The All-Star break has arrived and everyone's attention turns to the 86th MLB All-Star Game at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati.

Before we say goodbye to the first half of the season there is one final power ranking to take a look at.

The power rankings have a new number one this week as the Pittsburgh Pirates overtake division rival St. Louis Cardinals (2). The Pirates have been playing their best ball of the season and over the last two weeks have posted a record of 11-2. The Pirates ended the week with an impressive series win over the Cardinals at home.

Meanwhile, in the same two week stretch the Cardinals have been facing their first rough patch of the season with a 5-9 record. The Cardinals pitching has been struggling lately and injuries to starters Adam Wainwright and Jaime Garcia along with relievers Jordan Walden and Matt Belisle have not helped.

The Cardinals had been able to overcome the injury bug, but their recent slide may indicate that it's starting to catch up with them a bit. They have been lacking any offensive punch and the middle of their lineup has been without the injured Matt Holliday and Matt Adams for several weeks. As of the All-Star break the Cardinals have seen 37 players from the 40-man roster they started the season with make an appearance with the big club. The good news for St. Louis is that Holliday is expected back to begin the second half of the season.

The top 10 this week has the Minnesota Twins (7) and New York Yankees (9) making another appearance while the Toronto Blue Jays (13) and Baltimore Orioles (14) fall out.

Who is on top? The Pittsburgh Pirates took three of four in their battle with the St. Louis Cardinals to end the first half . Two of those games had the Pirates coming from behind to win in extra-innings.

Francisco Cervelli #29 of the Pittsburgh Pirates tags out Mark Reynolds #12 of the St. Louis Cardinals in the tenth inning during the game at PNC Park on July 12, 2015 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
(July 11, 2015 - Source: Justin K. Aller/Getty Images North America)

Over the last 14 days the Pirates have cut the Cardinals' division lead from nine games to just 2.5. In order to keep the pressure on the Cardinals and overtake them in the standings the Pirates will be looking for help at first base and in the bullpen as the trade deadline approaches.

Who is riding high? The Minnesota Twins (7) finished last week with a 6-1 record and have risen six spots in the rankings. The Twins swept the Baltimore Orioles (14) and took three of four from the Detroit Tigers (16) in a seven-game homestand.

Caption
Miguel Sano #22 of the Minnesota Twins rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run against the Detroit Tigers during the first inning of the game on July 12, 2015 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Twins defeated the Tigers 7-1.
(July 11, 2015 - Source: Hannah Foslien/Getty Images North America)

After a subpar June that saw the Twins slide down the power rankings and finish with an 11-17 record, July has seen quite a nice rebound. In July the Twins are 8-4 and are staying close to the American League Central leading Kansas City Royals (3), trailing by 4.5 games.

Who is sliding fast? A lack of offensive power and a struggling middle relief corps contributed to a 1-6 week for the Baltimore Orioles as they fall five spots in the power rankings. The Orioles were swept in a three-game road series against the Minnesota Twins (7) and dropped two of three to the visiting Washington Nationals (6).


Chris Davis #19 of the Baltimore Orioles walks back to the dug out after striking out in the seventh inning during a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on July 12, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. The Nationals won 3-2.
(July 11, 2015 - Source: Mitchell Layton/Getty Images North America)

Who is bringing up the rear? 33 games under .500 and a 20-game deficit in the division to end the first half is a clear sign that things are not going well. That is the situation for the Philadelphia Phillies as they continue to dig themselves deeper into the #30 position in the power rankings.


Cole Hamels #35 of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at AT&T Park on July 10, 2015 in San Francisco, California.
(July 10, 2015 - Source: Jason O. Watson/Getty Images North America)

The only news coming out of Philadelphia in the coming weeks will be where Cole Hamels, Ryan Howard, and Jonathan Papelbon will be playing come the trading deadline on July 31.

MLB Power Rankings
Rank Prev. Rank +/- Team Overall Record Last Week
1 2 +1 Pittsburgh Pirates 53-35 6-1
2 1 -1 St. Louis Cardinals 56-33 3-5
3 4 +1 Kansas City Royals 52-34 6-2
4 6 +2 Los Angeles Dodgers 51-39 5-2
5 8 +3 Los Angeles Angels 48-40 4-2
6 5 -1 Washington Nationals 48-39 2-3
7 13 +6 Minnesota Twins 49-40 6-1
8 3 -5 Houston Astros 49-42 1-6
9 11 +2 New York Yankees 48-40 4-2
10 7 -3 Chicago Cubs 47-40 3-4
11 14 +3 San Francisco Giants 46-43 4-2
12 16 +4 New York Mets 47-42 5-1
13 10 -3 Toronto Blue Jays 45-46 2-5
14 9 -5 Baltimore Orioles 44-44 1-5
15 12 -3 Tampa Bay Rays 46-45 3-4
16 15 -1 Detroit Tigers 44-44 3-4
17 20 +3 Cleveland Indians 42-46 4-3
18 17 -1 Arizona Diamondbacks 42-45 2-3
19 18 -1 Texas Rangers 42-46 1-4
20 21 +1 Boston Red Sox 42-47 3-2
21 19 -2 Atlanta Braves 42-47 2-5
22 26 +4 Chicago White Sox 41-45 5-2
23 23 N/C Oakland Athletics 41-50 3-3
24 22 -2 Seattle Mariners 41-48 3-4
25 25 N/C Cincinnati Reds 39-47 3-3
26 24 -2 San Diego Padres 41-49 2-4
27 29 +2 Colorado Rockies 39-49 4-2
28 28 N/C Miami Marlins 38-51 3-3
29 27 -2 Milwaukee Brewers 38-52 2-4
30 30 N/C Philadelphia Phillies 29-62 1-6