MLB Power Rankings: Division instability is more likely every day with six weeks remaining in the regular season.
In an ideal world, every race would be tight until the final week of competition, with the greatest possible degree of mayhem. The ideal situation would be for everything to be so close together that the tiebreaker procedures become convoluted. Of course, that won’t happen, but in these parts, we dare to hope.We will concentrate on the divisions this week because the wild-card races are now so unpredictable.
The Yankees are the Yankees, to put it simply: one of the most recognizable sports teams in North America. The Orioles had a drastic rebuild that made them one of the more insignificant teams in sports for a while, but they won 101 games last season and earned their first postseason appearance. No more, because they are extremely talented and capable of competing with any giant.
This season, the two clubs are battling it out in a furious back-and-forth. It was a three-game advantage for the Orioles. The largest advantage for the Yankees was 4 1/2 games. The Yankees have held the top spot for 108 days, compared to 76 for the Orioles. It appears as though we are witnessing a close game between the Orioles and Yankees, even though the Red Sox are still in striking distance.
It turns out that there is currently a deadlock with 37 games to play.There are three more games between them, all of which are scheduled for the last week of the season (September 24-26 at Yankee Stadium). Before then, I don’t anticipate any significant separation in the standings. In case you were wondering, the Orioles have a six-game lead in the season series.
The Giants have a chance to have one of those seasons when they were essentially ahead of schedule the entire time. As of April 2, they were behind by 1 1/2 games, and following a doubleheader on April 13, they were only half a game ahead. Since then, they haven’t lost, so if they maintain their advantage until they win the division, it will feel like they “led all year.” The lead reached nine games at one point. But the Twins and Royals have been hard to beat, so this might be a really good three-team fight.
In actuality, the Twins are now two games behind the Guardians, who lead the third-place Royals by just three games.It is also the Guardians’ task that lies before them. They play the Royals seven times in ten games beginning on Monday, August 26. In mid-September, they play the Twins in a four-game series. The Twins play the Royals on September 6–8.
Fun factor: Because of the head-to-head competition, this could be the most enjoyable part of the remaining rounds. It might possibly be stored because there haven’t been any games in the past week and a half. It’s similar to seeing a brand-new film in a cherished franchise. There’s a chance that the high expectations will be met or even surpassed (think of the “Creed” movies), but there’s also a risk that they won’t live up to the hype (think of “The Rise of Skywalker”).
The Astros began on December 24. It appears that the World Series champion Rangers are still recovering from their hangover. There was a period when the Mariners led by ten games! Can the Mariners win the AL West this year for the first time since 2001?
The Astros have managed to overcome a 10-game deficit to take a four-game lead since June 19. The A’s have been the second-best team in the division throughout that time. The Trout-less Angels have been the third-best. This is not encouraging for the Mariners. It’s game over for the Rangers.
The Mariners and Astros will play three more games in Houston from September 23–25. I worry that those games won’t be significant. Fun factor: Not quite there yet, but I have a feeling this will get boring soon. Since that awful start, the Astros have played at a full-season 102-win pace, while the Mariners have not been good for the past two months.
Although the Phillies have been in control for the majority of the season, the Braves were a clear favorite coming into it. The Phillies now lead the Braves by seven games and the Mets by nine.
Fun factor: I just yawned, but the Braves could make me wake up when they play the Phillies in a three-game series starting on Tuesday. If we sweep it, we’ll only be four games ahead, and we’ll have something special.
This division was viewed as being the most open division going into the season, with all five teams having a chance to win it. Rather, it’s the biggest joke. Rather, I’m phoning it. It’s finished. The Central has been won by the Brewers. Fun factor: Absolute doze-off.
In ten of the previous eleven seasons, the Dodgers have won the NL West; in the one that they haven’t, they have won 106 games. It hasn’t happened since March 31 that they were tied for first in the rankings, which is their lowest place this season. They have a nine-game lead at this point.
Nevertheless, the Diamondbacks and Padres turned this into a race when their respective runs (the D-backs’ began in late June, the Padres’ came after the All-Star break) heated up. The Dodgers extended their advantage over San Diego to three games and over Arizona to four games on Sunday when they triumphed over the other two contenders.
The Dodgers have four more games against the D-backs (in Arizona from August 30-September 2) and three more against the Padres (at Dodger Stadium from September 24-26).How about the season-ending series between the Padres and the Diamondbacks, if they tie the Dodgers at half? Maybe hot!
Level of fun: I’m having a great time given the situation. The Dodgers winning this series with a few games remaining is the most likely scenario, but as was already mentioned, we dare to hope.