MLB Power Rankings: Yankees, Giants, White Sox climb

1. St. Louis Cardinals (64-35, previous No. 1) – After the Cardinals cooled off last week, they picked it up again in a big way. They have now won eight of 10 and have opened back up a 6.5-game lead in the NL Central. Their plus-110 run differential is the best in all of baseball.

2. Kansas City Royals (60-38, previous No. 2) – Kansas City is the best team in the American League as they now lead the AL Central by eight games as it has won three straight games and won seven of 10. Kendrys Morales leads the AL with 68 RBIs.

3. Pittsburgh Pirates (57-41, previous No. 3) – With the Cardinals surging again, the Pirates have fallen further back in the division, but still lead the Wild Card and will be looking to get even better this week at the deadline. Gerrit Cole leads the NL in wins with 14 and is third in ERA at 2.24.

4. New York Yankees (56-42, previous No. 8) – The Yankees are playing great baseball of late, as they have won three straight and eight of 10 to open a seven-game lead in the AL East. Even at 40 years old, Alex Rodriguez’s 24 home runs are fifth in the AL.

5. Los Angeles Dodgers (56-44, previous No. 4) – The Dodgers have fallen back, now leading the NL West by half a game as they have lost two straight. Yasiel Puig will be a name to keep an eye on this week as the Dodgers could look to deal the outfielder.

6. Los Angeles Angels (55-43, previous No. 5) – Winners of seven of their last 10, the Angels have moved into first place in the AL West. Mike Trout and Albert Pujols are still No. 1-2 in the AL in homers with 31 and 29 respectively.

7. Houston Astros (55-45, previous No. 6) – The Astros have fallen a game back in the AL West, but are making moves at the trade deadline. After landing AL ERA leader Scott Kazmir, the Astros are reportedly in the hunt for Cole Hamels, which would be a huge boost for their already strong rotation.

8. San Francisco Giants (55-44, previous No. 11) – The Giants are the hottest team in the league, as they have won six straight games and nine of 10 to get right back in the NL West race. Buster Posey’s .324 average and 67 RBIs are both third in the National League.

9. Washington Nationals (52-45, previous No. 7) – The National and Mets are back-and-forth in the NL East and seems like a race that will come down to the last month of the season. Bryce Harper’s 6.5 WAR is the best in the National League.

10. Chicago Cubs (52-46, previous No. 10) – The Cubs are still hanging around the playoff picture, needing to make a few moves to make a run at the Wild Card. With young stars Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant, it would seem another starter could be going to Chicago this week.

11. Minnesota Twins (52-46, previous No. 9) – Playing in the same division as the Royals doesn’t do the Twins any favors, but they will be in the Wild Card hunt right through the end. Minnesota is reportedly looking to make moves to its bullpen at this weeks deadline.

12. New York Mets (51-48, previous No. 12) – The Mets have won two straight games and now trail the Nationals by two games in the NL East. The biggest issue for the Mets, like it’s been all season, is their performance on the road. New York is 17-32 away from home.

13. Toronto Blue Jays (50-50, previous No. 13) – The Bue Jays made what will be the biggest move at the trade deadline as they traded for Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitski. It wouldn’t seem like the Blue Jays will be done there as they are in a market for a starting pitcher to help their struggling rotation.

14. Tampa Bay Rays (50-51, previous No. 15) – Tampa Bay has lost six of its last 10 games, falling 7.5 games out of the AL East. It would seem they will stand pact at the deadline as they don’t have many pieces they could even sell if they wanted.

15. Baltimore Orioles (49-49, previous No. 14) – Sitting at .500 the Orioles are in between whether or not they want to be buyers or sellers at the deadline. It would seem at the moment they will be sellers, looking to get the best possible deal.

16. Detroit Tigers (48-51 previous No. 16) – The Tigers are a disaster. They have lost two straight and seven of their last 10 games in the most important stretch of their season. They are trending to being sellers.

17. Chicago White Sox (47-50, previous No. 23) – The White Sox are one of the hottest teams in the league, winning five straight games. It will be interesting to see how they approach the deadline – if they sell or hold on to their players with the hope of making a playoff push.

18. Texas Rangers (47-51, previous No. 21) – The Rangers have a miserable 16-27 record at home and with a few decent starters in their rotation, they will surely be getting some calls this week.

19. Arizona Diamondbacks (47-51, previous No. 20) – Arizona has won three straight games, but still remain eight games out in the NL West. Paul Goldschmidt is still having an MVP caliber season, batting .346, the best in the NL.

20. San Diego Padres (47-52, previous No. 18) – San Diego has had an inconsistent season, going on long winning streaks followed by long losing streaks. They have won three straight, but remain 8.5 games out of first in the NL West.

21. Atlanta Braves (46-53, previous No. 19) – Atlanta is just hanging around in the National League playoff race. It will be interesting to see how the Braves approach this year’s deadline, possibly dealing some of their veterans.

22. Seattle Mariners (46-54, previous No. 25) – It wasn’t the season many in Seattle expected with adding Nelson Cruz to their lineup to go along with Felix Hernandez. It’s safe to say the team is already looking ahead to 2016.

23. Cleveland Indians (45-53, previous No. 17) – Cleveland has lost five straight games and seven of 10 to now fall 15 games out of first in the AL Central. They have plenty of good starters, so they will surely be getting calls this week.

24. Boston Red Sox (44-56, previous No. 24) – The Red Sox already began their selling process and looking to the future with the trade of Shane Victorino on Monday. Their offense is starting to come around of late, but the pitching remains a huge issue.

25. Oakland Athletics (44-56, previous No. 22) – The Athletics already made a splash at the deadline when they dealt Scott Kazmir to the Astros. Oakland has lost four straight games and remain in last place in the AL West.

26. Cincinnati Reds (43-54, previous No. 26) – Losers of seven of their last 10, the Reds are definitely going to be sellers and it’s just a question of how many players they want to unload. Hard-throwing reliever Aroldis Chapman would be a welcome addition to any team.

27. Milwaukee Brewers (43-57, previous No. 27) – The Brewers have gone back to their early season ways, losing three in a row and back in last place in the NL Central, 21.5 games behind the Cardinals.

28. Colorado Rockies (42-55, previous No. 28) – The big news was the Rockies trading away franchise icon Troy Tulowitski to the Blue Jays, which apparently did not go over well with the rest of the team.

29. Miami Marlins (41-58, previous No. 29) – Aside from Dee Gordon’s .338 average, the second-best mark in the NL, what else good has happened in Miami this year?

30. Philadelphia Phillies (37-63, previous No. 30) – The Phillies have won four straight, but the biggest question remains what team will Cole Hamels be traded to?