As we hit the stretch drive of the regular season, this isn’t about a couple of great teams. I think we can agree there are as many as 10 teams capable of winning a taffy pull of a postseason, but there are no great teams.
Sure, the Tigers looked like they could be a great team in the early going, but their lack of truly elite position players has been exposed.
The Brewers and Jays have looked like the two most consistent teams in the last several weeks, with the Brewers looking as if they might be a great team. The Jays have been able to play at a high enough level to have staved off an inconsistent and injured Yankees team.
The Mets looked poised at the All-Star break to take part in a tough two-team dance with the Phillies for the National League East, but the Mets have been one of the worst teams in baseball since then.
The Cubs have looked like one of the best teams in baseball at times, but they seem to have been exposed by the Brewers. The Dodgers have had their share of injury issues and then some. But as we get down to crunch time, maybe their starting pitchers will save the day.
The Mariners look great right now, but if you blink, the good play looks like a mirage. Maybe they are for real, after all.
For me as we come down to the last two weeks, the Phillies and the Yankees are starting to look like they have the right stuff to survive October. Not exactly a Subway Series, but it looks possible and fun that we could have an I-95 series.
Here are my latest power rankings:
1. Philadelphia Phillies (89-61, No. 2 last week): I like the character the Phillies have shown, battling through the loss of Zack Wheeler for the season and Trea Turner’s short-term injury. Aaron Nola’s last start was brilliant, which had to provide a lift for the entire team. Deadline pickups Jhoan Duran and Harrison Bader have been exactly what the doctor ordered.
2. Milwaukee Brewers (91-59, No. 1): This isn’t really an indictment of them, but the starting staff has not been as sharp as it was when they catapulted to the No. 1 spot in early August. Jacob Misiorowski’s performance of late is a concern. To make matters worse, José Quintana left his start on Sunday with an injured calf.
3. Toronto Blue Jays (87-62, No. 3): The Jays just had a solid 5-1 week without Bo Bichette. This week’s six-game road trip to Tampa and Kansas City is not easy, but they are showing signs of resiliency. Shane Bieber is really helping out. The Jeff Hoffman gambit seems like it might have imploded on the Jays, leaving them in need of late-inning help.
4. Los Angeles Dodgers (84-65, No. 7): Max Muncy is back, and maybe we are seeing the return of the real Mookie Betts. The starting rotation trio of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow seems to be really kicking it in gear. The bullpen is a real concern, but there are a lot of arms that can man up.
5. Chicago Cubs (85-64, No. 5): President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer and his team made a shrewd pickup in giving up 17-year-old shortstop prospect Wilfri De La Cruz, whom they gave a $2.3 million signing bonus, to obtain veteran reliever Andrew Kittredge. With Daniel Palencia out, Kittredge is paying huge dividends.
6. New York Yankees (85-65, No. 6): This is the perfect week for the Yankees to gain ground on the Jays with six games against Minnesota and Baltimore. All of the games are on the road, but playing two of the weakest teams in baseball at this time of year is heaven sent.
7. Detroit Tigers (86-64, No. 4): The Tigers are just 27-26 since All-Star break. Reigning Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal had to leave his latest start with left side soreness. The results of his MRI came back clean, but the soreness is still there and the club’s focus is on getting him past the soreness.
8. Seattle Mariners (82-68, No. 12): The Mariners have had a 6-0 week and now a 7-0 week since the trade deadline. However, they went just 9-15 in between those stretches. Every time we feel the M’s have it figured out, they can easily take steps backward. But I have to admit this feels a bit different because there’s real length to the lineup. Randy Arozarena, Josh Naylor, Jorge Polanco, Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodríguez and Eugenio Suárez are a tough six to get through. George Kirby, Logan Gilbert and Bryan Woo form a tough top three in the rotation. The Mariners have a three-game series in Houston this weekend that could decide the American League West winner. The second-place club is going to have to find a way to hold onto a wild-card spot with Texas and Cleveland playing very solid ball.
9. Boston Red Sox (82-68, No. 8): The Sox have had 5-1 and 5-2 weeks in the past eight weeks. However, they went 3-3 in the other six weeks. That doesn’t smell like a deep run is about to happen — even if the talent is there for a deep run.
10. Houston Astros (81-69, No. 11): Quite a big week coming up for the Astros, who host the rampaging Rangers for three to begin the week and then the red-hot Mariners for the weekend. We all know about Framber Valdez and Hunter Brown, but Jason Alexander has posted 2.19 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in his last seven starts (41 innings). This week could propel the Astros to a nice postseason run, but if the week goes south they could be on the outside looking in.
11. San Diego Padres (82-68, No. 10)
12. Texas Rangers (79-71, No. 14)
13. Cleveland Guardians (78-71, No. 17)
14. New York Mets (77-73, No. 9)
15. San Francisco Giants (75-74, No. 15)
16. Arizona Diamondbacks (75-75, No. 16)
17. Kansas City Royals (75-75, No. 13)
18. Cincinnati Reds (74-75, No. 18)
19. Tampa Bay Rays (73-76, No. 20)
20. St. Louis Cardinals (73-77, No. 19)
21. Miami Marlins (70-80, No. 21)
22. Los Angeles Angels (69-81, No. 22)
23. Athletics (70-80, No. 23)
24. Baltimore Orioles (69-80, No. 21)
25. Atlanta Braves (66-83, No. 25)
26. Pittsburgh Pirates (65-85, No. 26)
27. Minnesota Twins (65-84, No. 27)
28. Washington Nationals (62-87, No. 28)
29. Chicago White Sox (57-93, No. 29)
30. Colorado Rockies (41-109, No. 30)