Sincerest apologies about not posting the power rankings for the last couple of weeks, but I’ve been a little sidetracked.
But, I’m back at it this week, though instead of the 1-30 through as I did previously, I’ve condensed it to a top 10.
1. New York Yankees (74-44)
It’s Christmas in August for Yankees fans – their team’s fully in control of the AL East and has the best record in baseball, and the Red Sox aren’t even in the wild card lead.
2. Los Angeles Angels (70-45)
The Angels finally have some breathing room in the AL West, with a 4 ½ game lead over the Rangers.
3. Los Angeles Dodgers (70-48)
The Dodgers continue to maintain a comfortable lead in the NL West, but they continue to let the Rockies (and the Giants, if they can hit) remain within striking distance.
4. St. Louis Cardinals (67-52)
The Cardinals have finally gained a sizable cushion in the NL Central, as they extended a two-game lead over the Cubs into a five-game one. They’ve got a chance to pull closer to the Dodgers for the NL’s best record with a series in L.A. this week.
5. Philadelphia Phillies (66-49)
How do you rebound from getting swept by a division rival? Go on the road and win five of six against two teams contending for the postseason.
6. Texas Rangers (66-50)
The Rangers have the AL wild card lead now, but how long will they be able to keep it? After a four-game series against the Twins, they have road series against the Rays, Yankees, and Twins. Get through those series with the lead still in hand, and their slate gets a lot less formidable from there until the last week of the season, when their final seven games come on the road against the Angels and Mariners.
7. Boston Red Sox (66-51)
The Red Sox have lost 13 of 18 on the road in the second half, and if they’re going to make the postseason, they’re going to have to do much better on the road, starting this week at Toronto.
8. Colorado Rockies (65-53)
The Rockies face a real fight to be able to hold on to the NL wild card lead, with the Marlins, Giants, Braves, and Cubs within striking distance, and we’ll get to see just what kind of hold they have on that lead over the next few weeks, with two series against the Giants, one against the Dodgers, and a tough roadie this week against the suddenly not-so-bad Nationals.
9. Florida Marlins (63-55)
The Marlins have now won eight of their last 10 games to pull within two of Colorado in the NL wild card standings, and during that time, they’ve averaged 7.2 runs per game.
10. Detroit Tigers (62-55)
The Tigers continue to stay atop the AL Central, but if they want to stay there, their bats are really going to have to pick it up. They were 5-10 in Saturday’s 10-3 win over the Royals, but in their other six games last week, they had that same amount of hits…in 47 at-bats.
