(9/12) Power Rankings: Teams that Matter
Back again for this week’s power rankings of the teams that matter. We had a couple shakeups, a team re-entering the fray, and a team dropping out. This weekend is a huge weekend for the power rankings, as we have a Red Sox/Yankees series, a Mets/Rangers series, and a Giants/Dodgers series. I consider this the calm before the storm of next week’s power rankings.
So long to the Rays. It was fun while it lasted (kinda). Losing 3 out of 4 to the Guardians will do that to you.
As a reminder, here are last week’s rankings:
Brewers
Blue Jays
Phillies
Dodgers
Cubs
Tigers
Yankees
Mets
Red Sox
Astros
Padres
Mariners
Giants
Rangers
Rays
Here we go:
Milwaukee Brewers - 89-58 (.605), 4-6, L3; No change
The Brewers went 3-3 on their road trip. They swept the Pirates, but got handled by the red hot Rangers. Michael Helman or Michael McGwire? There was no difference to the Brewers’ pitching staff. They remain in the top spot as they are coasting to season’s end, getting guys healthy and playing just well enough to stay at the top.
2. Philadelphia Phillies - 87-60 (.592), 8-2; W4; up 1 spot
The Phillies are very close, once again, to taking the top spot. Coming off a 4-game sweep of the Mets at home, with a convincing 11-game lead in the division, the Phillies, much like the Brewers, can coast their way (hopefully) to a top-2 seed and a bye in the playoffs.
3. Detroit Tigers - 84-63 (.571), 5-5, L1; up 3 spots
The Tigers proved they were deserving of leapfrogging the Blue Jays by dominating the Yankees on the road. They were relentless the first two games and resorted to a bullpen game on Thursday to close out the series with a loss. They are the 2-seed in the AL now, but they look to have both the division, and a top-2 seed locked up.
4. Toronto Blue Jays - 84-62 (.575), 6-4, W1; down 2 spots
The Blue Jays dropping two spots isn’t necessarily their fault. The Phillies and Tigers both proved to be deserving of a higher spot through the last 2 series. The Blue Jays did lose the series to the Yankees, but took 2 out of 3 from a (for now) division leader in the Astros. Kevin Gausman should start Game 1 of the Divisional Round as they look locked into a top-2 seed, as long as they don’t enter into a nosedive.
5. Chicago Cubs - 83-63 (.568), 5-5, W2; No change
The Cubs look to be content with the 4-seed and hosting a wild card series. They're 5.5 out of the division, but 3.5 up on the Padres for the top wild card spot. They host the Rays for a 3-game series this weekend, who have been hot and cold all year. This seems like a Cubs series win.
6. Los Angeles Dodgers - 82-64 (.562), 5-5, W4; down 2 spots
Yes, they have won 4 in a row. But that Orioles series was really gross. I’m trying not to fall for the “this superteam is actually bad” narrative, because I feel like we’ll look up a month from now and they’ll be in the NLCS and we’ll think “that’s right, they have 10 starting pitchers they can throw at anyone”. But they do have some weird energy going on and they need to get healthy for the playoffs.
7. New York Yankees - 81-65 (.555), 5-5, W1; No change
They got 2 out of 3 from the Blue Jays, but only 1 out of 3 from the Tigers at home. I think both were a good showing of who the Yankees are. When they’re mashing, they’re unstoppable. But if you put pressure on their bullpen and situational defense, they will fold. The Tigers did just that and it looked BAD. Another huge weekend series with the Red Sox will determine where they stand.
8. Boston Red Sox - 81-66 (.551), 6-4, L1; up 1 spot
The Red Sox have to win this series against the Yankees. They’ve been neck and neck for the past two months now, but they need to continue their success against their NY rivals. The Sox took care of the A’s, but they have some serious pitching concerns. Crochet, Giolito, and Bello have to anchor that rotation, as they are relying on rookies/young arms to fill the rest of the spots (Tolle, Early, Harrison). They also need Roman Anthony’s oblique to heal in record time.
9. Seattle Mariners - 79-68 (.537), 6-4, W6; up 3 spots
They’ve won 6 in a row and are finally catching fire again. They just tied the Astros for the AL West division lead, but they have to be careful with the Rangers surging behind them. They have a good opportunity to create some space with 3 more games left against the Angels this weekend.
10. San Diego Padres - 80-67 (.544), 4-6, W1; up 1 spot
I’m not sure the Padres deserved to move up a spot after losing 3 in a row and then beating the Rockies, but it was more-so the freefall of both the Astros and the Mets that bumped them up. They keep playing hot potato with the Dodgers for the division lead but with LA having the tiebreaker, the lead is bigger than it appears. The Padres are limping into the playoffs, but only a major disaster could cause them to fully miss them.
11. Houston Astros - 79-68 (.537), 4-6, L1; down 1 spot
The Astros look ugly. The pitching staff is decimated by injuries and the offense is so cold, I’m not sure when things will turn around. They lost 2 out of 3 to the Rangers, allowing them to get back in it, and 2 of 3 to the Blue Jays, showing where the power lies within the American League. They need to win the series against the Braves this weekend, as they’ve lost full control of the division lead and have the Rangers breathing down their neck. Oh yeah, and the Rangers come to town early next week.
12. New York Mets - 76-71 (.517), 3-7, L6; down 4 spots
If the Astros’ vibes are bad, then the Mets’ vibes are horrendous. They got man-handled by the Phillies and are in danger of falling out of the playoffs with both the Giants and the Reds creeping up. They have 3 rookies trying to anchor their rotation, with their bullpen melting down every other game. The red hot Rangers are coming to Queens for a 3-game series this weekend and at this point, things don’t look positive for the Mets.
13. Texas Rangers - 77-70 (.524), 7-3, W4; up 1 spot
Coming off a sweep of baseball’s #1 team, I’d say things in Texas are going well. After they looked dead dead, they have somehow ripped off a month-plus of really strong baseball. Their offense is humming, their defense is the best in baseball, and their pitching staff (even without Eovaldi) is shutting things down. They head to New York to face the spiraling Mets and then go to Houston to face the equally-spiraling Astros. They have a golden opportunity to prove they belong.
14. San Francisco Giants - 74-72 (.507), 7-3, L1; down 1 spot
It was a literal coin flip between the Giants and the Reds for 14/15. I think the Reds hold the tiebreaker over them, so maybe I should have them swapped around, but it’s too late now who cares. The Giants have a huge series at home against the Dodgers this weekend. They need to continue their winning ways while the Mets continue to fall as they sit 1.5 games back.
15. Cincinnati Reds - 74-72 (.507), 6-4, W2; New to rankings
The same story goes for the Reds as the Giants. They sit 1.5 games back of the Mets and have a golden opportunity to take advantage of it as they head to Sacramento to face the Athletics. The A’s aren’t exactly a walk in the park, but I think between the Mets (vs. Rangers) and the Giants (vs. Dodgers), the Reds have the most favorable matchup this weekend.
How will these teams fare after the gauntlet that is this weekend and next week’s early series? Any teams I missed or should be rearranged? Let me know on X, Bluesky, Reddit, Instagram, Substack, etc…
