By Tom Morris This week revealed more of the same things: not one American League wild-card hopeful, save the unstoppable Oakland Athletics, is acting like a team in the hunt for a playoff berth; the AL East is a pitching wasteland; and in the National League a handful of squads are putting together hot streaks which may or may not last long. One thing is different, however. I don't think Kenny Rogers did anything inflammatory this week, unless you include standing out in public looking like a character from Silk Stalkings. The July 31 trade deadline is six days away, everyone; some moves were made, some are still pending, and some may just drift away like a you-know-what in the wind. Let's take a look at the list, why don't we: [ Last Week's Rankings in Parentheses ] 1. Chicago White Sox: ( 1 ) Still holding off the Cardinals for the top spot, despite going 3 - 4 this past week. There is talk that the Sox will need additions to their bullpen for the long haul, but for now they still hold the top seat on my list. Jon Garland is outstanding, and the Southsiders haven't felt this much winning fever since McDowell and Thigpen were in uniform. 2. St. Louis Cardinals: ( 2 ) The Cards also had a losing record since last Sunday, but that's about as much of a slump we'll be seeing from them this year. Scott Rolen is back on the DL, Jim Edmonds still can't find his bat --the one which creates basehits-- and don't tell the players, but their team ERA has skyrocketed to a horrible 3.42. Time to start asking for trades, guys. 3. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: ( 3 ) Still putting that Mariners pre-All Star game sweep behind them, the Angels continue their stronghold on the AL West: the only games they've lost recently were because of being outpitched, which is why they took 3 of 4 from the Yankees this weekend. Vlad Guerrero is back, so with the unflappable A's in the hunt, look for this team's offense to start igniting in a big way. 4. Atlanta Braves: ( 4 ) The Braves pretty much treaded water in the kiddie pool this week, patiently allowing the Nationals to fly south in the wrong season. And despite this recent mediocrity, Atlanta still holds one of the sharpest pitching staffs out there. Just wait for Chipper to heat up. Then let's see who can keep up with the Joneses, or with this guaranteed divsion winner. 5. Oakland Athletics: ( 7 ). The A's are diving through the air, sprinting through the outfield, and literally leapfrogging their way up both the American League and my Team Rankings List. I don't know what to say, except that Billy Beane and Ken Macha have some sort of Stepford Wives factory under the cement trappings of the Oakland Coliseum: where rookies go to be programmed into winners. The second half of the season always belongs to the A's, too, so there's no reason to think they are going to blow a fuse anytime soon. 6. Houston Astros: ( 9 ) Houston is not joking. They weren't last year, and this time around may be more of the same as they move up the list again with little warning. Their pitching remains one of the best --only St. Louis and the White Sox have better team ERAs. And now the Astros are starting to hit in key moments. Of course, they and the Cubs have to fight it out with basically the entire NL EAST division for the wild card spot, since noone's catching the Cardinals. 7. Minnesota Twins: ( 8 ) Poor Twins. Can't hit. Lost I don't know how many one-run games over the past couple weeks. But Baltimore, the great revitalizer, came in to the Metrodome, blew a couple of games, and it looked like the Twins were starting to shake that slump. Then they get swept by the Tigers. Not good. Hey, they still have stingy pitching, and have you seen these guys play defense recently? They still are tied for the wild-card lead, so I'm keeping 'em at # 7. 8. Washington Nationals: ( 5 ) Many predicted this eventual fate for the Nats, who got big for their britches real fast this year. But all we're seeing is a good-pitching, hard-playing ballclub, finding it hard to get THAT BIG HIT that came so easily to them through the first half. Their coming back toward .500 really isn't any different from what the rest of this mediocre Major League has been doing. 9. Boston Red Sox: ( 10 ) The only reason these guys move up a spot is because some less-than-great ballclub has to fill the voids left on the list by the Astros and A's. Credit to Boston for duking it out with Chicago for a hard-earned split, and for retaining their lead in the EAST. Still, their Achilles' Heel --pitching-- isn't red and bloody just yet, but is still in need of some quick medical attention. 10. New York Yankees: ( 6 ) Sorry, Yanks, but this week you took a tumble --a telling one. The pitching staff is one of many still unresolved issues with this team, who showed that a mirage CAN sometimes look like a past-his-prime left-hander named Leiter. Old George's 75 year-old grey hairs are starting to go white, I'm sure, so look for him to pull another ulcer-induced public denouncement soon 11. Chicago Cubs: ( 14 ) Taking 2 of 3 from St. Louis, in Busch Stadium is rare these days. The Cubs did it, winning 10 of their last 14, so not only do they stay on the list, they have ascended to # 11. Mark Prior is looking good, but, as any Cub fan will tell you -- and I know one who does at least ten times a year -- how long will it last this time? I think they are just short of squashing the NL EAST any day now. But don't tell their followers. Let the good news be a surprise... 12. Philadelphia Phillies: ( 15 ) The Phils are no less entitled to a winning streak than any other NL East'er is. Nine of twelve in this most recent stretch, but I'll say it right now: their pitching won't keep them afloat in this division much longer. Sorry, lads. 13. New York Mets: ( NEWCOMER ) There's a spark on the other side of the apple right now, and it involves pitching AND hitting, at the same time no less. The Mets may be legit, but recent history tells me this newest budding curse candidate won't last. Plus, if it were not for future trade partners Baltimore and San Diego holding hands as they walked each other off the list this week, the Mets wouldn't have made much of a move on this list. 14. Cleveland Indians: ( 13 ) Wow, it was like they literally dropped off the radar after such a strong surge. Their bats were lost on a flight out of Ohio a couple weeks ago, and only their top-notch pitching is going to give the Indians a chance to file the missing wood report. Pitching keeps you in the game, and in the playoff race. You'll see. 15. Florida Marlins: ( NEWCOMER ) OK, so the Burnett/ Lowell Siamese Trade may never go through with any team. But that may be a good thing. Burnett's won his last two starts, and Dontrelle can't slump forever, so maybe ownership should just suck up the cash, see what this squad can do the rest of the season, and at year's end do the magic financing. One thing's for sure. Jack McKeon, sooner rather than later, is on the way out...And so am I. Have a good week everyone. Keep reading and keep watching.