). Predicated by Nate McLouth's explosive April-May, John Russell was forced to consider moving McLouth into a place where he can have more impact. That moved Sanchez to the No. 1 spot. Sanchez doesn't run like a leadoff hitter, but the Pirates seldom steal anyhow. So expect that this will increase Sanchez's run category and his average. The kid is an exceptional hitter, so he's much more valuable in this spot for all involved.

McLouth's dominance has left little room for the speedy Nyjer Morgan. Although Morgan pressed McLouth for the starting job this spring, in limited time Morgan hadn't been able to get things going. Thus the Pirates acquired outfielder Jason Michaels to add an experienced veteran and right-handed bat to their outfield. He had an auspicious debut for the PNC faithful, going 3-for-4 and scoring twice. Expect spot starts from Michaels in an effort to give McLouth, and occasionally Jason Bay and Nady a rest. Although some consider Michaels on his way down, his contact rate isn't terrible. More important, Russell has worked with him before and likes him. He may be worth adding in deep NL leagues.

UPCOMING SERIES: @STL (4/13-4/15), @CHC (4/16-4/18)

Texas Rangers

Week: 6-1
Last 10: 7-3
Overall: 19-21, 3rd AL WEST

If you think it's hard to figure out this Rangers team, ask Ben Broussard to explain where his swing went. That just might be tougher. Just six weeks into the season, Broussard has been released after rolling three home runs off his bat in the first week and none since then. Frank Catalanotto now holds the starting position at first base, and the shape this team is taking offensively looks a little like a team down in Florida making waves. Solid middle infield tandem that can hit, powerful outfield hitting, and some rookie success rising into the ranks -- and the more they get injured, the better they are. In fact, young Brandon Boggs has come out of nowhere to secure a starting spot in left field after batting .319 with two home runs and eight RBI in just 14 games. If you need some help in your AL-only league, he's worth a flier. Chris Shelton has also reappeared, but with all the same baggage - fourteen strikeouts in 46 at bats and a .192 average.

There's nothing better to welcome you back to the big leagues than a fight with a guy who is 6-8. Kason Gabbard took the mound against Seattle, and one high pitch (Editor's Note: If there was ever a single pitch to show Richie's knowledge of the strike zone ...) later, was on the ground under one Richie Sexson. I'm certain that was not how he saw his return to the rotation going. Even though he got somewhat bruised, he's expected back on the mound to start versus Seattle again this week. However, you might not want to do so if he's on your team. Seattle is third best in the majors against lefties, hitting .305 as a team.

UPCOMING SERIES: SEA (5/13-5/14), HOU (5/16-5/18)

Tampa Bay Rays

Week: 6-1
Last 10: 6-4
Overall: 22-16, 2nd AL EAST

One day removed from James Shields' one-hit shutout (his second complete game shutout in two of his lasts three starts), Matt Garza delivered his third pure quality start in his last three attempts. With Scott Kazmir delivering on his return, this rotation is beginning to take shape to keep the Rays contending.

And note why overly-hyped prospects make lousy fantasy players in the long term. No prospect was touted more than Evan Longoria. While he's a keeper in every sense of the word, he has descended back into the rookie expectation ranks with his average plummeting to an earthly .223 after an 4-for-29 slump. If you're in a keeper league, now's the time to move while he's having his struggles. He's likely to still deliver a 20 home run season, and if you were smart enough not to waste a draft choice on him, you can now bait someone to let go of him.

Most interesting is the return of veteran outfielder Cliff Floyd to the order. There's no doubt his power has been waning for several years, and he's a huge injury risk. However, Floyd will platoon at the DH spot, which means he should have more opportunities to shine than he has seen in the past three years. His contact rate is average but holding steady and his walk rate has gone up, meaning his plate patience may be a direct result in his higher batting average last year. He's worth a spot on your bench in AL-only leagues, with spot starts against righties.

UPCOMING SERIES: NYY (5/13-5/15), @STL (5/16-5/18)

Colorado Rockies

Week:
Last 10: 4-6
Overall: 15-23, 4th NL WEST

The latest casualty of the Rockies spring roster trim is veteran Mark Redman. The journeyman right-hander started six games, giving up 41 hits in 31 innings along with 27 earned runs. Twenty-seven-year-old Jorge De La Rosa was acquired from the Kansas City Royals to replace him, and turned in his first solid start for the Rockies against the Cardinals. He allowed just two earned runs while striking out five in 5 2/3 innings. De La Rosa has floated between starter and bullpen specialist in the majors since he was 23, but has never been able to be consistent enough to find a role. The Rockies are a team in turmoil, thus De La Rosa will remain the fifth starter. Considering his debut against the Dodgers saw him last only four innings while surrendering nine runs, it would appear the same inconsistency has followed him to Denver.

