LONDON -- Eden Hazard produced a virtuoso individual performance as Chelsea beat West Ham 2-0 at Stamford Bridge on Monday to move up to third in the Premier League and boost their hopes of Champions League qualification.

Positives

Hazard has returned to the form of autumn, when he was the best player in the Premier League. Maurizio Sarri also kept faith in Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Callum Hudson-Odoi to maintain their recent form and was rewarded. Thanks to the stumbles of their rivals, Chelsea's top-four charge suddenly looks promising again.

Negatives

Chelsea should have been up much more than 1-0 at half-time, and this dangerous West Ham side caused several moments of panic before Hazard finally put the game away. Sarri's men are winning again, but they still need to find their clinical touch.

Manager rating out of 10

8 -- Sarri gave Loftus-Cheek and Hudson-Odoi another opportunity to contribute when it matters for Chelsea and it paid dividends. The presence of both also gives greater balance to his much-maligned system. Finally, his substitutes made an impact, with Ross Barkley creating Hazard's second.

Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

GK Kepa Arrizabalaga, 7 -- Had so little to do in the first half that the isolated Javier Hernandez was substituted at the break. Saved well from Manuel Lanzini and Felipe Anderson in the second half, though, and distributed the ball impressively throughout.

DF Cesar Azpilicueta, 7 -- Seems to be developing nice chemistry with both Hudson-Odoi and N'Golo Kante on Chelsea's right flank, timing his forward surges intelligently. Also kept Felipe in check for the most part defensively, and his overall stamina remains remarkable.

DF Antonio Rudiger, 8 -- His early intensity helped Chelsea get a tight grip on play in the first half and his close attentions ensured Hernandez was a non-factor. Did allow Marko Arnautovic to drift off him to set up a chance for Lanzini, but was otherwise solid.

DF David Luiz, 7 -- Managed to physically bully Hernandez out of the game in the first half. Had more trouble once Arnautovic moved to the point of a more fluid West Ham attack, particularly when dragged out of his most comfortable position in the centre of defence.

DF Emerson Palmieri, 7 -- His mobility on the left keeps Chelsea's attacks functioning at a higher tempo than when Marcos Alonso starts, even if his crossing continues to leave a little to be desired. Also did well to deflect one Arnautovic header just wide as West Ham pushed for an equaliser.

MF N'Golo Kante, 8 -- As has become his trademark, did absolutely everything absolutely everywhere. Broke up attacks to keep West Ham largely pinned back, but also almost scored a brilliant goal after a sublime touch to turn Angelo Ogbonna, and also played in Azpilicueta with a slick back-heel.

MF Jorginho, 7 -- Was a big reason West Ham were unable to get the ball to Hernandez in the first half, astutely intercepting passes and keeping Chelsea's own passages of possession moving forward. Had a bit more trouble in the second half once the visitors re-jigged their attack.

MF Ruben Loftus-Cheek, 9 -- It's becoming more and more obvious by the game that Sarri's midfield is galaxies better when Loftus-Cheek is in it from the start. His ability to carry the ball upfield and pick a pass under pressure helped unlock the best of Hazard and he frequently threatened to test Lukasz Fabianski himself.

FW Callum Hudson-Odoi, 7 -- Not quite as sparkling as he was in his first Premier League start, though there were still enough flashes here to justify him playing a prominent role in the final stretch of Chelsea's season. Fabianski tipped his best effort over the bar and Barkley couldn't quite connect with his inviting low cross to the back post.

FW Gonzalo Higuain, 7 -- Played like he had a point to prove after losing his place to Olivier Giroud, and though he didn't find the net, this was a much improved showing. He linked play nicely and drifted into dangerous positions, latching onto one delightful Hazard pass to crash a shot off the post from a tight angle.

FW Eden Hazard, 10 -- Produced the kind of individual master class that will punctuate his Chelsea legacy if he completes an increasingly likely move to Real Madrid this summer. Single-handedly dismantled West Ham's entire defence to break the deadlock in sensational style and had the visitors petrified whenever he got the ball -- which was often. Having lit up the game, it was only fair that he applied the finishing touch to Chelsea's win.

