2025 MLB Power Rankings, Vol. 25: Dodgers, Tigers lose to begin September

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2025 MLB Power Rankings, Vol. 25: Dodgers, Tigers lose to begin September

Christopher Hennessy, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Mon, Sep 8, 2025 ·

15 min read

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The post 2025 MLB Power Rankings, Vol. 25: Dodgers, Tigers lose to begin September appeared first on ClutchPoints .

The 2025 MLB Power Rankings are back after the first week of September saw curious results. The Los Angeles Dodgers went 1-5 against the Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Orioles . Meanwhile, the Detroit Tigers lost a set to the Chicago White Sox once again.

With the MLB playoffs approaching, how do the latest power rankings shake out? Read on to find out.

#1: Milwaukee Brewers (-)

The Milwaukee Brewers maintain the top spot in the MLB Power Rankings with a 4-2 week. They lost a set to the Philadelphia Phillies , but bounced back with a sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates . Freddy Peralta continued his excellent season with five shutout innings against Philly, but two injuries are looming. Jackson Chourio missed a game with a hamstring injury, the same issue that kept him out a month. And Christian Yelich sat with a back issue , which he had surgically repaired in the offseason. Keep an eye on those injuries this week when Milwaukee visits the Texas Rangers and hosts the St Louis Cardinals .

#2: Philadelphia Phillies (-)

The Phillies took two of three from both the Brewers and the Marlins this week to stay at number two. They are 83-60, six games behind Milwaukee for the top seed in the NL and seven games ahead of the Mets for the NL East lead. Trea Turner left Sunday's game with a hamstring injury, which would be a huge loss for their offense. Turner leads the National League in hits and has the best OPS of his Phillies career this year. The Mets come to town for four games before the Kansas City Royals visit The Bank.

#3: Toronto Blue Jays (-)

The Toronto Blue Jays took two of three from the Reds before dropping two to the New York Yankees . Max Scherzer tipped his changeup to Ben Rice for the series-winning homer on Sunday in The Bronx. Their division lead is now just two games, and their bullpen is a big concern. Jeff Hoffman has struggled of late, with an 11.81 ERA in his last six appearances. Toronto has things to clean up, but no one behind them made a charge in the power rankings. The Blue Jays host the Houston Astros and the Orioles coming up.

#4: Los Angeles Dodgers (-)

The Dodgers were swept by the Pirates before losing two of three to the Orioles, falling to 79-64 on the season. They blew a game on Saturday that won't be forgotten anytime soon. Yoshinobu Yamamoto was one out away from a no-hitter and a 3-0 win before Baltimore mounted a comeback to win 4-3. The Dodgers are not clicking, but they remain on top of the NL West by just one game. They'll look to get on track against the Colorado Rockies at home and the San Francisco Giants on the road.

#5: Chicago Cubs (-)

There was plenty of opportunity for the Chicago Cubs to take a step forward in the MLB Power Rankings. They took two of three from the Atlanta Braves , but dropped two of three to the Washington Nationals to stay at number five. Pete Crow-Armstrong missed Sunday's game after fouling a ball off his knee on Saturday. Kyle Tucker did not play all weekend due to a lingering calf issue. A vital September has gotten off to a brutal start, and the Cubs need to turn it around. They play the Braves on the road and the Tampa Bay Rays at home next.

#6: Detroit Tigers (-)

The Tigers dropped two of three to the New York Mets and the White Sox, falling to 82-62. Still, they are 8.5 games ahead of the Royals for the AL Central lead. Their one win over Chicago was on Saturday, when Tarik Skubal twirled six shutout innings, his 12th such start of the season, one shy of the modern record. The Tigers are coasting into the postseason, but need to prove it against the best teams to be taken seriously in October. They have that opportunity against the Yankees this week before visiting the Marlins.

#7: New York Mets (+2)

The Mets take a big step forward in the MLB Power Rankings after taking two of three from the Tigers, but losing two of three to the Reds. After those sets, FanGraphs gives them a 93.4% chance of making the postseason. The crisis seems to be averted for now, but eyes will be on their young rotation moving forward. Brandon Sproat joined Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong in the rotation this week with a strong debut. The young arms lead the way against the Phillies and the Texas Rangers coming up.

#8: Houston Astros (-)

The Astros dropped two of three to both the Yankees and the Rangers this week. Still, they hold a 2.5-game lead over the Seattle Mariners for the top AL West spot. In the first game against New York, Framber Valdez crossed up catcher Cesar Salazar . The discussion of whether it was on purpose went on for days, with no true resolution ever coming. That should make the ace's free agency more interesting, especially if a return to Houston was in the cards. Next up, the Astros visit the Blue Jays and the Braves.

