If the postseason started today, there would be four of the five teams in the Eastern American League.
Suppose for now that the Yankees run away with the division, which seems likely, given their 13-game lead over the second-ranked 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, with four coming from a division.
Watch out for the Guardians heading to the All-Star break. All of their games will be against teams behind them in the AL Central: two in Detroit, three in Kansas City, four at home against the White Sox and four against the Tigers. The only rival of divisions that do not play before the break, in fact, is the first ranked of the Twins.
With all this in mind, let’s take a look at the latest Power Rankings.
Biggest Jump: The Brewers jumped six places, from No. 14 to No. 8. During Sunday’s game, which was the 81st of the Milwaukee season, the Brewers finished second in the NL with 113 homers, while that their pitchers were third in putting. rate (24.9%) and fourth in ERA (3.76).
Biggest drop: The Giants dropped six places, 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 have outscored their opponents 133-70 (+63), the majors ’biggest differential. They also keep pace with breaking the record for a single-season major league win of 116, held by the 2001 Mariners and 1906 Cubs. The Yankees are on the verge of winning 117 wins.
2. Astros (52-27; 2) The Astros not only survived their toughest stretch of the season, but have erased it. In nine straight games against only the Yankees and Mets, who, for much of the season, have taken first and second place in our power rankings, the Astros won seven. They beat the Mets four times and never conceded in those four games. And now it’s easier: Houston is on a 26-of-28 stretch against teams below .500. The Astros began this segment of their calendar with a sweep over the Angels.
3. Dodgers (50-29; 4) The Dodgers aren’t as dominant as the two teams ahead of them, having gone just 16-15 in the final month of games ahead of Monday’s opening with the Rockies. But the attack, after scoring 4.2 runs per game rather pedestrian during that stretch, received a boost with the return of Mookie Betts from IL. And, after taking three out of four from the Padres over the weekend, the Dodgers have a slightly easier week ahead: three with the Rockies and four with the Cubs.
4. Mets (50-30; 3) The Mets have a chance to move away from second place in the Braves in the coming weeks before the All-Star break. After their series with the Reds, the Mets will host the Marlins by four before a set of three games with the Braves in Atlanta. Then they go to Chicago to play four against the Cubs. Entering Monday, the Mets had won 24 of 35 games against under-5,500 teams.
5. Parents (47-35; 5) Parents also have a calendar by their side as they progress toward the All-Star break. All of his remaining 13 games will be against teams below .500, with 11 against division rivals (two against Seattle, four against San Francisco, four in Colorado and three against Arizona). San Diego came in the middle of the season with a 47-34, a bit remarkable given that the Padres have played all year without Fernando Tatis Jr.
The rest of the field of 30
6. Braus (6) 7. Red Sox (8) 8. Brewers (14) 9. Blue Jays (7) 10. Cardinals (11) 11. Rays (13) 12. Gemini (12) 13. Guardians (10) 14. Filis (15) 15. Giants (9) 16. White Sox (18) 17. Mariners (16) 18. Marlins (19) 19. Rangers (17) 20. Angels (20) 21. Orioles (21) 22. D-backs (22) 23. Rockies (23) 24. Puppies (26) 25. Pirates (24) 26. Tigers (25) 27. Reds (27) 28. Reials (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.