Substitutes

MF Ross Barkley, 7 -- Brought on to provide fresh legs for Loftus-Cheek, he couldn't turn in Hudson-Odoi's most dangerous delivery but showed speed of thought and foot to find Hazard for Chelsea's second.

FW Olivier Giroud, 7 -- Will rightly feel aggrieved at losing his place to Higuain after scoring against Brighton, but did not show it as he caused West Ham plenty of problems in the final stages.

FW Pedro, 6 -- Introduced in place of Hudson-Odoi for the final few minutes, his most notable contribution was a low cross that came close to finding Giroud.

A David Warner misfield at long-on, followed by a slip as he tried to retrieve the ball that allowed a second. That's how the game ended in Mohali, with Kings XI Punjab chasing down 151 with six wickets and a ball to spare. That slip was down to the dew, which played a big role in the match.

Sunrisers Hyderabad's stand-in captain Bhuvneshwar Kumar agreed about the dew, saying after the game: "The way we bowled, I'm really happy given the dew." But, he admitted, he was also a little disappointed to lose after getting so close.

It didn't look like it would get close when, at the start of the 18th over of the chase, Kings XI needed 19 with KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal batting on fifty-plus and the partnership at 114.

That's when Agarwal swatted one to deep midwicket, and just like that the pressure was on. "Well, somebody had to take a chance, it was 18 balls 19 (needed) and you know we were thinking if we can get two big hits, we should be through," Agarwal told host broadcaster Star Sports. "But I guess we didn't pull it off."

Two more quick wickets fell, and by the start of the 20th, Kings XI needed 11, with Sam Curran facing up to the experienced Mohammad Nabi for his first ball. Rahul, from the other end, was hoping Curran did not try anything too rash, given the ball was "skidding through" due to the dew.

"It was simple, he had to look for the boundaries. But I did tell him that maybe hitting sixes was a bit difficult because the ball kept skidding through and you couldn't get elevation," Rahul said. "So I said look to hit the pockets, maybe get fours because we're not too far behind, we don't need 16 or 17 runs, we just need 11. He came out, still tried to hit a six, luckily for us went in the gap, scored a few twos and (I) could strike that boundary at the end."

Game over, but some would argue it was sealed much earlier, in the first 10 overs of the match. R Ashwin inserted Sunrisers with the imminent dew at the front of his mind, and they could manage just 50 runs in the first half of their innings. Much of that was down to mystery spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman removing the in-form Jonny Bairstow in his first over, the second of the innings.

The dew, and Bairstow's issues against spin, made the decision to bowl Mujeeb early an easy one, Ashwin said. "It was always in our plans, because Mujeeb knows Mohali really well. Sometimes, Mohali, as a spinner, (it feels) lopsided. Because you don't get enough out of the pitch, there's a lot of dew, the outfield's brilliant, the pitch is great (to bat on)... So as a spinner you need to know what sort of lengths and what sort of speeds you should be bowling at.

"It's very important with the dew that you do use the spinner with the new ball, and someone like Mujeeb has done it all through is career, he's just bowled with the new ball for Afghanistan all his life. He's very comfortable bowling with the new ball, so I thought, especially because of Jonny Bairstow up there, if he can get the ball to come in or bowl the googly it was a good match-up."

Warner batted through the innings at the other end, even if he wasn't at his most explosive, and Sunrisers finished with 150 - "20 runs short because there was dew," according to Bhuvneshwar.

Rahul and Agarwal then took charge of the chase. Rahul made a third half-century in four innings - a timely run of form, given India's World Cup squad announcement is a week away. Agarwal's was his second fifty of the tournament, and his second sizeable stand with Rahul after 64 against Mumbai Indians.

Rahul said Agarwal's approach helped him settle in. "Mayank and I (both play for Karnataka in domestic cricket) have grown up playing together, so we have that understanding and we enjoy playing with each other.

"The way Mayank came out... throughout the six games he's come out with a very positive attitude, even against Mumbai he did the same thing. So it gives me a little bit of time."

However, on the downside for Kings XI, Agarwal picked up a niggle along the way. Rahul said: "Need to bring this up, he hurt his finger and I don't know the extent of the injury but he came out and his top hand wasn't, you know... he was in pain, so to play an innings like that was incredible."

