MLB Power Rankings: The Dodgers Get Even Stronger
As we near the end of August, teams look to make one final push in an attempt to make a run in the last quarter of the MLB season. Let’s take a look at the power rankings for this week.
. Chicago White Sox. 30. team. 128. Lucas Giolito’s much-anticipated first start with the White Sox takes place this coming Tuesday against the Twins. As their record shows, waiting for prospects’ debuts might be the only excitement for Sox fans over the next couple seasons..
29. team. 6. This past week, the Phillies faced off against the Padres in a three-game series and the Giants in a four-game series. They managed to win just two games. That sums up the 2017 Phillies’ year, right there.. . . Philadelphia Phillies
. . San Francisco Giants. 28. team. 40. After Sunday’s loss, the Giants’ record fell to 50-76. One year ago today, the Giants owned a record of 68-55. San Francisco’s already eliminated from NL West contention.
. . Detroit Tigers. 27. team. 63. Justin Verlander’s had himself quite an August. This month, he owns a 3-1 record with a 2.48 ERA and 33 strikeouts. On Sunday, Verlander allowed just one run on two hits in eight innings against the Dodgers.
Blake Treinen struggled closing games for the Nationals in 2017, but now with the A’s, Treinen’s found success. Since August 6, Treinen’s a perfect three-for-three in save situations. He looks comfortable in the role and living up to preseason expectations.. . . Oakland Athletics. 26. team. 96
. Cincinnati Reds. 25. team. 61. Joey Votto gets very little attention because of his team’s poor record. His 2017 stat line should not go unnoticed. This season, Votto’s hitting .315/.447/.595 with 32 home runs, 87 RBI and 87 runs scored. Put him on a winning team, and he turns into an easy MVP candidate..
New York Mets. 24. team. 3. It took until the middle of August, but the Mets did what they needed to do. They got rid of the players that had expiring contracts at season’s end. Now, here’s to hoping that rotation can stay healthy in 2018 and turn around the Mets’ fortunes.. .
Atlanta Braves. 23. team. 17. Since the start of July, R.A. Dickey’s posted seven quality starts in nine games started. For a team with a huge youth movement, the 42-year-old knuckleballer continues to fit right in.. .
127. Give the Padres credit, looking at their roster at the beginning of the season, they looked destined to rank 30th on these rankings at this time. A 55-69 record won’t gain any attention, but it looks like progress for a team that won just 68 games last season.. . . San Diego Padres. 22. team
On August 10, the Rays sat tied for the second AL Wild Card spot. Flash forward to August 20 and they sit four games out of that spot. After sweeping the Astros to start the month, Tampa Bay’s won just four out of their last 16 games.. . . Tampa Bay Rays. 21. team. 21
. Pittsburgh Pirates. 20. team. 4. The Pirates defeated the Cardinals 6-3 in the first-ever Little League World Series Classic in Williamsport. An interesting offseason continues to creep up on the Pirates..
39. The Blue Jays took a 5-3 lead in the 10th inning of their game on Sunday against the Cubs, but closer Roberto Osuna allowed the Cubs to score three runs in the bottom of the 10th and surrendered a walk-off. After allowing just three total earned runs in May and June, Osuna’s allowed 13 earned runs in July and August.. . . Toronto Blue Jays. 19. team
11. Finally, Manny Machado looks like the star that Baltimore’s grown to love over the past few seasons. On Friday, Machado homered three times including a walk-off grand slam. He now has seven grand slams in the past two seasons, more than any other player over that stretch of time.. . . Baltimore Orioles. 18. team
82. With 45 home runs, Giancarlo Stanton’s making a good run to pass Roger Maris’ 61 home runs hit in the 1961 season. Stanton admitted his goal is 62 homers. He has 40 games left to hit 17 home runs, not an easy task.. . . Miami Marlins. 17. team
. . Kansas City Royals. 16. team. 7. The Royals lost catcher Sal Perez to an intercostal strain on August 4. Since then, the club owns a 6-9 record and sits four games out of the second AL Wild Card spot. Good news for the Royals, Perez should return on Tuesday or Wednesday. Can they make a run or was not selling at the trade deadline a big mistake?
