(8/28) Teams that Matter: Mid-Week Power Rankings
Here we are, back again for this week’s edition of “Teams that Matter”, our look at the top half of the league. We lost a team this week to irrelevancy. Pour one out for our friends in Cleveland, as the Guardians, although winners of 2 out of 3 against the Rays, lost their spot in the top 15 after losing 6 straight and going three straight games without scoring a run.
But this is about teams that matter. And boy, was it a rough week for the teams at the top. We’ve got some surging wild card teams and our division leaders are just trying to hang on to the wheel.
Note: This is being written before the weekend series begin at 5:45 central. These rankings will not contain the result of the final game in the CHC vs. SFG series.
As a reminder, here are last week’s rankings:
Brewers
Phillies
Dodgers
Cubs
Tigers
Blue Jays
Padres
Yankees
Red Sox
Mets
Astros
Mariners
Reds
Royals
Guardians
So, let’s get to it:
Milwaukee Brewers - 83-52 (.615), 4-6, L2; No change
Their top spot remains, but it’s looked shaky in Milwaukee recently. They lost 2 of 3 to the Giants over the weekend and split 4 with the Diamondbacks at home (and the two wins looked shaky). Trevor Megill and Grant Anderson went on the IL. Jackson Chourio should be back soon, though. They’re still the only team in baseball with >80 wins, so they remain at the top.
2. Los Angeles Dodgers - 77-57 (.575), 6-4, W4; up 1 spot
I’m sure many had the Dodgers below the Padres after the weekend series, but after the Dodgers took the final game and then went on to sweep the Reds, I had to put them at #2. This team is primed for the postseason and their pitching is back. When Max Muncy is back at third, they will be clicking.
3. Toronto Blue Jays - 78-56 (.582), 5-5, W1; up 3 spots
If Jeff Hoffman doesn’t blow the save in Game 2 against the Twins, we’re looking at a Blue Jays team that’s won 6 of 8 heading into a weekend series with the Brewers. But their bullpen weakness is showing through a bit. They still have one of the best bat-to-ball lineups in baseball and Shane Bieber’s arrival only adds to their playoff legitimacy.
4. Detroit Tigers - 78-57 (.578), 5-5, L4; up 1 spot
I was ready to put them in the 2 slot after they took the weekend series against the Royals, but they got manhandled by the A’s in Sacramento (who are winning at like a .670 clip in their last 30+ games?). They’ve got to figure out their rotation. They have another weekend matchup against the Royals to establish their dominance.
5. Philadelphia Phillies - 76-57 (.571), 6-4, L3; down 3 spots
I don’t want to sound the panic alarm, but they got bundled in New York against the Mets. They have a bullpen problem and it’s not the right time to get hit with that. Sanchez, Luzardo, Romano, Duran, and Walker all got hit around. They have a get-right series this weekend against the Braves, but divisional series can always get dicey.
6. Chicago Cubs - 76-57 (.571), 6-4, L2; down 2 spots
They swept the Angels and Kyle Tucker is back. That’s the positive. However, they’re on the verge of getting swept in San Francisco. Matthew Boyd and Colin Rea got banged around by the Giants’ offense, which has not lived up to standards this year. When the Cubs are clicking, they are a scary team (I say that all the time). But this is baseball, and when this team is out of whack, it gets ugly. They do have an easier schedule the rest of the way and head to Colorado to face the worst team in baseball this weekend.
7. San Diego Padres - 75-59 (.560), 6-4, L1; No change
I want to believe in this team. Everything on paper looks like they should be at the top of these rankings. The lineup, the rotation, the bullpen, it all looks incredible. But they just lost 2 of 3 to the Mariners in Seattle, and Yu Darvish looked off again. David Morgan had a rare bad outing. Jason Adam gave up a home run in relief of Dylan Cease, who also looked off, and Manny Machado went 2-14 in the series. The bullpen can only do so much when your starters give up 4 ERs in 4 innings. Hopefully they can sweep the Twins in a much-needed get-right series.
