LetShohei Ohtani and Aaron Judgehog all the headlines and national TV slots. While they were going one-on-one in L.A., both were upstaged by a catcher in the Pacific Northwest. Oh,Cal Raleighwon't match those greats sublime overall offensive numbers soon. Yet Raleigh has now taken the major league lead by homering for the third consecutive game, his 23rd homer putting the Mariners in position to salvage a series win against Minnesota. And he's helping the Mariners tread water both in the American League West and USA TODAY Sports' power rankings. With the season just past the one-third mark, Raleigh is on pace to threatenSalvador Perez's record for home runs by a primary catcher - 48, set in 2021. Raleigh was the first catcher to hit 20 home runs before the end of May. Raleigh leads Seattle in every major offensive category save batting average, where his .264 average is second to J.P. Crawford's .272. His 1.016 OPS trails only those Dodger-Yankee megastars – Judge, Freddie Freeman and Ohtani. All the more important given the rail-thin margin the offensively-challenged Mariners operate. They won two games by walk-off this weekend and cling to a half-game lead over Houston in the West - thanks largely to their most unlikely MVP candidate. A look at our updated rankings: If you're scoring at home, that's 15 pitchers now on the injured list. That's a six-game lead in an AL Central very much looking like Detroit and Everybody Else. Francisco Lindor clubs 261st home run, moves past Derek Jeter into third for homers by a shortstop. Good vibes moderately dimmed by Kyle Tucker's jammed ring finger. Lose four of five after Bryce Harper sidelined following hit-by-pitch. Max Fried finally throws a clunker, in his hometown. Manny Machado (.308 average, .861 OPS) quietly having All-Star caliber season. In losing four of five, produce just seven runs for hard-luck pitchers. Sonny Gray's racked up six wins, nearly halfway to career-best 14. Nolan Jones starting to put a grim 14-for-92 (.152) start behind him. Vaunted infield prospect Cole Young gets the call - and gets walk-off RBI in debut. Yordan Alvarez was nearly back –until he wasn't. Matt Wallner hits a home run on his first swing since April 15. They've won seven in a row as starting pitchers go 15 games without giving up more than three runs. Addison Barger, who has homered in three consecutive games, may have finally arrived. They've lost five of seven against Tigers. No room for the moment for electric rookieChandler Simpson, sent back to Class AAA. Marcus Semien is 8 for 14 (.571) with a 1.468 OPS batting eighth – and should soon earn a promotion. Alexis Díaz went from All-Star totraded as a minor leaguerin less than two years. Getting a little ridiculous we haven't seen Roman Anthony at Fenway yet. Go figure: They've lost eight of 11 sinceSpencer Strider returned, followed by Ronald Acuña Jr. Grim stuff: Snap a four-game losing streak but $215 million man Corbin Burnes exits withelbow discomfort. Wild road trip: Score seven runs in 10th inning and 10 runs in first inning. Mike Trout's return can't stop slide of seven losses in eight games. Cold game: Ronny Simon commits three errors, cries in dugout, gets designated for assignment. Gotta start somewhere: First sweep comes against White Sox. Sixteen losses in 17 games, including 0-6 road trip that makes a Yolo County return look appealing. Andrew McCutchen's 240th homer as a Pirate ties him with Roberto Clemente. Top prospect Kyle Teel knocking on door with .885 OPS at Class AAA. They're 9-50. Nine and fifty.Nueve y cincuenta... The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast.Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:MLB power rankings: Cal Raleigh home runs keep Mariners in standings
