For the first time since our April 24 edition, the Yankees are not in the top 5 of this week’s Power Rankings — and that opened up a spot for another storied franchise.
The Cardinals, for the first time since those same April rankings, jumped into the No. 5 spot with their recent surge to take control of the NL Central. But those two clubs are far from the only movers in this week’s Power Rankings.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the full list below.
Biggest jump: Although there was plenty of movement up and down the rankings, no team jumped more than two spots. The Rays went from No. 8 to No. 6 as they continued their late push in the AL East, while a pair of fellow AL Wild Card contenders — the Mariners (No. 10 to No. 8) and Blue Jays (No. 11 to No. 9) — also moved up two spots apiece. The Angels, despite being out of postseason contention, went from No. 23 to No. 21 after going 3-3 against the AL’s two best two teams (the Yankees and Astros) on the heels of sweeping the Blue Jays in Toronto.
Biggest drop: Although the Phillies still hold the final NL Wild Card spot, they dropped four spots from No. 7 to No. 11 after a rough West Coast trip. They started their six-game road trip by losing a pair of games to the D-backs — by a combined score of 25-10, no less — before routing Arizona, 18-2, in the series finale. That rout didn’t carry over into San Francisco, however, as the Phillies were swept by the Giants and outscored 23-8 in the process. Philadelphia is 1-6 over its past seven games, all of which came against sub-.500 teams, but it has a chance to right the ship with nine straight against the Marlins and Nationals.
1) Dodgers (92-42, last week: 1)
Although the Dodgers started last week by dropping two of three to the Mets, they bounced back to take two of three from the Padres — and still hold a 5 1/2-game lead over the Astros for the best record in the Majors. Even with Walker Buehler out for the season and Tony Gonsolin (2.10 ERA) on the 15-day IL, Los Angeles still has some pretty decent rotation options in Kershaw (2.59 ERA), Tyler Anderson (2.68), Julio Urías (2.29) and Andrew Heaney (2.94).
2) Astros (87-48, last week: 3)
Lance McCullers Jr. continues to pitch well since making his season debut on Aug. 13, posting a 2.08 ERA through four starts. He could provide a significant boost to a starting rotation that leads the AL in ERA. Justin Verlander is on track to return by the end of the month. Toss in a bullpen that leads the Majors in ERA, and the Astros — who are cruising toward home-field advantage in the AL — have a pitching staff that can carry them deep into the postseason.
3) Braves (84-51, last week: 4)
The Braves head into a West Coast swing this week having pulled to within one game of the NL East-leading Mets. Atlanta closed out last week by winning five straight against Colorado and Miami, all while outscoring them 23-5. Austin Riley is only one homer behind Kyle Schwarber in the NL home run chase, while Max Fried (2.48 ERA, fourth in NL) is making a push for the NL Cy Young Award and Kyle Wright (17-5, 2.85 ERA) leads the Majors in wins.
4) Mets (85-50, last week: 2)
The Mets’ week started with such promise. They took two of three from the MLB-best Dodgers, including another brilliant outing from Jacob deGrom that was capped off with Edwin Díaz locking down the win after an electric entrance that featured a live performance from Timmy Trumpet. Some of that momentum was lost, however, when the Mets followed it up by dropping two of three to the last-place Nationals. Max Scherzer exited Saturday’s start early with left side fatigue, but he’s confident it won’t be an issue moving forward.
5) Cardinals (79-56, last week: 6)
Only the Dodgers have posted a better mark than the Cardinals since the All-Star break. Even with Monday’s loss, St. Louis is 29-12 in the second half, including 17-5 in its last 22 games. Paul Goldschmidt remains a heavy favorite to win the NL MVP Award — and his closest competition is likely teammate Nolan Arenado.
The rest of the field of 30:
Voters: Alyson Footer, Anthony Castrovince, Paul Casella, Mark Feinsand, Nathalie Alonso, Mike Petriello, Sarah Langs, Andrew Simon, David Venn, Brett Blueweiss
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