If the playoffs started today, four of the five teams in the American League East would be in the game.
Let’s assume for now that the Yankees run away with the division, which seems likely given their 13-game lead over the second-placed Red Sox. That leaves Boston, Toronto and Tampa Bay as the three AL Wild Card leaders, with the Guardians just a little behind the Rays.
There are seven teams in the AL with winning records, four of which come from a division.
Keep an eye out for Guardians heading into the All-Star break. All of their games will be against teams behind them in AL Central: two in Detroit, three in Kansas City, four at home against the White Sox and four against the Tigers. The only divisional opponent they don’t face before the break, in fact, is the Twins, in first place.
With all that in mind, let’s take a look at the latest power rankings.
Biggest Leap: The Brewers jumped six spots, from No. 14 to No. 8. In Sunday’s game — which was Milwaukee’s 81st of the season — the Brewers ranked second in the NL with 113 homers, while their pitchers were third in strikeouts (24.9%) and fourth in ERA (3.76).
Biggest drop: The Giants have dropped six spots from No. 9 to No. 15. San Francisco has lost 11 of its last 14 games.
1. Yankees (58-22; 1 last week)
The Yankees outshot their opponents 133-70 (+63), the biggest differential of the Majors. They’re also staying on pace to surpass the Major League single-season win record of 116, held by the 2001 Mariners and 1906 Cubs. The Yankees are on pace with 117 wins.
2. Astros (52-27; 2)
The Astros didn’t just survive their toughest time of the season — they erased it. In nine consecutive games against just the Yankees and Mets — who for much of the season ranked No. 1 and 2 in our power rankings, the Astros have won seven. They have beaten the Mets four times and haven’t trailed at any point in those four games. And now it gets easier – Houston is on a 26-of-28 streak against teams under .500. The Astros started this segment of their schedule with a sweep over the Angels.
3. Dodgers (50-29; 4)
The Dodgers aren’t as dominant as the two teams in front of them, having gone just 16-15 in their last month of games heading into Monday’s opener with the Rockies. But the offense, after scoring a rather pedestrian 4.2 ppg during that streak, got a boost with the return of IL’s Mookie Betts. And, after taking three of the Padres’ four over the weekend, the Dodgers have a slightly easier week ahead of them — three with the Rockies and four with the Cubs.
4. Put (50-30; 3)
The Mets have an opportunity to get away from the No. 2 Braves in the coming weeks before the All-Star break. After their series with the Reds, the Mets will host the Marlins for four before a three-game set with the Braves in Atlanta. Then they leave for Chicago to play four against the Cubs. As of Monday, the Mets had won 24 of 35 games against sub-0.500 teams.
5. Chaplains (47-35; 5)
The Padres also have a schedule on their side as they head into the All-Star break. All of their remaining 13 games will be against teams under .500, including 11 against division rivals (two against Seattle, four against San Francisco, four at Colorado and three against Arizona). San Diego reached midseason with a 47-34 record, which is pretty remarkable considering the Padres have played all year without Fernando Tatis Jr.
The rest of the field of 30
6. Brave (6)
7.Red Sox (8)
8. Brewers (14)
9. Blue jays (7)
10. Cardinals (11)
11. Spokes (13)
12. Twins (12)
13. Guardians (10)
14. Phillies (15)
15. Giants (9)
16. White Sox (18)
17. Sailors (16)
18. Marlins (19)
19. Rangers (17)
20. Angels (20)
21. Orioles (21)
22. D-back (22)
23. Rockies (23)
24. Cubs (26)
25. Pirates (24)
26. Tigers (25)
27. Reds (27)
28. Royals (29)
29. Nationals (28)
30.A (30)
Voters: Alyson Footer, Anthony Castrovince, Paul Casella, Mark Feinsand, Nathalie Alonso, Doug Gausepohl, Mike Petriello, Sarah Langs, Andrew Simon, David Venn, Brett Blueweiss.
