Here are my latest MLB power rankings.
1. Philadelphia Phillies (90-59, No. 1 last week): If the top three in the rotation — Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola and Ranger Suárez — do their thing, it’s hard to see any other team keeping up. The Padres may be only team capable of matching up.
2. San Diego Padres (85-65, No. 3): I’ve long been a staunch critic of GM A.J. Preller, but I have to admit the Padres have been playing great ball for a while and are quite capable of winning it all.
3. New York Yankees (87-63, No. 5): The fly in the ointment on the way to an AL East title could be an ill-timed six-game West Coast trip — three in Seattle and three of the last games to be played in Oakland.
4. Milwaukee Brewers (86-63, No. 6): Playoff intensity comes to Milwaukee this week. The home team hosts Philadelphia for three and Arizona for four. The Brewers have shown they can hold their own against anyone.
5. Los Angeles Dodgers (88-61, No. 2): With only two weeks remaining, the Dodgers will probably hold off San Diego for the NL West crown, especially considering they have three games against Miami and six against Colorado on the way. While the Dodgers’ offense seems unbeatable, a smoke-and-mirrors regular-season rotation tends to get all fogged up in the postseason.
6. Cleveland Guardians (86-64, No. 7): First-time skipper Stephen Vogt has done a masterful job with his team. There is no secret to their success. No team can shorten the game like the Guardians can with Cade Smith, Hunter Gaddis and Emmanuel Clase. We’ll see if they can play from ahead in the playoffs.
7. Baltimore Orioles (84-66, No. 4): The Orioles have gone from being the AL’s best team to needing an unlikely Rangers-type run from a year ago.
8. Houston Astros (81-68, No. 8): First-year skipper Joe Espada has been quietly as good as anyone at guiding his team through really rough seas. He may just have the AL’s best team as we near the playoffs.
9. Kansas City Royals (82-68, No. 9): The Royals are just two games back of the Orioles for the No. 1 wild-card spot. Both teams play same opponents at home (Detroit and San Francisco) this week. To be honest, the Royals seem to have more momentum.
10. Atlanta Braves (81-68, No. 10): Considering they lost Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuña Jr. for the season early on, the Braves have exceeded what could have reasonably been expected. They’re currently tied with the Mets for the final wild-card spot in the NL.
11. New York Mets (81-68, No. 12)
12. Arizona Diamondbacks (82-66, No. 11)
13. Minnesota Twins (79-70, No. 14)
14. Seattle Mariners (77-73, No. 15)
15. Detroit Tigers (77-73, No. 17)
16. Chicago Cubs (76-73, No. 13)
17. Boston Red Sox (75-75, No. 18)
18. St. Louis Cardinals (74-75, No. 16)
19. Cincinnati Reds (73-78, No. 23)
20. Texas Rangers (71-79, No. 20)
21. Tampa Bay Rays (73-77, No. 19)
22. Toronto Blue Jays (72-78, No. 22)
23. San Francisco Giants (72-78, No. 21)
24. Pittsburgh Pirates (71-78, No. 24)
25. Washington Nationals (68-81, No. 25)
26. Oakland Athletics (68-85, No. 26)
27. Los Angeles Angels (60-89, No. 27)
28. Colorado Rockies (57-93, No. 29)
29. Miami Marlins (55-95, No. 28)
30. Chicago White Sox (35-115, No. 30)