Orioles Power Rankings roundup: Earl Weaver would approve

We know computers hate the Orioles, and national broadcasters hate the Orioles, but do the folks who make power polls/rankings hate the Orioles? Not this week, as most have the Orioles ensconced firmly in the Top 5.

MLB.com (4th; LW: 6th)

MLB.com moves the O’s back up to 4th, returning them to the position they held two weeks ago.

USA Today Power Rankings (4th; LW: 6th)

The Nation’s Newspaper also lifts the orioles back up to 4th after a week outside the Top 5: “Four games with neighboring Nationals will be good measure.”

Bleacher Report Power Rankings (4th; LW: 7th)

Slideshow Central follows the lead of its peers and returns the O’s to 4th place. “The Orioles have dominated the Battle of the Beltways of late, as they've won five straight season series and gone a combined 17-7 during that span. However, slowing down this Nationals team will be no easy task, as they lead the majors with a plus-53 run differential and 6.3 runs per game. With both teams falling inside the top five in this week's rankings, this could well be a battle for the No. 1 spot next Monday.”

CBS Sports (3rd; LW: 4th)

Matt Snyder has the O’s in 3rd place. He’s always been a bit more bullish on the O’s than most national rankers. “Yes, the Zach Britton news hurts, but it's not a crushing blow or anything given the Orioles' bullpen personnel and how skilled Buck Showalter is at using it. I'm still digging this team overall.”

reddit’s Power Poll (8th; LW: 8th)

The community editors over at reddit continue to remain unimpressed with the Orioles, leaving them in 8th. “The week of the Sox. An...eventful...four game series in Boston and then three at home against Chicago. It's been more of the same, really. Starting pitching doing a good job of keeping the team in the game and the offense occasionally launching homers. Injuries are getting concerning, however, as Zach Britton returned to the DL (gulp) and Jonathan Schoop missed a couple of games with a hand injury. At least Tillman's back!”

OddsShark.com (15th; LW: 15th)

Ranks are based on rolling past 20 games overall. They will typically be the lowest rankings the O’s receive, and that’s certainly true again this week.

ESPN.com Power rankings (5th; LW: 6th)

The World-Wide Leader lifts the O’s, but only to 5th. “The O's are just a half-game behind the Yankees in the division, but they're a very different team. The Orioles' run differential is plus-11, compared to the Yankees' plus-52 mark. Baltimore is scoring 4.4 runs per game, more than a run less than the Yankees' 5.8. No Orioles regular is hitting above .300 -- their leader among qualifiers is Jonathan Schoop at .296. The O's margin for error is very slim, and Zach Britton's return to the DL won't help.”

Rotoworld 4(th; LW: 4th)

Jesse Pantuosco follows the crowd and has the O’s at 4th. “What happens when you throw at Manny Machado? As Chris Sale learned last week, it’s a step-by-step process. First Machado will burn you by hitting an obscene home run over the Green Monster. Next he’ll take his time running the bases and mean-mug you when he touches home plate. Then he’ll ream you out in a very NSFW post-game rant and homer again two nights later. Anyone want to test the wrath of Manny Machado? I didn’t think so”

Fox Sports (4th; LW: 4th)

The folks at Fox lack any imagination at all and just like almost everyone else rank the O’s at 4th. “One Nice Thing: The O’s called up Gabriel Ynoa — despite his 6.65 Triple-A ERA — and he threw six scoreless against the White Sox Friday.”

Power Rankings Guru (4th; LW: 4th)

PRG is an aggregate of several national power rankings/polls, and unsurprisingly, they have the Orioles at #4. I know, right?

SI.com: The 30 (6th; Last Week: 6th)

Jonah Keri is apparently only doing his rankings once every two weeks. Well, that’s annoying. “You could argue that Baltimore’s outgunned on a straight talent level by one or more AL East rivals yet again this year, with the Yankees and Red Sox delivering flashier higher-upside players and individual numbers. Then again, this is a team that’s made a habit of smashing projections to smithereens. So far this season, it’s happening again.”

Any egregious slights or wild overestimation of this team? Any polls you’d like to see included? Add your thought down below and hit me up on Twitter @Bill_Duck21804 where you will find way, way too much discussion of politics and MMA for any baseball fan’s liking.