We’re edging towards the final month of baseball’s regular season, and though a few division title races are starting to look done and dusted, a couple of divisions are still very much up for grabs, and so are the wild card spots in both the American League and National League.
There are some changes from last week’s power rankings, but it remains the same at the top, where the Yankees, Angels, and Dodgers hold steady at 1, 2, and 3. However, the Dodgers’ lofty place is under threat, as the Phillies are inching ever closer to the Dodgers for the best record in the NL, and the Rockies are making things very, very interesting in the NL West.
1. New York Yankees (78-46) (1)
The Red Sox still lead the season series 9-6, but the Yankees have officially sucked all of the relevance out of that 0-8 start against Boston with their four-game sweep at Yankee Stadium two weeks ago and last weekend’s series win at Fenway.
2. Los Angeles Angels (74-48) (2)
Though I don’t see the Angels relinquishing their now-comfortable lead in the AL West, I’m still not fully sold on their chances to go deep in the postseason. The pitching remains a question mark (an immensely talented one, for what it’s worth), and if it continues to be on into October, the Angels could be in trouble when they face pitchers capable of shutting their bats down.
3. Los Angeles Dodgers (74-51) (3)
All of a sudden, that big lead that the Dodgers once had in the NL West is down to 3.5 games over Colorado, and with a three-game set at Coors Field this week, things could get even tighter. It’d be strange to see anyone else top the NL West, but with more than a month to go and the Dodgers having more road games (21) than home games (16), there’s a good chance it could happen.
4. Philadelphia Phillies (71-50) (5)
It’s not like the Phillies need Lady Luck to be on their side when they’ve got the talent that they do, but you know the going’s good when you’re on the right end of a game-ending unassisted triple play.
5. St. Louis Cardinals (72-54) (4)
The Phillies’ rotation may be getting the most attention, but the Cardinals’ top three of Chris Carpenter (14-3, 2.16 ERA), Adam Wainwright (14-7, 2.61 ERA), and Joel Pineiro (12-9, 3.15 ERA) ain’t too shabby in the least. That trio has helped the Cardinals pull away in the NL Central, and you’ve got to fancy their chances to make some noise in the postseason if those three can keep it up.
6. Colorado Rockies (70-54) (8)
From once being 15.5 games back of the Dodgers to having a chance to overtake them within the next few weeks? While the wild card’s nice, winning the NL West would be even better, and with a pretty favorable schedule, I see the Rockies having a chance to nail down the NL West in the Dodgers’ house in the final weekend of the season.
7. Boston Red Sox (70-53) (7)
It’s a good thing for Junichi Tazawa that he pitched as well as he did against the Yankees on Saturday (6 IP, eight hits, no runs), but it’s not a good thing for the Red Sox that the other two starters both allowed eight runs in their outings in the series. Thank goodness Tim Wakefield is set to return this week.
8. Texas Rangers (69-54) (6)
Texas hurt themselves last week by squandering leads twice at home against the Twins and dropping two of three at Tampa Bay, but thanks to the Red Sox’ series loss against the Yankees, the damage was relatively light.
9. Tampa Bay Rays (67-56) (NR)
The Rays have won seven of nine to stay within striking distance for the AL wild card, but the next few weeks will be decisive in Tampa Bay’s quest to run down Boston. After their series at Toronto, they go to Detroit for four, come back home to face the Red Sox and Tigers, then go on the road for four at Yankee Stadium and three at Fenway.
10. Atlanta Braves (66-58) (NR)
The Braves bounced back from series-opening losses to the Mets and Marlins to take two series that keep them in the thick of the NL wild card race. Adam LaRoche’s return to Atlanta is going swimmingly (.406, 7 homers, 16 RBI in 20 games in August). Being able to wrestle the wild card away from Colorado might well prove to be too tough of a task in the end, but it won’t be for a lack of trying.
Dropped Out
Florida Marlins (9): The Marlins opened their road series against the Astros and Braves with victories, but they ended each one with two straight losses to end up 2-4 for the week.
Detroit Tigers (10): The Tigers still lead the AL Central, but the longer they don’t pull away from the White Sox, the worse it’s going to feel if the White Sox snatch the division title and a postseason berth away from them in late September. That’s a big, big if, seeing as how the White Sox aren’t exactly setting the world alight, but as long as the Tigers allow them to remain close, it’s a possibility.
