By Douglas Benton Weather was still a problem this past week for many teams around the country, but that didn?t keep away some good baseball. Some of the same teams are near the top of this week?s rankings, while some early surprises are settling into their natural positions. Records are through Sunday April 15 action: 1. (1) New York Mets (7-4): The big bats are starting to heat up in New York, led by shortstop Jose Reyes with a .311 average, 11 RBI and six stolen bases in 11 games. 2. (3) Atlanta Braves (8-3): The top three starters of John Smoltz, Tim Hudson and Chuck James are a combined 5-1 with a 1.85 ERA. 3. (7) Cleveland Indians (6-3): Centerfielder Grady Sizemore is making an early MVP run by hitting .323 with four home runs and a .488 on-base percentage. 4. (4) Boston Red Sox (6-4): The Red Sox are still winning, even though outfielder Manny Ramirez is hitting .194 and has more strikeouts than RBI. 5. (11) Arizona Diamondbacks (9-4): The biggest surprise team has the biggest surprise hitter in second baseman Orlando Hernandez, who is hitting a gaudy .412 in the early going. 6. (18) Los Angeles Dodgers (8-4): Early struggles by pitcher Jason Schmidt should have the Dodger faithful worried, especially considering his age and injury history. 7. (6) Detroit Tigers (7-5): Starter Justin Verlander has allowed just five hits and no runs in 13 innings of action so far. So much for a sophomore slump. 8. (5) Minnesota Twins (7-5): The Minnesota Twins finally lost a home game started by Johan Santana on Friday after winning 24 games previously. 9. (14) Toronto Blue Jays (7-5): The Blue Jays have problems in the bullpen with the recent placement of closer B.J. Ryan on the disabled list. 10. (2) Los Angeles Angels (6-6): A disaster in Boston, where they were outscored 25-3 in the three-game series sends the Angels downward in this week?s rankings. 11. (9) Seattle Mariners (5-3): Starter Felix Hernandez?s gem in Boston should have fans giddy in Seattle as they have their first bona fide ace since Randy Johnson. 12. (8) Cincinnati Reds (7-5): The Reds have a team ERA of 2.93 in 12 games this year and capped off their week with a 12 strikeout performance by Kyle Lohse at the Chicago Cubs. 13. (22) St. Louis Cardinals (6-5): Pitcher Adam Wainwright appears to have made a smooth transition to the rotation with a 1-0 record and a 1.98 ERA in two starts this year. 14. (15) Florida Marlins (6-5): A team batting average of .293 has powered the Marlins to a strong start with three starters hitting at least .340. 15. (13) Oakland A?s (6-7): Another injury to starter Rich Harden will dampen a great weekend series for the A?s that saw second baseman Marco Scutaro hit a walk-off home run against closer Mariano Rivera. 16. (20) New York Yankees (5-6): Two tough losses in Oakland were compounded with the news that pitchers Carl Pavano and Mike Mussina were headed to the disabled list. 17. (26) Baltimore Orioles (6-6): Rain was the only thing that stopped the Orioles from sweeping the Kansas City Royals this past weekend. 18. (19) San Diego Padres (7-5): First baseman Adrian Gonzalez is helping pace the Padres early with three home runs and nine RBI as they quietly start another successful campaign. 19. (17) Milwaukee Brewers (6-5): The return of outfielder Geoff Jenkins (.351) to a more prominent role in the order should ease any worries of offensive problems in Milwaukee. 20. (7) Chicago White Sox (5-6): The once powerful White Sox are hitting a paltry .222 as a team with five starters hitting .235 or worse. 21. (29) Houston Astros (4-6): Outfielder Carlos Lee is proving to be a great investment with four home runs and 12 RBI with a 1.007 OPS as he picks up the slack for first baseman Lance Berkman. 22. (25) Texas Rangers (5-7): The pitching still stinks in Texas with a staff ERA of 5.07 and no starter has an ERA of less than 3.70. 23. (21) Tampa Bay Devil Rays (5-7): The Devil Rays battled to a series split at Minnesota as they continue to get a pleasant surprise out of third baseman Akinori Iwamura, who is hitting a club best .395. 24. (23) Colorado Rockies (5-7): The hitting has let the Rockies down in a few games this season, but pitcher Jeff Francis is looking more like a staff ace every day. 25. (16) Chicago Cubs (4-7): Manager Lou Piniella had his first outburst of the season on Friday and if they continue with their sluggish play, the second isn?t far behind. 26. (10) Pittsburgh Pirates (4-6): Four straight losses and a losing battle against Mother Nature this past weekend against the San Francisco Giants makes for a poor second week in Pittsburgh. 27. (27) San Francisco Giants (3-7): Two home runs by outfielder Barry Bonds on Friday was the lone highlight of the week that saw continued struggles by the Giants. 28. (24) Kansas City Royals (24): 10 runs during a four-game losing streak puts a damper on any progress the Royals might have made in week one. 29. (28) Philadelphia Phillies (3-8): Shortstop Jimmy Rollins is living up to his guarantee with six home runs and 11 RBI, but his teammates aren?t helping him in the early going. 30. (30) Washington Nationals (3-9): Their bats are starting to heat up, led by outfielder Ryan Church, as the Nationals started showing life in Atlanta and New York. Douglas Benton can be reached at [email protected]