Heading into the weekend, the young Chicago Cubs have regained the top spot in the latest power rankings. With a 57-37 record, the Cubs are the only squad playing above .600 baseball, but what once looked like a runaway in the NL Central, has become a bit closer with St Louis (51-44) now trailing by 6.5 games with a four game winning streak this week.
San Francisco has dropped to second and could fall farther with a recent five game skid. The Giants are now 57-38 and, like Chicago, now have a race on their hands with the recent resurgence of the LA Dodgers (54-43). Both of these clubs have some injury concerns and recent reports have both looking to add some help before the upcoming MLB trade deadline.
Washington has rebounded from a mid-season slump and now sit third in the power rankings. The Nationals are 57-39, but they need to continue their good play with Miami (52-43) continuing to be the surprise team in the National League and nipping at the heels of the Nats.
The American League has the closest race in baseball with three teams in battle for the AL East crown. Boston has taken over the top spot with 9 wins in their last 10 games. The Red Sox (54-39) are now fourth overall in baseball with their recent success.
Baltimore (54-40) is now second in the division with many experts anticipating the Orioles to look for pitching help in the next few days. Toronto (54-42) is just 1.5 games back and with one of the most explosive lineups in the game, could be the team to beat over the last couple of months of the season.
Cleveland (56-38) continues to play good baseball and the Indians have the largest divisional lead, seven games over second place Detroit (50-46), but the Tigers still have an opportunity to make the post season as they sit four games back in the race for an AL wild-card berth.
Texas held the top overall spot in baseball just a few weeks back, but depth on the mound has caught up with the Rangers (55-41) and so have the Houston Astros (51-44) who sit just 3.5 games back and are right in the hunt to play baseball in October for the second straight year.
It’s been a great season so far and plenty of excitement is still on the horizon as the playoff race gets tighter in both leagues. The fans are the biggest winners with half the clubs still battling to make the playoffs and it should make for a great September, when every game becomes a must-win for teams to keep their dream of winning a World Series alive.