Greg Reynolds was called up and while his outing wasn't a complete disaster, it certainly wasn't something to hang your hat on: 5 2/3 IP, 6 H 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 K. The good news really is that his walk count was low, meaning he showed good control. The bad news is six hits in less than six innings and just one strikeout, which won't raise any eyebrows either. Before being called up, he had posted 1-2 record with a 4.86 ERA in 33 1/3 innings allowing 45 hits, nine walks and 16 strikeouts for the Sky Sox. Because Colorado's pitching situation is fluid right now, you can monitor the 22-year-old, particularly since he's earned another start. But those numbers combined with having to pitch half of his starts at Coors field means you can leave it to the responsibility of your lazy eye.

UPCOMING SERIES: @ARI (5/13-5/15), MIN (5/16-5/18)

Kansas City Royals

Week: 2-4
Last 10:4-6
Overall: 16-21, 4th AL CENTRAL

Brian Bannister righted his ship earlier this week to capture the final game of a four games series with Baltimore. He went eight innings, his longest outing since nearly a month ago, yielding two hits and five strikeouts. Bannister is in his second full year as a starter, so hiccups can be expected, but his CMD ratio is 2.41 and rising, as he hasn't walked more than two batters in a game since his second start of the year. This also means he offers a low WHIP of 1.13. If he was on a team like Boston, he'd be a number two pitcher on your fantasy staff, but I still believe you can expect at minimal a 13-win season.

If the Royals offense was counting on one hitter to help boost their power numbers besides Alex Gordon, it would have been the off-season acquisition of Jose Guillen. And it appears that the notoriously slow-starting Guillen may finally be awakening from his spring slumber. He's eight for his last fourteen with two doubles and two RBIs. Keep in mind that Guillen is playing with pain right now between his hip flexor and neck problems. Also remember that for the last three years, his composite average has increased in May, held at that point for June, then took off into the .300 arena for the months of July and August. He's raised average up to .207 from .185 in the last week, and is now batting .290 for the month of May.

UPCOMING SERIES: DET (5/13-5/15), @FLA (5/16-5/18)

Minnesota Twins

Week: 4-3
Last 10: 7-3
Overall: 20-17, 1st AL CENTRAL

The injury bug really is a virus in the case of the Twins. They enter this week having lost the services of setup man Pat Neshek, who partially tore the ligament in his right elbow. His season is officially over, leaving the Jesse Crain and Matt Guerrier to fight amongst themselves for the job. Ron Gardenhire won't state who his replacement will be, instead claiming it'll be a committee situation between Crain, Guerrier, Juan Rincon and Dennys Reyes. Reyes has the best numbers of the four, but has only been relied upon to punch out opposing left-handed hitters in key situations. Guerrier's logged the most innings of the four, which would seem to leave him for longer middle relief work. That leaves Crain and Rincon to see the most opportunities, with ESPN logging Crain as the first candidate on the depth chart.

While Nick Punto has been pushed to the 15-day DL with a strained hamstring, the Twins are holding onto Brendan Harris, who is day to day after also complaining of hamstring tightness. To replace Punto, Alexi Casilla returns from Triple-A Rochester where after a rough April (.184), he batted .350 for the month of May. Casilla has played all of 65 games in the big leagues to the tune of .223 average and a .522 OPS. However, in 56 games last year, Casilla swiped 11 bases in 12 attempts. He's a scrappy player who will back up Matt Tolbert. Mike Lamb now becomes an everyday starter. Though Lamb is batting .238, he's hitting .450 with runners in scoring position. His 15 RBI are tied with Joe Mauer for third best on the team.

UPCOMING SERIES: TOR (5/13-5/15), @COL (5/16-5/18)

When not playing fantasy baseball or football, Jonathan Phillips is playing fantasy softball, fantasy pin the tail on the donkey, fantasy crazy eights, fantasy chef, fantasy architect and best of all, fantasy poker. Push him all-in at writerguy@rotoexperts.com.