MLB Power Rankings: Red Sox take a step back, Dodgers climb the ranks

1. Chicago Cubs (47-20, previously No. 1) – Another week and more domination for the Cubs. They have won three straight and seven of 10 to open a 12.5-game lead in the NL Central. Jake Arrieta is tied for the most wins in all of baseball with 11 and also has the second-best ERA in the NL at 1.74.

2. Texas Rangers (45-25, previously No. 3) – The Rangers have suddenly caught fire as they have won six straight and eight of their last 10 games and now lead the AL West by 8.5 games over the Mariners. Colby Lewis has had a very strong season as his 2.81 ERA is fifth in the AL.

3. San Francisco Giants (44-26, previously No. 4) – San Francisco is the hottest team in baseball as they have won eight straight games and lead the NL West by 6.5 games over the Dodgers. Johnny Cueto continues to have a great first year on the West Coast with 10 wins, tied for the second-most in the NL.

4. Washington Nationals (43-27, previously No. 2) – Even though the Nationals have lost two straight, overall they have won seven of their last 10 games and lead the NL East by 5.5 games with a plus-77 run differential, which is the second-best mark in the NL. Daniel Murphy still is batting .358, the best in all of baseball.

5. Baltimore Orioles (40-28, previously No. 6) – The Orioles are one of the most exciting teams in baseball to watch with the way they can hit, especially hit home runs, but are still seeking the pitching they need to contend in October. Mark Trumbo’s 20 homers are the most in the American League.

6. Boston Red Sox (39-29, previously No. 5) – For the first time really all season, the Red Sox have struggled a bit, particularly on offense, but still sit just a game back in the AL East. Steven Wright continues his spectacular season as his 2.22 ERA leads the American League and Xander Bogaerts is batting .352, also the best in the American League.

7. Toronto Blue Jays (39-33, previously No. 9) – Toronto is starting to separate themselves in the bottom half of the AL East as they now trail the Orioles by just three games in the division. Edwin Encarnacion leads off of baseball with 61 RBIs.

8. Los Angeles Dodgers (38-33, previously No. 12) – Even though the Dodgers have won three straight games, because of the way the Giants have played of late they are 6.5 back in the division. Clayton Kershaw still has a ridiculous 1.58 ERA, the best in baseball.

9. Cleveland Indians (38-30, previously No. 7) – The Indians and Royals are neck-and-neck for the AL Central lead, but the Indians may be in the best position long-term as they have a plus-53 run differential, the only positive one in the division. Danny Salazar is still performing well from the mound, as his 2.23 ERA is second in the AL.

10. Kansas City Royals (38-31, previously No. 13) – Kansas City has won three straight and eight of 10 to now trail the Indians by just half a game. They have an insane 25-8 record at home, but are just 13-23 on the road.

11. Miami Marlins (37-32, previously No. 16) – Miami has won three straight and seven of their last 10 to jump into second place in the NL East. They have been led by its offense as the Marlins have three of the top five batting averages in the NL – Martin Prado, Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich.

12. New York Mets (36-32, previously No. 10) – The Mets have dropped three straight and now are six games back in the NL East. They also got news that David Wright is sidelined after surgery for a herniated disk. Yoenis Cespedes is still performing well at the plate with his 17 homers, tied for fourth in NL.

13. Seattle Mariners (36-33, previously No. 11) – The Mariners are scuffling as they have lost two straight and seven of 10 to fall 8.5 games back in the AL West. They cannot depend on solely Robinson Cano at the plate so they need to get contributions from other players on their roster.

14. St. Louis Cardinals (35-33, previously No. 8) – It hasn’t been a normal year for the Cardinals as they have lost five straight games and seem to be in a year-long battle for the Wild Card with the Cubs running away with the division. Matt Carpenter does have a 3.1 WAR, third-best in the NL.

15. Houston Astros (34-36, previously No. 21) – Houston is starting to put things together as they have won six of its last 10, but still are 11 games out in the AL West. There’s still a lot of baseball left, so it is too early to count them out because they do have some very talented players on the roster.

16. Detroit Tigers (34-35, previously No. 14) – Maybe this won’t be the year for the Tigers has it’s been up and down, but most recently down. Detroit has lost three straight games and are 4.5 games back in the AL Central. Victor Martinez is batting .325, fourth in the American League.

17. New York Yankees (34-35, previously No. 17) – The Yankees are just a game below .500, but they don’t seem like a team ready to go anywhere as they have a run differential of minus-19, the worst in the AL East. One of the lone bright spots is Carlos Beltran and his 18 home runs, tied for fourth in the AL.

18. Chicago White Sox (33-36, previously No. 18) – The White Sox continue to free fall as they have lost three straight games and now sit in fourth in the AL Central. They will certainly be getting phone calls around the deadline for some of their talent in the rotation.

19. Colorado Rockies (32-36, previously No. 20) – Losers of three straight, the Rockies just can’t get the pitching they have been looking for. It’s been the same thing for several years now as the offense is there, they just cannot pitch well enough to win games.

20. Tampa Bay Rays (31-36, previously No. 22) — Losers of four straight, things aren’t going so well in Tampa. Being so far back right now and so many teams ahead of them, especially in the division, it doesn’t appear they will be going anywhere this year.

Bottom 10

21. Milwaukee Brewers (31-26, previously No. 19)

22. Pittsburgh Pirates (31-38, previously No. 15)

23. Los Angeles Angels (31-38, previously No. 25)

24. Philadelphia Phillies (30-40, previously No. 23)

25. San Diego Padres (29-42, previously No. 27)

26. Arizona Diamondbacks (28-37, previously No. 24)

27. Cincinnati Reds (27-43, previously No. 28)

28. Oakland Athletics (28-41, previously No. 26)

29. Minnesota Twins (21-48, previously No. 29)

30. Atlanta Braves (23-46, previously No. 30)