Los Angeles Lakers guard Lonzo Ball has committed to work with Creative Artists Agency after mutually parting ways with his previous agent, Harrison Gaines, last week.

"After thinking about this decision over the last few weeks, I concluded that CAA made the most sense for my career both on and off the court," Ball told ESPN in a statement Monday. "With CAA now in place to manage my basketball career, I can focus my attention and energy on training for the upcoming season."

Ball said he talked with several different agencies as he rethought his business affairs after severing ties and suing former Big Baller Brand co-founder Alan Foster for damages of at least $2 million.

Ball insisted that Gaines had supported him through the situation with Foster and the decision to part ways was unrelated.

Ball's father, LaVar Ball, has had discussions with CAA and other agencies as well, according to industry sources, but it remains unclear how he, his younger sons LiAngelo and LaMelo, and Big Baller Brand will move forward.

SAN FRANCISCO -- First baseman/outfielder Tyler Austin has been traded to the San Francisco Giants from the Minnesota Twins for minor league outfielder Malique Ziegler.

The 27-year-old Austin played in two games for the Twins after making the team out of spring training. He will be added to the 25-man roster.

San Francisco announced Monday that it has designated infielder/outfielder Connor Joe for assignment to clear room on the 40-man roster.

Austin, acquired by the Twins from the New York Yankees last year for pitcher Lance Lynn, played in a career-high 69 games last season and had several other career bests: 10 home runs and 17 RBIs with 10 doubles.

Yankees ace Luis Severino is returning to New York to get an MRI and be re-evaluated by Dr. Chris Ahmad after playing catch in Tampa, Florida, on Monday, manager Aaron Boone said.

Severino, who was shut down at the beginning of March due to rotator cuff inflammation in his right shoulder, isn't experiencing pain, but the Yankees want to run tests to figure out why he isn't feeling well enough to hit the mound, Boone said.

Severino has been throwing at 120-plus feet recently but has not returned to the mound since experiencing shoulder discomfort following a warm-up pitch before his first start of spring training.

The Yankees initially shut him down for two weeks and scratched him from his Opening Day start. They had hoped he would be able to rejoin the rotation by mid-April, but general manager Brian Cashman later pushed that to May 1.

Severino went 19-8 with a 3.39 ERA last season. Earlier this spring, he signed a four-year, $40 million contract extension.

ESPN's Coley Harvey contributed to this report.

CHICAGO -- Chicago Cubs ace Jon Lester left the team's home opener in the third inning due to hamstring tightness, while Pittsburgh Pirates starter Jameson Taillon took a liner off his head.

While warming up before the top of the third, Lester grabbed his left hamstring. He then faced two batters, allowing both to reach, before manager Joe Maddon went and got him. Brad Brach replaced Lester.

He looked to have injured himself running the bases in the second inning, as he slid into second base after hitting a double, then into home when he subsequently scored.

Lester wasn't the only pitcher suffering Monday. Taillon was hit by a line drive off the bat of Anthony Rizzo in the second inning. He was attended to but shook everyone off and stayed in the game to finish the inning. He was pinch hit for in the third, however, trailing 6-0. None of the runs was earned, as Pirates shortstop Kevin Newman committed three errors.

Lefty Steven Brault replaced Taillon. The Pirates announced that the team doctor had checked out Taillon and initial tests were normal. He was to be evaluated Tuesday.

This wasn't the first time Taillon was hit in the head by a liner. As a rookie in 2016 against the Brewers, he took a vicious liner off the back of the head in the second inning. He stayed in that game too, going six innings.

The Trump administration scuttled Major League Baseball's historic agreement with the Cuban Baseball Federation, arguing that the sport's governing body is part of the Cuban government and that the agreement violates United States trade law.

In December, MLB and the MLB Players Association announced an agreement with the Cuban federation similar to those for players under contract to clubs in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan -- one the league believed would end the defection of players and erase the human trafficking of Cuban players that has become the standard as they attempt to join MLB.

The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control sent a letter to MLB on Friday that said "payments to the Cuban Baseball Federation are not authorized ... because a payment to the Cuban Baseball Federation is a payment to the Cuban government."

The letter, obtained by ESPN, underscored the reversal of an Obama-era policy that intended to soften relations between the U.S. and Cuba.

