The Dodgers are making a case for the top spot and the Yankees take the lead in the AL East in our updated MLB power rankings.
1. Philadelphia Phillies (76-54) | Last week: 1
Alarm bells began going off again for the Phillies when they dropped two of three games to the Braves, but a series win versus the contending Royals on the road has them back on track. J.T. Realmuto (seven RBI on Saturday) getting hot is big for Philadelphia.
2. Los Angeles Dodgers (78-53) | Last week: 4 (+2)
The Dodgers went 5-1 in a week that included a sweep over the Mariners (resulting in manager Scott Servais being fired), and they now have the best record in baseball. Still, Philly keeps the edge at No. 1 because of LA’s head-to-head struggles against them.
3. New York Yankees (77-54) | Last week: 3
New York and Baltimore have seemingly been locked atop the AL East for weeks, but the Yankees have created slight separation (1.5 games) as the light schedule mentioned last week continues. Aaron Judge has homered seven times over the past six games and has been so good that his history of postseason struggles might not at all be a factor in October.
4. Baltimore Orioles (76-56) | Last week: 2 (-2)
The Orioles have been hovering around .500 this month, but perhaps they can pull a page out of Philadelphia’s book by coming to play versus the Dodgers in a possible World Series preview this week. If so, a switch needs to be flipped considering the offensive struggles in recent games.
5. Milwaukee Brewers (75-55) | Last week: 5
Even after losing a series to the rival Cardinals last week, Milwaukee sits comfortably atop the NL Central with the largest division lead in baseball (10.0 games). The Brew Crew won’t face a squad that currently has a winning record until a tough stretch in the middle of September (@ ARI, v PHI, v ARI).
6. Cleveland Guardians (75-55) | Last week: 6
A six-run outburst in the 12th inning allowed Cleveland to take the first game of their series versus the Yankees last Tuesday night, but the bats were immediately cooled with five hits in the following two games to drop the series. Also, Minnesota and Kansas City remain within striking distance in the AL Central.
7. Arizona Diamondbacks (75-56) | Last week: 9 (+2)
The Diamondbacks one-upped the Dodgers by going 6-0 last week, and they could easily be ranked in the top five as the defending NL champions and a scary out in October. Baseball fans should be locked into the four-game showdown versus Los Angeles starting on Friday.
8. San Diego Padres (74-58) | Last week: 8
San Diego had a solid week by taking a series versus the Twins and splitting with the Mets in four games—and they’ll probably be pulling for Arizona to close the gap in the NL West later this week. The impending return of Yu Darvish (on the restricted list since July 6 for a personal matter) could make things very interesting down the stretch.
9. Minnesota Twins (72-58) | Last week: 7 (-2)
The Twins flip with the Diamondbacks for the second week in a row, but again, the gap in the AL Central remains small with them and the Royals just 3.0 games back from Cleveland. Former All-Star Pablo López not allowing a run in either of his last two starts is a good sign for him in what has been a disappointing season.
10. Kansas City Royals (72-58) | Last week: 10
Kansas City begins a four-game series in Cleveland this afternoon, so getting at least a split would be huge—especially with the Guardians having the best home record in the majors (40-21). Hopefully allowing 11 runs in back-to-back losses to the Phillies doesn’t halt momentum for the Royals at an inopportune time.
11. Atlanta Braves (70-60) | Last week: 12 (+1)
12. Houston Astros (70-60) | Last week: 11 (-1)
13. New York Mets (68-63) | Last week: 15 (+2)
14. Boston Red Sox (67-62) | Last week: 13 (-1)
15. Seattle Mariners (66-65) | Last week: 14 (-1)
16. San Francisco Giants (66-66) | Last week: 16
17. Tampa Bay Rays (65-65) | Last week: 17
18. St. Louis Cardinals (65-65) | Last week: 18
19. Chicago Cubs (65-66) | Last week: 19
20. Detroit Tigers (65-66) | Last week: 21 (+1)
21. Cincinnati Reds (63-68) | Last week: 20 (-1)
22. Pittsburgh Pirates (62-68) | Last week: 22
23. Toronto Blue Jays (63-68) | Last week: 24 (+1)
24. Texas Rangers (60-71) | Last week: 23 (-1)
25. Washington Nationals (59-72) | Last week: 25
26. Oakland Athletics (56-75) | Last week: 26
27. Los Angeles Angels (54-77) | Last week: 27
28. Colorado Rockies (48-83) | Last week: 28
29. Miami Marlins (47-83) | Last week: 29
30. Chicago White Sox (31-100) | Last week: 30