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MLB Power Rankings: Phillies Surge While Blue Jays, Padres Slip Down List
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- MLB Power Rankings: Phillies Surge While Blue Jays, Padres Slip Down List
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The Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees storm up the list in Sportsnaut's latest MLB Power Rankings, while the Toronto Blue Jays and San Diego Padres take a tumble. With less than a month remaining in the regular season, teams are jockeying for playoff position. Here's how the rest of the field shakes out.
1. Milwaukee Brewers (Last week: 1)
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Despite owning baseball's best record, the Milwaukee Brewers have hit a rough patch. They've dropped nine of their last 15 games, and injuries are mounting with All-Star closer Trevor Megill sidelined by a flexor strain and reliever Shelby Miller feeling a pop in his elbow during Monday's loss to Philadelphia.
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2. Philadelphia Phillies (Last week: 7)
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The Phillies quickly bounced back from getting swept at Citi Field by the New York Mets . They captured three of four against the Atlanta Braves at home, highlighted by Kyle Schwarber tying a Major League record with four home runs in a single game. Monday's wild 10-8 victory over Milwaukee might have been their best win of the season.
3. Detroit Tigers (Last week: 2)
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Tigers ace Tarik Skubal continues his dominant campaign, leading baseball in strikeouts (216), FIP (2.30), WHIP (0.873), walks per nine (1.4) and strikeouts per walk (8.00). He also tops the AL in ERA (2.18), ERA+ (192), strikeouts per nine (11.2), innings pitched (173) and bWAR (6.2).
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4. Los Angeles Dodgers (Last week: 5)
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The Los Angeles Dodgers have a golden opportunity to pull away from San Diego with their next nine games coming against the Pittsburgh Pirates , Baltimore Orioles and Colorado Rockies . They currently hold a 2.5-game lead over the Padres in the National League West.
5. Chicago Cubs (Last week: 4)
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The Cubs may have found their ace of the future in rookie pitcher Cade Horton . He went 6-1 in August with a 1.20 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 30 innings. Overall, Horton is 9-4 in 19 games (18 starts) with a 2.92 ERA and 1.19 WHIP.
6. Toronto Blue Jays (Last week: 3)
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Despite maintaining a 2.5-game lead atop the American League East, the Blue Jays have a bullpen problem. Their relievers rank 17th in baseball with a 4.12 ERA, while closer Jeff Hoffman has a 5.02 ERA and seven blown saves.
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7. New York Yankees (Last week: 11)
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The sky is no longer falling in the Bronx. The Yankees have won six of their last seven games and trail the Blue Jays by just 2.5 games for first in the AL East. Their offense exploded last week, belting 18 home runs.
8. Boston Red Sox (Last week: 9)
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While battling for AL East supremacy, the Red Sox front office looked toward 2026 by signing closer Aroldis Chapman to a contract extension. The two sides agreed to a $13.3 million deal for next season with a vesting option for 2027. Chapman has turned back the clock in 2025, making his eighth All-Star team and posting a 1.00 ERA in 59 appearances with 28 saves. He hasn't had a 30-save campaign since 2021 with the Yankees.
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9. San Diego Padres (Last week: 6)
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The Padres suffered a crushing blow to both their bullpen and World Series hopes when reliever Jason Adam went down with a season-ending ruptured quad tendon during Monday's game against Baltimore. Adam was among baseball's best relievers this year with a 1.93 ERA in 65 appearances.
10. Houston Astros (Last week: 8)
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After missing more than three months with a fractured hand, three-time All-Star Yordan Alvarez is 6-for-18 with one home run in his first seven games back. The Astros desperately need his bat to heat up heading into October — they rank 23rd in runs scored (580) and 18th in home runs (153).
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11. New York Mets (Last week: 10)
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The Mets looked ready to chase down the Phillies after sweeping their NL East rival at Citi Field, pulling within four games of first place. But they promptly dropped three of four to the lowly Miami Marlins and now sit six games behind Philadelphia.
12. Seattle Mariners (Last week: 12)
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The Mariners cling to the final AL Wild Card spot by the thinnest of margins — just 1.5 games ahead of AL West rival Texas . They've lost four straight, including a sweep by Cleveland . As CBS Sports' Matt Snyder notes, Seattle's rotation has struggled in the second half with a 4.30 ERA.
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13. Texas Rangers (Last week: 15)
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Despite injuries and inconsistency plaguing the Rangers, they refuse to fade quietly. They've won six straight and nine of their last 10 to pull within 1.5 games of the final AL Wild Card spot. Wyatt Langford has been red-hot, posting a .945 OPS in August with five home runs, seven doubles and 21 runs scored.