After announcing the agreement in December, blowback in Washington prompted MLB to outline in a 10-page letter its argument in favor of the agreement.

"The objective," MLB said, "is to end the dangerous trafficking of Cuban baseball players who desire to play professional baseball in the United States."

MLB requested a meeting with government officials, though no meeting was granted, sources told ESPN.

The letter to from OFAC to Major League Baseball came in the immediate aftermath of the Cuban federation releasing its first group of players able to sign contracts directly with MLB organizations, with the understanding that some could be playing in the U.S. this year. The players were eligible for signing bonuses, with the player receiving 100 percent of his signing bonus and the club giving the Cuban federation a release fee equivalent to 25 percent of the signing bonus.

The White House signaled its concern on Sunday when President Donald Trump's national security adviser, John Bolton, tweeted "Cuba wants to use baseball players as economic pawns - selling their rights to Major League Baseball."

In a statement to ESPN, MLB said: "We stand by the goal of the agreement, which is to end the human trafficking of baseball players from Cuba."

Negotiations for the Cuba-MLB agreement date back to President Barack Obama's detente with Cuba. The deal was seen as an effort to eliminate the dangerous trafficking that had gone on for decades, which the MLB referenced in its letter to the Treasury and State departments, with Reds outfielder Yasiel Puig, White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu and Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes among those whose harrowing journeys were cited.

"For years, Major League Baseball has been seeking to end the trafficking of baseball players from Cuba by criminal organizations by creating a safe and legal alternative for those players to sign with major league clubs," MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement Dec. 19 announcing the deal. "We believe that this agreement accomplishes that objective and will allow the next generation of Cuban players to pursue their dream without enduring many of the hardships experienced by current and former Cuban players who have played Major League Baseball."

At the time, opponents of the Cuban government pledged to try to overturn it. The Trump administration has accused Havana of providing military and intelligence support to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, with Bolton saying on Twitter: "America's national pastime should not enable the Cuban regime's support for Maduro in Venezuela."

Without a deal, the longstanding policy of players seeking residence in a third country could return. If players establish residence in a third country, they can petition OFAC to receive a specific license that would allow them to play in the U.S. A number of players seeking transportation to a third country have been shepherded by smugglers with gang affiliations, and agents familiar with the Cuban-player market said the dangers that could have abated with the agreement will remain.

Eleven days into the regular season, you might not expect huge changes in our Power Rankings, but you'd be wrong. Teams and players are already making indelible first impressions on this season, and it's showing in the standings -- and our first regular-season rankings of 2019.

You can start with how first-place votes were split between the Dodgers (two), Brewers (two) and Mets (one), but don't sleep on the Phillies -- they might not have gotten a first-place vote, but they advanced eight slots to reach the No. 2 perch. The single largest leap between our initial preseason Power Rankings and this one was achieved by the Mariners, who jumped 11 spots to crack the top 10. Meanwhile, the Mets' 10-rung move brought them into the top five. The Padres also advanced 10 spots, suggesting that their rebuild might be ahead of schedule.

Equally dramatic, the slow starts of the reigning World Series champion Red Sox and the Cubs sent both clubs spiraling out of the top 10, as Boston fell 10 spots from No. 1 to 11th overall, and the Cubs tumbled 13 spots to No. 19. Will these early-season corrections for high expectations get turned around quickly, or will both of these expected playoff contenders dig even bigger holes in the week to come?

This week, in running through all 30 teams, we asked Bradford Doolittle to give us a snapshot of which players have greeted the new season by making great first impressions so far this season and which are already having Aprils they might rather erase from fans' memories. Joining Doolittle in voting for this week's rankings were ESPN's Christina Kahrl, Eric Karabell, Tim Kurkjian and David Schoenfield.

Preseason rankings

1. Los Angeles Dodgers

2019 record: 8-2
Preseason ranking: 4

Cody Bellinger has been playing bam-bam baseball in the early going, propelling himself into way-too-early MVP chatter. He's slugging better than .600 against fastballs, off-speed pitches and breaking balls. In other words: He's mashing everything thrown his way. The only fly in the Dodgers' ointment to date has been the unsightly performance of new setup reliever Joe Kelly, whose early ERA sits at 14.40, allowing two home runs and 11 baserunners in just five innings.

