Fatigue is a reality in sports. Physical fatigue is the reason why it is reasonable to rest players, whether we are talking about a full game or a few entries. It can also matter in a single game, especially if we’re talking about a starting pitcher heading into the final innings, if that’s already allowed outside of the great Sandy Alcantara.
The adjacent world of sports discussion is also tiring, but it is mental. We get tired of talking about the same thing. That’s why it’s traditionally harder to win the second consecutive MVP than the first and it’s even harder to pull off a three-peat. We have human voters, after all, and sometimes our mind will take us anyway, but back to the same player.
The same can happen with teams, especially in subjective surveys like these power rankings. It’s easy to leave the Yankees sitting up there without thinking much about it. It’s also incredibly boring. Yes, I totally agree that it’s boring, but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong. Still, in recent weeks, I’ve noticed an increase in fans who have pulled back against the Yankees at the top. Someone even tried to explain to me what the “power rankings” are supposed to be, which was hilarious. I would ask a hypothetical how “you would walk into someone else’s house and tell him where everything is supposed to be,” but I know all too well that a good number of people would have the audacity to do so.
Given that these are subjective power rankings, that they are mine, and that they are the only official power rankings on the Internet, I will make a joke with the idea that the Yankees should no longer be number one. I will go with an open mind. Let’s take a quick, surface-level look at the three elite teams. (I’m sorry, Mets.)
They are 56-29 and the last NL team left with less than 30 losses. They are about to win 107 games, which looks like it should be the best record in baseball. His +151 career spread is more than double that of anyone else in the NL. As for the “hot” factor, they have now won 11 of their last 12 matches. They also have 18-13 against teams of .500 or more.
The Astros are also 56-29, which means they are also on the verge of winning 107 games. The +102 race differential is the second best in the AL and the third in the majors. They had a tough patch in April, but since June 13 they have gone 19-5, which is the best baseball record in that time. (The Yankees are 18-8 while the Dodgers are 19-6). Recently, they won 13 of 15 with the only two losses being the Yankees ’comebacks in the afternoon in the Bronx. Houston is 19-14 against teams of .500 or better.
Yankees
The Yankees are 61-25, which means they are still at a 115-win pace. The +177 career differential is the best in baseball by a decent margin and this suggests that the record is not loose. They have 23-14 against teams of .500 or better and easily play in the best division in baseball.
The only problem here is the “hot” factor. The Yankees have lost four of seven and are “only” 5-4 in July. If we tried to find an exact spot a little further back, we could go to the day before the Astros beat them twice in a row. Since June 23, the Yankees are 9-7.
However, is this really what we are fixing everything? A 9-7 record in baseball is not bad at all. The Yankees are still 4 1/2 games better than the other two master teams, have a much better career differential and play better against tough competition.
Even if it’s close, the Yankees still have the top resume. If you want to say in advance that the Dodgers and / or the Astros will be better, this is a completely different argument.
The big moves
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1 Yankees, though, I’ll say this: I don’t think it’s going to be too long before there’s a new number one. It goes in that direction. It’s not there yet. – 61-25 2 Dodgers Man, this is a quiet streak of seven straight wins, right? 1 56-29 3 Astros As for the Astros winning three out of five to the Yankees, that’s great. They did. They also totally dominated that four-game series in the Bronx, but not being able to eliminate them twice mattered. Should I really put so much weight on the 3-2 face-to-face record when the Astros have 1-2 against the Marlins, 2-4 against the Blue Jays and 6-6 against the Mariners? I’m not going to pick the cherry. 1 56-29 4 Braves Young William Contreras will start the All-Star Game in DH for the NL, due to injury to Bryce Harper. This means that the Contreras are the first brothers to start together in the All-Star Game since the Alomars did it in 1992. It’s a lot of fun. I have a question: will the Braves be in first place when it happens? 1 52-35 5 Mets Well, the lead has dropped to 1 1/2 games. I guess the good news is that the Braves themselves will be able to play to start this week? 1 53-33 6 Red Sox They had lost eight of their last eleven before the two comeback wins against the Yankees on Saturday and Sunday. Given how bad there have been so many teams competing for sixth place in recent weeks, those two wins were enough. 4 47-39 7 Brewers They just lost series to the Cubs and Pirates the same week, but still increased their lead in the division. – 48-39 8 Twins Byron Buxton is finally an All-Star. This is great news for all of us. I assure you he does something great in the game. 5 48-40 9 Phillies I buried them after Bryce Harper’s injury, but the throw and Kyle Schwarber have actually picked them up. Schwarber has 28 homers, which is a pace to get 53 this season. Only one Filis player has been at least 50 years old (Ryan Howard scored 58 in 2006). 5 46-40 10 Parents They swept the Diamondbacks in three games from June 20-22. Since then, the Padres have not won any series and have gone 5-11 with a negative spread of 33 runs overall. 4 49-38 11 Rays They had won five of six by heading to Cincinnati to face the humble Reds … and they were swept away. Baseball! 3 45-40 12 Mariners have now won 16 of their last 19 matches. They are real again. How long will it last this time? I’m holding out hope that it sticks. 5 45-42 13 Blue Jays The Jays have lost nine of their last 10 and that includes losing two of three in Oakland. The A’s were scored 8-28 at home before that series. …