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MLB power rankings: Perfect Padres throttle Braves to put Atlanta in early 2025 hole

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MLB power rankings: Perfect Padres throttle Braves to put Atlanta in early 2025 hole


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Sure, the Los Angeles Dodgers are unbeaten in five games and the New York Yankees can’t stop hitting home runs, but let’s pause to consider what the San Diego Padres have pulled off.

It’s not even April, and they’ve already clinched the season series against the Atlanta Braves – and cracked the top five in USA TODAY Sports’ first power rankings installment.

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Oh, it probably won’t matter, but it’s worth pondering that the most significant feat of this opening weekend was the Padres sweeping four games against Atlanta, marking six consecutive victories over them at Petco Park, dating to their wild-card steamrolling during last year’s playoffs.

Perhaps you might remember that: The Braves, New York Mets and Arizona Diamondbacks all had to wait until hurricane-delayed Games 161 and 162 were played to determine the final NL playoff spots. Sure, most tiebreakers don’t come into play, but with the Padres and Braves very likely slotting in wild-card spots this year, it’s not entirely meaningless.

Of greater note, San Diego’s throttling of Atlanta might at least force observers to recalibrate their expectations for both teams, with the Padres perhaps providing resistance to the Dodgers in the West, while the Braves are already a pace behind what should be an excellent three-team race in the East.

Then again, 158 games remain for both.

A look at our updated rankings:

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1. Los Angeles Dodgers

  • You might say they, uh, torpedoed Brewers pitching.

3. Philadelphia Phillies

  • Jesús Luzardo wins first start as Phillie.
  • Bullpen allowed one earned run in 16 innings.

5. Baltimore Orioles

  • Blasted 10 homers in four games against Toronto.

6. Texas Rangers

  • Jack Leiter did enough to win first start; can Kumar Rocker follow suit?

7. Arizona Diamondbacks

  • Next time, just start the guy you just gave $210 million.

8. New York Mets

  • Oh, they’ll hit soon enough.

9. Houston Astros

  • Spencer Arrighetti picks up where he left off after strong 2024 finish.

10. Detroit Tigers

  • They’re definitely done with the Dodgers.

11. Boston Red Sox

  • Rafael Devers doing anything but designated hitting: 0 for 16 with 12 strikeouts.
  • Ah yes, three games at the Dodgers should wash that 0-4 start right away.

13. Cincinnati Reds

  • It’d be a shame if relief woes sank an otherwise solid and charismatic roster.

14. Chicago Cubs

  • Relief acquisition Eli Morgan has given up six runs in 3 ⅔ innings.

15. Seattle Mariners

  • After four-run opening day explosion, they score two, zero and two runs against A’s.

16. Cleveland Guardians

  • Jose Ramírez’s wrist is barking a little bit.

17. Kansas City Royals

  • Tough opening series ends on grim note when pitch strikes Jonathan India in face.

18. Tampa Bay Rays

  • They embrace the great outdoors with two wins over Rockies, including walk-off homer.

19. San Francisco Giants

  • Maybe this Old Guys Rule rotation will work out.

20. St. Louis Cardinals

  • So far, their “reset” has resulted in a perfect record.

21. Toronto Blue Jays

  • The Max Scherzer thumb saga already getting painful.

22. Washington Nationals

  • Dylan Crews hitless in 11 at-bats, with eight strikeouts.

23. Minnesota Twins

  • Top prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez with a three-hit night in Class AAA opener.
  • We feel confident in saying they will not see the New York Yankees again this year.

25. Los Angeles Angels

  • Tim Anderson gets a nice welcome in return to Chicago’s Southside.

26. Athletics (Sacramento)

  • Their Yolo County Era begins this week.

27. Miami Marlins

  • Griff Conine hits game-tying homer on night his dad is inducted into club Hall of Fame.

28. Pittsburgh Pirates

  • First three losses all walk-offs. So they’re coming close.
  • Chase Dollander watch: Strikes out five in four innings of first Class AAA start.

30. Chicago White Sox

  • Clip and save this for posterity: Their 1.00 ERA leads the major leagues

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fastDownload for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.



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Atlanta, GA

Golden State takes home win streak into matchup with Atlanta

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Golden State takes home win streak into matchup with Atlanta


Atlanta Hawks (19-21, ninth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Golden State Warriors (21-18, eighth in the Western Conference)

San Francisco; Sunday, 8:30 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Golden State will try to keep its three-game home win streak alive when the Warriors face Atlanta.

The Warriors are 13-5 on their home court. Golden State is 9-12 against opponents over .500.

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The Hawks have gone 12-10 away from home. Atlanta ranks second in the league scoring 17.6 fast break points per game. Nickeil Alexander-Walker leads the Hawks averaging 3.9.