#9: San Diego Padres (-2)

The San Diego Padres were swept by the Orioles and took two of three from the Rockies, moving to 78-65. They are just one game back of the Dodgers in the NL West, but have not taken advantage of that opportunity in the past. Fernando Tatis Jr. had a solid week, with two homers in five games, and Manny Machado had five RBI. The Padres have a huge homestand with three games against the Reds and four against the Rockies coming up.

#10: Seattle Mariners (-)

The Mariners hold the final American League Wild Card spot by just 1.5 games over the Rangers. They were swept by the Rays before taking two of three from the Braves on the road. In the three games in Atlanta, they scored 29 runs, which included two homers and four RBI from Cal Raleigh . The catcher is now at 53 homers, chasing down Aaron Judge 's AL single-season record of 62. Next up for Seattle, they host the Cardinals for three games and the Los Angeles Angels for four.

#11: New York Yankees (+1)

The Yankees started a key 12-game stretch against the American League playoff teams on Monday. They took both series two games to one, first on the road in Houston and second at home against the Blue Jays. Aaron Judge has returned to right field, but did not unleash a throw amid his elbow injury. Max Fried is back at ace level, Carlos Rodon has had a great season, but the bullpen is still struggling. The Yankees continue their playoff gauntlet with the Tigers at home and the Boston Red Sox on the road.

#12: Boston Red Sox (-1)

The Red Sox took two of three from the Cleveland Guardians before dropping two against the Arizona Diamondbacks . Roman Anthony hit the injured list with an oblique injury, which could cost them the rest of the season. He had been the lead-off hitter for the playoff run, but they will have to move on without him. Payton Tolle struggled in his second MLB start, allowing five runs in three innings. Boston visits the Athletics before hosting the Yankees in a pivotal weekend series.

#13: Texas Rangers (-)

The Rangers lost two of three to the Diamondbacks and took two of three from the Astros, moving to 74-70. They are just 1.5 games back of the final Wild Card spot and just four games behind Houston for the NL West lead. Since losing Cy Young candidate Nathan Eovaldi , they have picked up the pace to join this playoff race. Merrill Kelly and Patrick Corbin both had solid starts against Houston to help bridge that gap. They need to get even hotter this week against the Brewers and the Mets.

#14: Cincinnati Reds (-)

The Reds have likely played their last important game of the MLB season, even after taking two of three from the Mets. They started the week losing two of three to the Blue Jays while the Amazins won two games against Detroit. The Reds are four games back of New York for the final Wild Card spot, tied with the San Francisco Giants as the first team out. Hunter Greene was sensational on Sunday, continuing his excellent season with 12 strikeouts. Cincinnati visits the Padres and the Athletics next.

#15: Cleveland Guardians (-)

The Guardians dropped two of three to the Red Sox before taking three of four from the Rays, all on the road. They are 72-70, 2.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot. Jose Ramirez started September with eight hits in seven games, good enough for an .869 OPS. The Guardians will need an electric September to make the postseason, and Ramirez will be a big part of that once again. They look to keep it rolling at home against the Royals and the White Sox coming up.

#16: Tampa Bay Rays (+1)

The Rays won seven straight games to pop two games over .500 before losing three in a row to the Guardians. They are four games out of the final Wild Card spot at 71-72. Junior Caminero hit his 40th and 41st homers this week, with 103 RBI to boot in his age-22 season. While there is not a ton of talent around him, Tampa Bay has its next star in the former top prospect. Can he slug them to an unlikely playoff berth? That will have to start now against the White Sox and the Cubs on the road.

#17: Kansas City Royals (-1)

The Royals dropped two of three to the Angels and took two of three from the Minnesota Twins , moving to 73-70. They are just two games back of the Mariners and have a great chance to swipe the final spot. Bobby Witt Jr. missed Sunday's game with a back issue, but has not been placed on the injured list. In good injury news, Cole Ragans has begun his rehab assignment. A big week ahead for KC, with trips to Cleveland and Philadelphia on the docket.

#18: San Francisco Giants (+1)

The Giants are tied with the Reds as the last team out of the National League playoffs. They swept the Rockies and lost two of three to the Cardinals, moving to 72-71. Rafael Devers and Rockies pitcher Kyle Freeland got into a scrap early in that series, which ended in the suspension of Matt Chapman . While he was appealing the ban, Chapman hit two homers in Colorado. Next up, the Giants host the Diamondbacks and the Dodgers for three games each.

#19: Arizona Diamondbacks (+1)

The Diamondbacks took two of three from both the Rangers and the Red Sox during their recent homestand. Their disappointing season is ending with some wins, but it likely won't be enough to make the postseason. Corbin Carroll has had a tremendous season, with a .982 OPS and 24 RBI since the beginning of August. But even with Carroll, Ketel Marte , and Geraldo Perdomo shining, they have struggled. They need to mount a run with the Giants and the Twins on the road.