2. Philadelphia Phillies

2019 record: 6-2
Preseason ranking: 10

Has Bryce Harper made a good first impression with the volatile fans in Philadelphia? Three majestic home runs and a .556 on-base percentage say yes. That doesn't mean those passionate fans don't have someone to boo. David Robertson was tasked with sealing the back of the Philadelphia bullpen. Instead, he has a 9.82 ERA, with 12 baserunners allowed against 11 total outs.

3. Milwaukee Brewers

2019 record: 8-2
Preseason ranking: 5

We already knew about Josh Hader, but the Brewers' beat-up bullpen would be suffering if not for the continued dominance of one of the game's toughest lefties. Hader allowed just one hit and one walk in his first five outings, striking out 13 and picking up five saves while throwing virtually nothing but high fastballs. That kind of focused approach has extended to a Milwaukee offense that has been long-ball-heavy so far, but that trend has not included hulking first baseman Jesus Aguilar, who managed just four singles in his first eight games.

4. New York Mets

2019 record: 6-3
Preseason ranking: 14

You can't be better than Jacob deGrom was last season -- unless you happen to be Jacob deGrom. The big righty has continued his 2018 roll with 13 shutout innings and 24 strikeouts to begin the season. That's 16.6 K/9, if you're keeping track at home. Teammate Brandon Nimmo hasn't been able to keep his own 2018 magic alive so far. Nimmo has started his campaign 3-for-29 with 17 strikeouts.

5. Tampa Bay Rays

2019 record: 7-3
Preseason ranking: 13

The Rays stayed away from established sluggers over the winter, in part hoping the void could be filled by unlocking the power potential of former Indian Yandy Diaz. Diaz is slugging .667 with three home runs. That has helped prop up a lineup that has been dragged down by some slow starts. Particularly distressing has been the showing of young shortstop Willy Adames. Instead of taking a second-year leap, Adames is 4-for-34 with 15 strikeouts and zero extra-base hits or walks to start the campaign.

6. New York Yankees

2019 record: 5-4
Preseason ranking: 3

Imagine where the injury-riddled Yanks would be without offseason pickup DJ LeMahieu, who has gone 12-for-28 to start his New York career, mostly while filling in for Miguel Andujar at third base. Meanwhile, the first 12 times that Aaron Judge put the ball in play, the ball failed to leave the yard. For Judge, that qualifies as a slump. Of course, then he went deep on his next two plate appearances.

7. Houston Astros

2019 record: 5-5
Preseason ranking: 2

After his back problems last season and a neck injury late in spring training, Carlos Correa has looked spry in the early going for the Astros, going 6-for-22 with four extra-base hits in his first six outings. Less encouraging has been the start for utility player Aledmys Diaz, acquired as the replacement for super-rover Marwin Gonzalez. Diaz is 2-for-13 to begin the season and has already committed a pair of errors.

8. Atlanta Braves

2019 record: 5-4
Preseason ranking: 8

Lefty Max Fried has dazzled as both a reliever and a starter in the early going. He has allowed just one hit among the 26 batters he has faced and looks as if he's going to fill Atlanta's need for a No. 5 starter for now. The news isn't as cheery for free-agent acquisition Josh Donaldson, who is 5-for-30 with a lone extra-base hit to begin the campaign.

9. Cleveland Indians

2019 record: 6-3
Preseason ranking: 7

Trevor Bauer, baseball's ultimate tinkerer, has emerged from his winter lab with a newfound appreciation for his changeup, which he has thrown about 10 percent more often than he did last season. You want results? Opposing hitters are 0-for-11 against Bauer's change so far, even though he doesn't have the luxury of facing that Cleveland outfield everyone was so worried about entering the season. The consternation seems well-founded for a group that combined to hit .179 with no homers and six RBIs in the Indians' first nine games.

10. Seattle Mariners

2019 record: 9-2
Preseason ranking: 21

Seattle has four regulars acquired over the winter who found themselves in the midst of the Mariners' soft rebuild. Two of them -- Tim Beckham and Domingo Santana -- rank among the league leaders in runs created. Beckham has a 1.314 OPS for what has been the game's best offense so far. If only the thin bullpen could meet that standard. Offseason signee Cory Gearrin has a 10.80 ERA and began a high-leverage outing in Chicago by throwing 10 straight balls.