The Warriors average 15.9 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.8 more made shots on average than the 13.1 per game the Hawks give up. The Hawks average 14.5 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.4 more made shots on average than the 12.1 per game the Warriors allow.

TOP PERFORMERS: Jimmy Butler III is averaging 19.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.9 assists for the Warriors. Stephen Curry is averaging 25.7 points and 5.1 assists over the past 10 games.

Onyeka Okongwu is averaging 16.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists for the Hawks. Jalen Johnson is averaging 21.1 points over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Warriors: 7-3, averaging 120.1 points, 42.5 rebounds, 30.4 assists, 8.9 steals and 4.6 blocks per game while shooting 47.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 115.0 points per game.

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Hawks: 4-6, averaging 116.9 points, 42.4 rebounds, 31.9 assists, 10.1 steals and 4.2 blocks per game while shooting 47.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 116.0 points.

INJURIES: Warriors: Seth Curry: out (thigh).

Hawks: Kristaps Porzingis: out (achilles), Zaccharie Risacher: out (knee), CJ McCollum: out (quad), N’Faly Dante: out for season (knee), Corey Kispert: out (hamstring).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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Atlanta, GA

Flood watch expands into metro Atlanta ahead of severe storm threat

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Flood watch expands into metro Atlanta ahead of severe storm threat


A powerful weather front is moving into metro Atlanta, prompting officials to expand flood watches as “wave-after-wave” of heavy rain threatens to saturate the region through Saturday.

The FOX 5 Storm Team warn that storm totals could reach four inches in some areas, with isolated spots in North Georgia potentially seeing up to six inches.

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Flood Watch in northwest Georgia

What we know:

A Flood Watch is currently in effect through Saturday evening for a large portion of North Georgia. The region is bracing for widespread rainfall totals of 2 to 4 inches. Some areas could see locally higher amounts reaching up to 6 inches before a cold front moves through Saturday afternoon to end the threat.

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“The rain train is wide open and here it comes,” said FOX 5 Storm Team chief meteorologist David Chandley. “We got waves of rain tonight and storms. They’re going to be with us tonight and right on through Saturday.”

In the northwest, the watch includes Bartow, Catoosa, Chattooga, Cherokee, Cobb, Dade, Dawson, Fannin, Floyd, Gilmer, Gordon, Haralson, Lumpkin, Murray, Paulding, Pickens, Polk, Towns, Union, Walker, White, and Whitfield counties.

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KEEP UP WITH THE LATEST BY DOWNLOADING THE FREE FOX 5 STORM TEAM APP AND FOLLOWING @FOX5STORMTEAM ON X

Flooding risk, high winds

Local perspective:

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Thunderstorms expected overnight and into early Saturday morning are a primary concern. 

The primary concern for North Georgia remains damaging winds and heavy rainfall that could lead to flash flooding. While the threat of severe weather is lower Friday night, the FOX 5 Storm Team expects conditions to change as the front arrives Saturday morning.

“Flooding [is] possible in Northwest Georgia with that severe threat,” Chandley said. “I expect we may see some of those [flash flood warnings] across North Georgia late tonight and early tomorrow because that ground is going to be saturated.”

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A Level 1 “marginal risk” for severe storms has been issued for most of the area, though regions near Columbus face a slightly higher “slight risk.” Forecasters noted that while the atmosphere currently lacks the instability for massive thunderstorms, a “brief, spin-up tornado” cannot be ruled out on Saturday.

What’s next:

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Sunday: Windy and much colder, with highs struggling to reach the 40s and 50s.

Monday: Temperatures are expected to plummet into the 20s by Monday morning.

The Source: This article contains an original forecast by the FOX 5 Storm Team.

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Atlanta, GA

Serious crashes block Atlanta’s Downtown Connector, Lawrenceville Highway early Friday

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Serious crashes block Atlanta’s Downtown Connector, Lawrenceville Highway early Friday


A major crash involving eight vehicles shut down all southbound lanes of the Downtown Connector early Friday morning, causing significant traffic delays near University Avenue.

What we know:

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The crash was reported on Interstate 75/Interstate 85 just before University Avenue, with injuries confirmed at the scene. Traffic was being diverted off the connector at Interstate 20, Exit 247, while the entrance ramp from I-20 to the connector southbound was also closed. Drivers were advised to use Exit 56A to McDaniel Street or alternate routes including Metropolitan Parkway or Interstate 285. The scene was cleared and lanes began reopening around 6:30 a.m. FOX 5 Atlanta is waiting for a final report on what happened. 

A separate serious injury crash was also reported in DeKalb County on Lawrenceville Highway westbound between Montreal Road and Interstate 285. All lanes were blocked, and authorities said the incident involved a pedestrian struck by a vehicle. Both investigations were ongoing. The scene was cleared and lanes reopened around 6:45 a.m., according to Georgia Department of Transportation. 

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