#20: St Louis Cardinals (-2)

The Cardinals fall in the MLB Power Rankings despite winning both of their series this week. They still can't get past the Reds, even when Cincy leaves the door open, and are tied with the Diamondbacks. Willson Contreras will serve his four-game suspension for his crash out, making the upcoming games harder to win. The Redbirds may not get Nolan Arenado back until the final homestand, likely putting an end to any playoff chances. They look to prove that wrong on the road against the Mariners and the Brewers.

#21: Atlanta Braves (+1)

The Braves took two of three from the Cubs and dropped two of three to the Marlins to continue a lost season. They are 12 games out of the playoffs and hurtling toward a 90-loss season. Their pitching injuries have been the storyline all season, and that played out against Seattle. They allowed 28 runs in the final two games, including a 2.1-inning dud from Joey Wentz . The Braves return home for sets against the Cubs and the Astros this week.

#22: Miami Marlins (-1)

The Marlins are still two games ahead of the Braves in the standings, but they fall in the MLB Power Rankings due to a poor week. They were swept by the Nationals before dropping two of three to the Phillies , falling to 66-77 on the season. Shortstop Otto Lopez hit two homers, knocking in four runs in the Sunday win over Philly. There are a lot of reasons for hope moving forward in Miami, but not for the playoffs this year. They host the Nationals for four and the Tigers for three coming up.

#23: Los Angeles Angels (+1)

The Angels took two of three from the Royals before dropping two of three against the Athletics. Jo Adell continued an excellent season with four homers, bringing his season total to 35. He has 94 RBI as well, so a 40-homer, 100-RBI campaign is not out of the question for the centerfielder. The future could be bright in Anaheim, but that has been said before with this franchise. For now, they continue September with the Twins at home and the Mariners on the road.

#24: Baltimore Orioles (+1)

The Orioles have started September on the right foot, sweeping the Padres and taking two of three from the Dodgers. They nearly got no-hit on Cal Ripken Ironman night, but staged the improbable comeback to win. Jackson Holliday kick-started the comeback and now has an .828 OPS in his last 20 games. The Birds are over .500 with Tony Mansolino as the manager, at 51-49. They look to continue that trend against the Pirates at home and the Blue Jays on the road.

#25: Athletics (-2)

The Athletics dropped two of three to the Cardinals and took two of three from the Angels, moving to 66-78 on the season. Nick Kurtz leads the team with 5.1 bWAR in just 99 games, sprinting to a Rookie of the Year title. Two of his four hits in these sets were home runs, keeping his OPS over 1.000. The Athletics' pitching is still bad, but they have the offense to make a run next year. This week, they host the Red Sox and the Reds.

#26: Pittsburgh Pirates (+1)

The Pirates are moving up in the MLB Power Rankings after sweeping the Dodgers in Los Angeles to start the week. Even after getting swept by the Brewers, they have broken out of the bottom four. Paul Skenes shut out the Dodgers in six innings , dropping his career ERA to 1.97 in 52 starts. He is running away with the National League Cy Young award in just his second season in the league. Next up, the Buccos visit the Orioles and the Nationals.

#27: Minnesota Twins (-1)

The Twins have been expectedly dreadful since trading away all of their valuable pieces at the trade deadline. They were swept by the White Sox and lost two of three to the Royals, falling to 63-80. Byron Buxton is the last man standing, and he has clinched a 30-homer season. But the rest of the team has not stepped up since the fire sale at the deadline. They continue a bleak September against the Angels and the Diamondbacks.

#28: Washington Nationals (-)

The Nationals swept the Marlins and took two of three from the Cubs, improving to 58-84. Even in a week when James Wood struggled, with a .522 OPS, they were able to win some games. Josh Bell hit a big three-run homer to win the Sunday game, while Nasim Nuñez picked up four RBI in a win over Miami. Next up, Washington heads to Miami for four more games before hosting the Pirates for three.

#29: Chicago White Sox (-)

The White Sox have not only blown their 2024 record out of the water, but they may lose fewer than 100 games. They are 55-89 after sweeping the Twins and taking two of three from the Tigers. Colson Montgomery has been sensational since joining the big club, with 18 homers and 46 RBI in 53 games. There are reasons for hope on the Southside for 2026 and beyond, with some of their young pieces flashing this year. They host the Rays and visit the Guardians this week.

#30: Colorado Rockies (-)

The Rockies won one game this week, bringing their season total to 40. They are two wins away from avoiding history and securing a better record than the 2024 White Sox. The fight between Freeland and Devers was the highlight of the week, as Colorado lost five of the six games they played. But the crowds are showing up in Denver, proving that if they can ever build a winning team, this could be one of the NL's best franchises. They look to secure win No. 42 against the Dodgers and the Padres on the road.

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