11. Boston Red Sox

2019 record: 3-8
Preseason ranking: 1

On a team that has made a roster-wide poor first impression, the defending champs still have J.D. Martinez doing what he has done since his mid-career metamorphosis. Martinez is hitting .333/.404/.548, and if those were to be his season-end slash stats, would you really be surprised? The other side of this coin is most starkly exemplified by Chris Sale, who has allowed a .885 wOBA with his four-seamer thus far, a pitch averaging just 90.7 mph.

12. Washington Nationals

2019 record: 4-4
Preseason ranking: 9

Thus far, free-agent-to-be Anthony Rendon has been left out of the onslaught of high-dollar contract extensions. As if the Nationals needed reminding, Rendon has gone out and hit .433/.528/.967 to start the season. The Nats' infield needs that kind of production from Rendon, especially now that shortstop Trea Turner has hit the injured list. New second baseman Brian Dozier began the campaign in a swoon, going just 2-for-25 with no extra-base hits to start his Nationals career.

13. San Diego Padres

2019 record: 6-4
Preseason ranking: 23

Fernando Tatis Jr. has mostly dazzled as baseball's youngest regular thus far, putting up an .833 OPS in the Padres' first nine games. Just as important: Tatis has played nine straight errorless games in the field while providing plenty of fodder for highlight-reel editors. It has been almost entirely good news for San Diego so far. One sore spot has been setup relief, as the bullpen has allowed seven of nine inherited runners to score. Robert Stock leads the club with three high-leverage appearances but allowed five runs of his own, plus another three of four inherited runners scored.

14. St. Louis Cardinals

2019 record: 4-5
Preseason ranking: 11

Kolten Wong should have won a Gold Glove last season, and perhaps because he did not, he's taking out his revenge on opposing pitchers. The Cardinals' second baseman has six extra-base hits, including three homers. Wong and newcomer Paul Goldschmidt have been bright spots for the so far disappointing Redbirds. What appeared to be a potentially dynamic, high-leverage relief crew has struggled, with Jordan Hicks, Andrew Miller and Alex Reyes combining for 13 runs allowed in their first 11⅓ IP.

15. Minnesota Twins

2019 record: 5-3
Preseason ranking: 17

On a national scale, Jorge Polanco might not have been the sexiest name on baseball's lengthy list of spring contract extensions, but he began the season as if he's intent on earning all of those future riches, slugging .688. On Friday, he hit for the cycle while banging out five hits. No one in Twins/Senators history had done that since Joe Cronin in 1929. To his right in the infield, Marwin Gonzalez is off to a slow start as a Twin, going just 4-for-22.

16. Oakland Athletics

2019 record: 6-7
Preseason ranking: 15

How do the A's do it? With an offseason rotation depth chart populated by a string of questions, Oakland's fivesome of Marco Estrada, Mike Fiers, Brett Anderson, Frankie Montas and Aaron Brooks posted a collective 2.91 ERA in their first 12 starts. Behind them, the A's turned to former top Rangers prospect Jurickson Profar to replace Jed Lowrie at second base. So far, no good: Profar began the season 5-for-47.

17. Colorado Rockies

2019 record: 3-7
Preseason ranking: 12

German Marquez has a contract extension and reinforced status as the Rockies' ace starter, with just one run allowed in his first two starts. The Rockies' rotation has been settled since last season, but Colorado had two lineup holes open over the winter with the departures of DJ LeMahieu and Carlos Gonzalez. The Rox filled both slots with internal options: Garrett Hampson and Ian Desmond. They have combined to go 5-for-59 in the early going.

18. Pittsburgh Pirates

2019 record: 5-3
Preseason ranking: 19

Any run into contention by the Pirates figured to be powered by pitching, and that's exactly what happened in Pittsburgh's first seven games. The Bucs used 13 pitchers in those contests, seven of whom did not allow a run in any outing. That's a lot of 0.00 ERAs, even for this early in the season. Pittsburgh has needed to be stingy with runs, given a slow start on offense, exemplified by new shortstop Erik Gonzalez, who started the season 4-for-24.