14. Kansas City Royals (Last week: 13)
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The Royals are bringing up two of their top prospects for the stretch run. Jac Caglianone has been activated off the IL after missing over a month with a strained left hamstring. Before going down, Caglianone was struggling mightily, hitting just .147 with a .485 OPS and five home runs in 41 games. Kansas City also called up top catcher prospect Carter Jensen, who was hitting .288 with a 1.051 OPS and 14 home runs in 43 Triple-A games.
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15. Cincinnati Reds (Last week: 14)
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The Reds will only go as far as Elly De La Cruz will carry them, and after his poor August, Cincinnati failed to pounce on a struggling Mets team for the last NL Wild Card spot. De La Cruz had no home runs last month and posted a paltry .575 OPS.
16. San Francisco Giants (Last week: 20)
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Just when you thought the Giants were dead and buried, they suck you back in after winning eight of their last 10 games. It's a long shot, but they're five games out of the final NL Wild Card spot. The surge coincides with Willy Adames getting hot over those 10 games, going 13-for-39 with six home runs.
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17. Cleveland Guardians (Last week: 18)
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It's not looking good for the careers of All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase and pitcher Luis L. Ortiz . The two Cleveland players remain on non-disciplinary paid leave "until further notice" as MLB continues its sports gambling investigation involving the two pitchers.
18. Tampa Bay Rays (Last week: 16)
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The Rays received some good news last week. The team will no longer have to play in a minor league ballpark or endure stifling Florida heat in 2026 as they return to Tropicana Field — which was severely damaged during Hurricane Milton.
19. Arizona Diamondbacks (Last week: 19)
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After an abysmal first four months, Diamondbacks pitcher Zac Gallen started turning it around in August as he heads into free agency. The former All-Star posted a 2.57 ERA in six starts last month, giving up just 10 earned runs in 35 innings while striking out 28 and walking only nine.
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20. St. Louis Cardinals (Last week: 17)
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Cardinals fans are failing to turn out for their sputtering team. According to FanSided , the Cardinals are averaging just 28,245 fans per game at Busch Stadium , down over 7,000 per game from 2024 and a whopping 12,000 from 2023.
21. Miami Marlins (Last week: 22)
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The Marlins are turning into spoilers, taking three of four from the Mets and seemingly knocking New York out of contention for overtaking the Phillies in the NL East.
22. Los Angeles Angels (Last week: 24)
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Angels star Mike Trout has been stuck on 398 career home runs since Aug. 6 — his only homer last month. Will he hit No. 400 before the season ends?
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23. Athletics (Last week: 23)
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If the Athletics can improve their pitching staff for 2026, they will be a problem for the league. Their offense is already stacked — four hitters have 20 or more home runs and five players have an OPS above .800.
24. Atlanta Braves (Last week: 21)
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The Braves filled one of their middle-infield spots for next season, claiming Ha-Seong Kim off waivers from Tampa Bay . Kim signed a two-year, $29 million deal with the Rays in the offseason that includes a $16 million player option for 2026, but he appeared in just 24 games this season due to injury.
25. Minnesota Twins (Last week: 26)
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It's been a rough start to Mick Abel 's career with the Twins . After coming over from the Phillies as part of the Jhoan Duran trade, Abel gave up 11 earned runs in four innings. He was demoted back to Triple-A following his second game.
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26. Baltimore Orioles (Last week: 25)
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It's been a struggle offensively for Samuel Basallo in his first 13 MLB games. The 21-year-old is hitting just .217 with a .650 OPS, 81 OPS+ and one home run.
27. Pittsburgh Pirates (Last week: 27)
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Top pitching prospect Bubba Chandler recorded the first win of his MLB career last week, tossing four shutout innings in relief during Pittsburgh's 2-1 win over the Cardinals. In two games (one start), Chandler has allowed zero earned runs and three hits in eight innings.
28. Chicago White Sox (Last week: 29)
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The White Sox are 5-5 in their last 10 games and have 50 wins — 10 more than their historically bad 2024 season. They have an outside shot at avoiding 100 losses for a third consecutive year, which would be a moral victory for the franchise.
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29. Washington Nationals (Last week: 28)
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The Nationals ended an eight-game losing streak Monday after getting swept by both the Yankees and Rays. After making his first All-Star team this year, James Wood has fallen off a cliff in the second half, hitting just two home runs and posting a .615 OPS in 40 games.
30. Colorado Rockies (Last week: 30)
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According to USA Today's Gabe Lacques , the Rockies are on a 116-loss pace, which means they will potentially avoid setting the all-time modern-day loss record of 121 established by the White Sox last season. Pop the champagne!
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