8. Boston Red Sox - 75-60 (.556), 7-3, W4; up 1 spot
Boston must be a fun place to be right now. They took 3 out of 4 from the Yankees in New York, and followed it up with a 4-game sweep of the Orioles in Baltimore. The only downside is the Yankees keep winning so the Sox can’t gain more breathing room in the wild card seeding. Crochet, Giolito, and Bello are all firing, and Aroldis Chapman has been unhittable. They’ve had clutch hitting late in games and they should be getting Wilyer Abreu back soon. They head back home to host the Pirates over the weekend.
9. New York Mets - 72-61 (.541), 7-3, W3; up 1 spot
I wish I could reward them more for their sweep of the Phillies at home. Nolan McLean has been a revelation in his first 3 career starts and the Mets have called up Jonah Tong to start Friday in Game 2 of the 4-game series at home against the Marlins. Mark Vientos is back to 2024 playoff form and guys like Jeff McNeil and Brandon Nimmo are starting to show up again. If the young guys can anchor the rotation, Queens might just be back in business.
10. New York Yankees - 73-60 (.549), 7-3, W4; down 2 spots
Teams like the Yankees are what make power rankings so tough. They just swept the Nationals and have a 4-game series against the White Sox this weekend. Giancarlo Stanton is one of the best hitters in baseball right now, so the Yankees should be higher than 10. But I watched that series against the Red Sox and the Yankees have such bad lapses in judgement in the field and on the basepaths that they can’t just out-slug everyone to a World Series title. After the White Sox, they have the Astros, Blue Jays, Tigers, and Red Sox. That’s a playoff gauntlet right there.
11. Houston Astros - 74-60 (.552), 5-5, W2; No change
They just wrapped up taking 2 out of 3 from the Rockies at home. Yordan Alvarez is back and helps balance out their RH-dominant lineup. The bullpen has been holding it down, even without Hader, and there’s talk that Hader and Paredes could be back for a playoff run. In order to get higher in the rankings, they’ve got to start putting some distance between themselves and the rest of the wild card teams.
12. Seattle Mariners - 72-62 (.537), 4-6, W1; No change
Taking 2 out of 3 from the Padres is absolutely a positive. Geno homered in two of those games and Cal, Randy, and Jorge Polanco provided some home run support as well. Luis Castillo does not look good. Bryce Miller got the W on Monday but still gave up 4 ERs. Bryan Woo continued his consistently positive performance and Seattle gets a nice tune-up series against the Guardians this weekend.
13. Kansas City Royals - 69-65 (.515), 6-4, W2; up 1 spot
They showed they can hang with the Tigers in the last game of their series over the weekend, and also showed they can mount a comeback after being tested by the White Sox. Vinnie Pasquantino is one of the hottest hitters in baseball right now, and seems to come up clutch every few games. The Royals are a team that doesn’t exactly move the needle for me, but I’m happy they’re fighting their way into playoff consideration. They host the Tigers for a rematch this weekend. If they can take 2 out of 3, I’ll start paying closer attention.
14. Cincinnati Reds - 68-66 (.507), 4-6, L3; down 1 spot
Unfortunately, the Reds got a band hand this week. It wasn’t a good time to get swept for the first time all season. While they got handed 3 L’s in a row by the Dodgers, the Mets got 3 W’s against a division rival and put 4.5 games of separation in between the two for the last wild card spot. The Reds seem to be headed in a bad direction, but can right the ship with a 3-game series at home vs. the Cardinals.
15. Texas Rangers - 68-67 (.504), 6-4, W2; back in the rankings
They were dead to me. And now they come back as winners of 5 of 6 over the Guardians and the Angels. They put a 20-piece on the Angels Wednesday night after out-scoring the Guards 19-3 in the 3-game sweep. I’m still not in on the Rangers, though. They lost Nate Eovaldi for the rest of the season, and now Corey Seager has to get an appendectomy. Maybe next year, Rangers fans.
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