19. Chicago Cubs

2019 record: 2-7
Preseason ranking: 6

We recently found out that Joe Maddon's forthcoming restaurant near Wrigley Field will feature renowned Chicago chef Tony Mantuano. That's about the best development of the Cubs' spring. The worst? The team that bad-mouthed PECOTA has since gone about proving it to be the most clairvoyant prognosticator since Edgar Cayce.

20. Arizona Diamondbacks

2019 record: 5-5
Preseason ranking: 20

Christian Walker has done a pretty good Paul Goldschmidt impression early in the season, clubbing three homers already, all against righties. With Jake Lamb hitting the injured list, Walker has an excellent opportunity to build on that hot start. On the other hand, 3B Eduardo Escobar has started the season 7-for-40.

21. Los Angeles Angels

2019 record: 4-6
Preseason ranking: 16

Will Mike Trout have a string of career seasons, or will he actually have one campaign that stands out in his flawless performance record? Perhaps this is the one: Trout started the season with a 1.581 OPS, striking out just three times in 10 games. The Danny DeVito to Trout's Arnold Schwarzenegger has been Zack Cozart, who started the season 1-for-26 in his bid to bounce back from last season's injury-plagued campaign.

22. Texas Rangers

2019 record: 5-5
Preseason ranking: 25

The Rangers' offense has propelled a solid start, led by resurgent veteran Elvis Andrus. Andrus has 15 hits in 10 games to start the season. Sadly, Texas' run prevention is shaping up to be as leaky as feared. The Rangers' average game score from their starters is just 43, the third worst in baseball. Texas just lost veteran Edinson Volquez to an elbow injury, which, if it turns out to be another UCL tear, has him talking retirement.

23. Detroit Tigers

2019 record: 7-3
Preseason ranking: 27

Jordan Zimmermann has mostly struggled since he joined the Tigers, but in his first two starts, he reminded everyone why he was a two-time All-Star during his days in Washington. Zimmermann has allowed just one run in 13⅔ innings to begin the year. The fountain-of-youth scenario isn't playing out that way for Miguel Cabrera; Miggy did not have an extra-base hit in Detroit's first 10 games.

24. Toronto Blue Jays

2019 record: 3-8
Preseason ranking: 22

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. started 2-for-8 with a double for high-A Dunedin upon his return from a spring oblique strain. From there, it's on to Buffalo, then tick, tick, tick .... Toronto's placeholder at third base is Brandon Drury, who has started 7-for-39 with no homers or RBIs while striking out an AL-high 17 times. In other words, he has done little to quell the cries for the arrival of Vladi Jr.

25. Chicago White Sox

2019 record: 3-5
Preseason ranking: 24

Early as it is, Yoan Moncada looks like a player who has taken a leap this season -- not just because he's averaging an absurd 96 mph in exit velocity but also because so far he has sliced his strikeout rate in half. On the flipside, phenom Eloy Jimenez has looked a bit unbalanced at the dish thus far as he adjusts to pitchers throwing him sliders more frequently than any other player in the majors except Minnesota's Jonathan Schoop.

26. San Francisco Giants

2019 record: 3-7
Preseason ranking: 26

Has MadBum returned to the elite? Madison Bumgarner has looked like his old self early on, allowing just two runs while striking out 13 in his first two outings. Oh, he also homered and leads the Giants in OPS. Other big-name players looking to recover a little lost glory are still searching: Buster Posey and Evan Longoria are both trying to climb above the Mendoza line.

27. Cincinnati Reds

2019 record: 1-8
Preseason ranking: 18

Armed with one of the game's best changeups, Luis Castillo is emerging as the No. 1 starter the Reds have been aching for since Johnny Cueto was traded. Castillo has allowed just three hits while striking out 17 in his first two starts. Meanwhile, Reds fans waiting on Joey Votto to recover his power stroke are still waiting. Votto was hunting for his first homer of the season until Saturday, when he went deep in Pittsburgh.

