• Peek at the Week: Taking to the road

Nobody's perfect. But the Los Angeles Angels came mighty close, falling two second-place votes shy of going Don Larsen in this week's Fab 15.

However, in the wake of their 7-3 eastern swing through Baltimore, Boston and New York, the Angels did set Fab 15 records with 28 first-place votes and a score of 298 points out of a possible 300.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox, who have spent six weeks atop the poll, more than any other team, slipped to their lowest ranking of the season at No. 4. This isn't a Samson thing, though: Most voters on the MLB.com editorial panel believe the Red Sox now will be stronger with the hair (and Manny Ramirez under it) gone.

Among the repeaters:
• Biggest rise: Phillies (No. 9 to No. 6)
• Biggest drops: Red Sox, Mets, Yankees, Brewers, Marlins (two rungs each)

The results of Week 19 balloting, through Friday, with first-place votes and total points (on a 10-9-8-etc. basis) in parentheses:

Los Angeles Angels (28-298)

"The X-Files: I Want to Believe" might as well be about them. They're eerie; 25 Major League teams have losing records on the road, and the Angels are 38-21. Calling them the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim is too limiting geographically, according to national reporter Jim Molony, who thinks they should be the "Angels from sea to shining sea."
                            Last week: 1 (22-280)

Chicago Cubs (2-256)

Have been so overwhelming, the new closer hasn't had much work. Just as well, says Braves reporter Mark Bowman, because "It will take 100 years for some Cubs fans to learn how to spell [Jeff] Samardzija."
Last week: 4 (1-208)

Tampa Bay Rays (233)

Nothing seems to scare them, including large gatherings of people: The Rays are 16-1 in Tropicana Field in front of crowds of 30,000-plus. (Full disclosure: They are also 12-5 in front of crowds of 15,000-minus, but those were in the we'll-see-if-they're-still-around-in-June days.)
Last week: 3 (1-210)

Boston Red Sox (192)

Haven't yet lost with the new left fielder, who has contributed significantly to each win. Coincidence? Mariners reporter Jim Street knows one thing for sure: "You won't be hearing in Red Sox Nation, 'That's just Bay being Bay.'"
Last week: 2 (5-230)

Chicago White Sox (1-148)

Apparently, Ken Griffey Jr. can get out of Cincinnati, but not from under that cloud. He hits the South Side, the White Sox's AL Central lead goes south.

Last week: 6 (1-150)

Philadelphia Phillies (109)

Nervous energy, as generated between Charlie Manuel and Jimmy Rollins, seems to be good for them. But manager and MVP need to tone down the wattage before the team's circuits are overloaded.
Last week: 9 (52)

Milwaukee Brewers (92)

Their big showdown with the Cubs turned into a General Custer moment, getting outscored 31-11 in the four-game sweep. Since the trade, CC Sabathia is 5-0 and everyone else is 8-11.
Last week: 5 (167)

Minnesota Twins (90)

And you thought Boston's Manny-Bay exchange went well? The Twins cut their top winner, Livan Hernandez, and replaced him with Francisco Liriano -- who pitched them back into first place.
Last week: 10 (48)

New York Yankees (89)

A-Rod and I-Rod together again ... but save the sentimental nostalgia. In their common Texas days, the Rangers went 145-179. But the Yankees do have better pitching ... don't they?
Last week: 7 (1-130)

New York Mets (38)

Now that they've hit the skid button again, following a charge into first led by old hands Fernando Tatis and Carlos Delgado, Bowman says it's time to "put Darryl Strawberry and Lenny Dykstra back in their lineup."
Last week: 8 (104)

Arizona D-backs (37)

Angels reporter Lyle Spencer says they're "getting a nice groove on." Yeah, the NL West Rapids: Have gone 7-3 since returning to divisional play, making them 29-15 against NL West teams and 28-39 against Major League teams.
Last week: 13 (8)

St. Louis Cardinals (29)

There was simply no room for Matt Clement on the Cards' revival caboose (Chris Carpenter, Kyle Lohse, Braden Looper).

Last week: 11 (28)

Los Angeles Dodgers (15)

It took a while for Manny Ramirez to get acclimated. Every time Andruw Jones came up in Friday night's game, Manny thought the 55,000 Dodger Stadium fans were going, "Yoooooouk!"
Last week: NR (0)

Florida Marlins (13)

Suddenly, may have the balance to be in the race for the long run because, Molony reasons, "With Anibal Sanchez back and Chris Volstad looking like the real deal, the Marlins have the best pitching in the [NL East] division."
Last week: 12 (10)

Kansas City Royals (8)

The Royals and White Sox got into a little skirmish on Sunday, purpose pitches and bodies flying around. Watching, Jose Guillen said, "Why can't people just play the game without causing trouble?"
Last week: NR (0)

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