By Douglas Benton Interleague play is set to begin this week, so baseball fans across the country can see how their teams match-up with the best in baseball. The Boston Red Sox still hold onto the number one spot, while the Washington Nationals finally break out of the cellar. Read on to see who slots in spots 2-29. 1. (1) Boston Red Sox (25-11): Boston is coming into their own after winning nine out of 11 games, but the injury to Josh Beckett could prove to be trouble for the Red Sox. 2. (3) Detroit Tigers (23-13): They have won 11 out of 13 games and outfielder Magglio Ordonez is making an early MVP run with a .344 average, seven home runs and 34 RBI. 3. (4) Atlanta Braves (24-13): Starters Kyle Davies and Chuck James pitched 14 innings and gave up only one run in two games at Pittsburgh over the weekend. Consistent production from No. 3 and 4 spots is key for Atlanta. 4. (6) New York Mets (23-13): The starting pitching that was supposed to derail the Mets found an arm in Oliver Perez last summer. He is 4-3 with a 3.00 ERA and 43 strikeouts in 42 innings. 5. (5) Milwaukee Brewers (25-12): They lost two of three at the Mets over the weekend, but that doesn't damper the hot start of shortstop J.J. Hardy, who is hitting .325 with 11 home runs thus far. 6. (7) Los Angeles Dodgers (23-15): The Dodgers are quietly playing good baseball out west, but questions at third base could result in a summer trade. 7. (2) Cleveland Indians (21-14): The Indians went 2-4 on their West Coast trip as questions about their average bullpen start creeping up again. 8. (11) Los Angeles Angels (21-17): What happened to starter Ervin Santana? The man who was once thought good enough to land Alex Rodriguez is 2-5 with a 5.51 ERA. 9. (8) San Diego Padres (20-18): Starter Jake Peavy has been brilliant this season. He is 5-1 with a 1.52 ERA and is averaging 11.14 strikeouts per nine innings. Looks like 2006 was a fluke. 10. (10) San Francisco Giants (19-18): They have the deepest and most talented starting rotation in baseball, led by Barry Zito and Matt Cain. However, it will be closer Armando Benitez who will determine how far the pitching takes this team. 11. (20) Oakland A's (19-17): Outfielder Jack Cust burst onto the scene in his first six games. He has hit five home runs and 11 RBI and is slugging 1.000. 12. (9) Minnesota Twins (18-19): The sometimes offensively challenged Twins are second in the major leagues with a .278 team average. Too bad that has resulted in more runs though. 13. (17) Chicago White Sox (18-16): The offense is dismal and the starting pitching is good, but not dominant. Expect the White Sox to fall off as the season progresses. 14. (24) Houston Astros (18-19): Second baseman Craig Biggio is on the back nine of his career, but still serviceable with a .257 average, three home runs and 15 RBI. 15. (13) Chicago Cubs (17-18): I was one of many people who questioned the signing of Ted Lilly for $40 million. It looks like I was wrong, as Lilly is 3-2 with a 2.53 ERA. 16. (12) Arizona Diamondbacks (20-19): First baseman Conor Jackson and shortstop Stephen Drew are two of the young players who have struggled for Arizona in 2007. 17. (16) Seattle Mariners (17-16): Outfielder Ichiro Suzuki is hitting just .286 and has only four steals. Could his impending free agency play a part in his struggles? 18. (14) New York Yankees (17-19): Starter Andy Pettittee has been better than anyone could have expected, but he isn't getting much help from his fellow rotation mates. 19. (19) Philadelphia Phillies (17-20): With the news of first baseman Ryan Howard going to the disabled list, times can expect to become more difficult for Philadelphia. 20. (22) Baltimore Orioles (18-20): They lost a five run, ninth inning lead to Boston on Sunday to cap off a weekend that saw their four game winning streak end. 21. (21) Texas Rangers (15-22): Shortstop Michael Young was once considered a top hitter in all of baseball, but a .238 average and .397 slugging percentage is dispelling that notion quickly. 22. (25) Pittsburgh Pirates (16-20): Who is the hitter that is going to protect outfielder Jason Bay in the middle of the line-up? I don't know if that answer is on the 2007 roster. 23. (28) St. Louis Cardinals (15-20): News on starter Chris Carpenter isn't good and marks the end of any hope to make the playoffs in 2007. 24. (18) Florida Marlins (16-21): They have lost seven out of nine games, including a sweep at Washington where they were outscored 19-7. 25. (26) Colorado Rockies (16-22): They lost 15-2 at home against the San Francisco Giants as they continue to be mired in mediocrity. 26. (23) Tampa Bay Devil Rays (15-22): Outfielder Carl Crawford is an All-Star caliber player with a .293 average, five home runs, 19 RBI and 10 stolen bases this season. 27. (27) Toronto Blue Jays (15-22): Losing closer B.J. Ryan for the season ends any chances for Toronto to overtake the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees in 2007. 28. (15) Cincinnati Reds (15-23): Outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. is swinging a hot bat, but that hasn't stopped the Reds from losing 10 out of 12 games. 29. (30) Washington Nationals (12-25): They finally made it out of spot No. 30, thanks to sweeping a home series against division foe, the Florida Marlins. 30. (29) Kansas City Royals (12-26): They have lost seven out of nine games as they know look toward the Draft on June 7 and 8 for their next chance at succeeding. Douglas Benton can be reached at [email protected]