28. Kansas City Royals

2019 record: 2-6
Preseason ranking: 28

As good as Adalberto Mondesi has been so far, he isn't leading the Royals in OPS. That would be Royal emeritus Alex Gordon, who is off to a .929 start with eight RBIs. Sadly, a bad impression has been made by anybody who has passed through the Royals' bullpen gate this season, a problem that has kneecapped what otherwise would be a fun start for rebuilding Kansas City.

29. Miami Marlins

2019 record: 3-7
Preseason ranking: 29

Young righty Sandy Alcantara threw eight shutout innings in his season debut, and that's pretty much the sum total of the good news in Miami. Even that news is tempered by Alcantara's second outing: a zero-strikeout, five-walk effort on Saturday. A bad impression? The Marlins are averaging fewer than 10,000 fans at home so far.

30. Baltimore Orioles

2019 record: 4-5
Preseason ranking: 30

The early days of a rebuild often mean the reemergence of forgotten names, such as minor league journeyman Hanser Alberto. Used in a bit role thus far, Alberto has seven hits in his first 14 Orioles at-bats. Unfortunately, another winter's contemplation has done nothing to coax the reemergence of once-feared slugger Chris Davis, who began the season 0-for-23 with 13 strikeouts. Davis is now hitless in his past 44 at-bats dating to last season, two shy of a big league record no one wants.

BRISTOL, Tenn. – One of the biggest points of confusion following Sunday’s Food City 500 was the late-race black flag and pass-through penalty issued to Brad Keselowski after the race’s final restart.

Keselowski, who dominated the event at Bristol Motor Speedway along with his Team Penske teammates, came to pit road for tires and blended back out onto the track in a gaggle of cars.

The catch? Some were a lap or more down, while two of those cars were on the lead lap.

That led to chaos as to where Keselowski should have lined up when the green flag waved for the final time with 14 to go.

He and his team believed they should have been fifth. In actuality, they were seventh, because neither Ryan Newman nor Clint Bowyer had pitted and both should have been ahead of Keselowski.

NASCAR tried to communicate this fact through Keselowski’s spotter, Coleman Pressley, but the message never got through to Keselowski and he was three wide when the restart occurred, leading to the black-flag decree from NASCAR officials.

Rather than bringing home a likely top-five finish, Keselowski ended up a lap down in 18th and was frustrated after climbing from his No. 2 Ford Mustang.

“Nobody could figure out the lineup,” Keselowski said. “There wasn’t enough communication and it was just a tough deal.”

He then went to the NASCAR hauler for an explanation, and after getting home from Bristol Sunday night, Keselowski admitted that NASCAR “made the right call” on penalizing him and explained where the breakdown in communication and positioning occurred.

“When I pitted, I came out on to the race track and I merged that I thought were the lapped cars,” Keselowski said on Periscope. “But hidden in those lapped cars were … two lead-lap cars, who by the rules, should get to go in front of us even if we pit and beat them off pit road. Lead lap cars that don’t pit always go in front of lead lap cars that do pit. But we couldn’t see them.

“Things happen so fast at Bristol, we didn’t know,” Keselowski added. “As a team, we kind of miscommunicated. There are four of five checks and balances to make sure that doesn’t happen and pretty much every one of them fell through, starting with me not seeing those cars mixed in with the lapped cars and kind of carrying all the way throughout the team.

“The last check, which was NASCAR … we struggled with that one, too, but I can’t really be too mad with them because we had at least two or three opportunities to get it right on our end. We didn’t get it right on our end.”

NASCAR Senior Vice President of Competition Scott Miller joined SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Monday morning and further clarified things from NASCAR’s point of view.

“The thing is, it’s really actually pretty simple,” Miller said. “We were trying to get him in the right spot in the lineup and we were communicating with his spotter via the race channel, which is their responsibility to listen to per the rule book. Numerous times we told him the (No.) 6 car (of Ryan Newman) belonged in front of him, and to give him space to get in there, and he didn’t. As we talked to Brad after the race, there was a breakdown in communication on their side, because he never really received that communication from his spotter.

“That’s where the problems started and obviously, unfortunately, it didn’t end the way Brad wanted it to end,” Miller added. “However, it’s their responsibility to monitor what we’re saying and what we’re trying to get things to do, and it didn’t appear that happened as it should have.

“We expected Brad to be there when we got (back to the NASCAR hauler) and he certainly was.”

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