126. The Rangers’ offense exploded over the past week, as the team scored at least six runs in all five of their victories. In three of those five, the Rangers scored a double-digit amount of runs. They sit just 2.5 games out of the second Wild Card spot in the AL.. . . Texas Rangers. 15. team
14. team. 62. The Mariners remain just 1.5 games out of the second Wild Card spot in the AL. But with their entire starting staff on the DL, they’ll most likely start to fall back. Tough luck for a team that hasn’t seen the playoffs since 2001.. . . Seattle Mariners
13. team. 33. Where would the Cardinals be without shortstop Paul DeJong? In August, DeJong’s hitting .329/.369/.608 with six home runs and 16 RBI.. . . St. Louis Cardinals
Minnesota Twins. 12. team. 2. A huge weekend series sweep of the D-backs showed that the Twins aren’t going away. However, they did lose slugger Miguel Sano to the 10-day DL. In other news, Twins starter Bartolo Colon beat Arizona on Sunday and became just the 18th pitcher in MLB history to defeat all 30 teams.. .
We’ve entered the third week of August and the Angels remain tied for the second Wild Card spot in the AL, despite playing a majority of the season with an injured rotation. They also played six weeks without Mike Trout. Parker Bridwell continues to shine as an underrated pitcher. Since the Angels called him up at the end of May, Bridwell’s pitched to a 7-1 record with a 2.92 ERA. In 12 starts this season, he has 10 quality starts.. . . Los Angeles Angels. 11. team. 102
76. The Brewers had a nice week that included taking two out of three from the Rockies over the weekend. They also got back starting pitcher Chase Anderson from the DL. The Brewers need him to stay healthy if they want a chance at a playoff spot. In 2017, Anderson owns a 7-2 record with a 2.83 ERA.. . . Milwaukee Brewers. 10. team
. . New York Yankees. 9. team. 43. Joe Girardi recently announced that Aroldis Chapman is no longer the closer in New York. Now, Dellin Betances takes over the role. In 2017, Betances has had 11 save opportunities and nine saves. In those outings, he has a 2.70 ERA, a 1.050 WHIP and 44 strikeouts.
team. 9. Jake Arrieta continues to shine in the month of August. In four starts this month, Arrieta owns a 3-1 record with a 1.75 ERA and 25 strikeouts. He couldn’t pick a better time to pitch well. He hits free agency at the end of this season and could earn a nice payday.. . . Chicago Cubs. 8
team. 8. The Diamondbacks suffered a rough weekend sweep by the Twins and find themselves losers of 11 of their last 15 games. A four-game series with the Mets followed by a three-game series with the Giants should get them back to their winning ways.. . . Arizona Diamondbacks. 7
team. 108. Last Monday, Rockies pitcher Chad Bettis returned to the mound after battling and overcoming testicular cancer. Just returning to the mound wasn’t enough for Bettis, as he threw seven shutout innings against the Braves that day. Mark that down as one of the best moments of the 2017 MLB season.. . . Colorado Rockies. 6
. . Boston Red Sox. 5. team. 14. The Red Sox took two out of three from the Yankees over the weekend to push their division lead to five games. The Red Sox continue to play well of late, thanks to the stellar play from 20-year-old Rafael Devers. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Devers is the first player to hit eight homers in his first 20 games at the age of 20.
. Houston Astros. 4. team. 135. With just a 7-12 record in August, the Astros continue to scuffle. Because of their hot start at the beginning of the season, they still own a 12-game lead in the AL West..
2. team. 90. One of the most underrated acquisitions at the trade deadline was the Nationals acquiring closer Sean Doolittle from the A’s. In 15 games since joining the Nats, Doolittle’s posted a 2.40 ERA and converted a perfect 11 saves in 11 opportunities. The Nationals needed a closer and they got one.. . . Washington Nationals
Next: Jake Arrieta's back to his dominant self
71. Wait, the best team in baseball acquired Curtis Granderson? That’s right. The Dodgers acquired Granderson from the New York Mets and added depth to 80-plus win team. The Dodgers have 40 games remaining, and if they win 29 of those games, they’ll finish with the most wins ever in a season.. . . Los Angeles Dodgers. 1. team