The Phillies are back atop the NL East and the Braves are lurking in the Wild Card race with a chance to make another move this week.
1. Detroit Tigers (49-30) | Last week: 1
Detroit dropped their weekend series to a hot Tampa Bay squad, but they still have the best record in baseball—ranking No. 6 in runs scored and No. 10 in runs allowed this year. The team will need top reliever Tyler Holton (6.75 ERA in June) to find a way to get back on track soon, though.
2. Los Angeles Dodgers (48-31) | Last week: 2
Shohei Ohtani might have only pitched one inning again yesterday in his second start of the year, but all he did as a batter was hit a home run and a bases-clearing triple for a five-RBI game. It’ll be interesting to monitor the usage on the mound leading up to October.
3. Philadelphia Phillies (47-31) | Last week: 6 (+3)
Philadelphia seemed in danger of having their season go off the rails earlier this month, but they’ve erased a 5.0-game deficit in the NL East to retake the division lead with a series win over the Mets that had three nationally televised games. The bullpen remains a concern, but the Phillies have been rolling again without Bryce Harper, Aaron Nola, and Jose Alvarado.
4. Chicago Cubs (46-31) | Last week: 4
Chicago has allowed run totals of eight, nine, seven, and 14 during a 1-3 stretch, but the offense has continued to do their part—including multi-homer games from Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki over the weekend. Milwaukee and St. Louis have kept pace in the division, and the Cubs will notably have two series versus the Cardinals through July 4 weekend.
5. New York Yankees (45-32) | Last week: 5
A six-game losing streak could have pushed the Yankees out of the top five, but they get the benefit of the doubt by winning three-of-four games since. Also, the return of Giancarlo Stanton has added another threat to the heart of the lineup, and the power numbers will be there before long.
6. New York Mets (46-32) | Last week: 3 (-3)
The Mets at least salvaged the weekend with a win on Saturday that snapped a seven-game losing streak, but they were swept by the Braves and lost their division lead to the Phillies over the past week. Staying cold for another matchup versus Atlanta beginning tonight—possibly creating more of an opening for the Braves in the NL—is the last thing New York wants.
7. Houston Astros (45-33) | Last week: 8 (+1)
Houston has continued to surge since a slow start, and this week will be a great measuring stick with the Phillies and Cubs coming to town. Jon Singleton being signed to a minor league deal was an intriguing move to perhaps provide some pop for the Astros off the bench after he hit 13 home runs for them in 2024.
8. San Francisco Giants (44-34) | Last week: 7 (-1)
Rafael Devers quickly provided dividends with his first long ball as a Giant coming versus his former team, and things set up very nicely for San Francisco with the Marlins and White Sox next on the schedule. However, Los Angeles created a bigger cushion in the NL West, and the NL Wild Card race is tightening.
9. Tampa Bay Rays (43-35) | Last week: 10 (+1)
The Rays were within 1.5 games of the Yankees heading into Sunday action before a loss combined with a New York win to conclude the weekend, but Tampa Bay appears to be a real threat. All this while talks of a team sale have advanced with Jacksonville-based real estate developer Patrick Zalupski.
10. Milwaukee Brewers (43-35) | Last week: 12 (+2)
Milwaukee’s bats have been white hot with 43 runs over the past four games, but the pitching matchup on Wednesday between Jacob Misiorowski and Paul Skenes as two of the top young arms in the sport will headline the week. No one would blame fans for taking a half day at work with first pitch at 2:10 PM ET.
11. San Diego Padres (42-35) | Last week: 9 (-2)
12. St. Louis Cardinals (42-36) | Last week: 13 (+1)
13. Toronto Blue Jays (41-36) | Last week: 11 (-2)
14. Seattle Mariners (39-37) | Last week: 14
15. Cincinnati Reds (40-38) | Last week: 15
16. Cleveland Guardians (39-37) | Last week: 20 (+4)
17. Arizona Diamondbacks (39-38) | Last week: 16 (-1)
18. Boston Red Sox (40-39) | Last week: 19 (+1)
19. Texas Rangers (38-40) | Last week: 17 (-2)
20. Atlanta Braves (35-41) | Last week: 23 (+3)
21. Kansas City Royals (38-40) | Last week: 21
22. Los Angeles Angels (37-40) | Last week: 22
23. Minnesota Twins (37-40) | Last week: 18 (-5)
24. Baltimore Orioles (33-44) | Last week: 24
25. Washington Nationals (32-46) | Last week: 25
26. Miami Marlins (31-45) | Last week: 26
27. Oakland Athletics (32-48) | Last week: 28 (+1)
28. Pittsburgh Pirates (31-48) | Last week: 27 (-1)
29. Chicago White Sox (25-53) | Last week 29
30. Colorado Rockies (18-60) | Last week: 30