The Dodgers are back where they started the season: on top of the baseball world. After a brief dip in April, Los Angeles surged past Atlanta this week to claim the No. 1 spot in our power rankings for the first time in two months. And they did it despite some genuine turbulence from their two-way superstar.
Shohei Ohtani just posted his two worst pitching starts of the year, back to back. His ERA is still below 2.00. That tells you everything about the bar he’s set. The Dodgers aren’t sweating it. They swept Tampa Bay at home before dropping a series to Baltimore, but with 49 wins — the most in baseball — they’ve got margin for error. Will Smith and Teoscar Hernandez are banged up, but the lineup keeps rolling. Next up: Minnesota and San Diego on the road.
The Braves slipped one spot after getting swept in a rain-shortened two-game set by the Giants. They bounced back against Milwaukee, but the vibes aren’t what they were. Drake Baldwin returned from the IL and homered in his first game back, but he’s 2-for-22 since. That’s not going to cut it for a team that needs offensive production from somewhere other than Ronald Acuña Jr. Atlanta heads to San Diego and San Francisco this week.
Milwaukee stays put at No. 3. Jackson Chourio keeps mashing — his OPS sits at .894 through 41 games — and Jacob Misiorowski took his third loss of the year despite another solid start. The Brewers still lead the NL Central, and with Cincinnati and Chicago coming up, that shouldn’t change soon.
The Yankees moved up a spot after taking a series from the White Sox, even though they lost one to the Reds. Ben Rice cracked three homers in six games and now has 22 on the year. Cam Schlittler keeps dealing, and Spencer Jones is holding his own in the lineup. The Bombers are 39-38 and somehow still in this thing without Aaron Judge. That’s something.
Tampa Bay drops one spot after a rough stretch. The Rays got swept by the Dodgers and then took two of three from Washington, but they’ve lost six of nine overall and surrendered first place in the AL East. Chandler Simpson is hitting .149 in June. His stolen base numbers have cratered. That’s a problem for a team built on speed. Kansas City and Arizona come to town next.
The Phillies had a weekend worth talking about. Kyle Schwarber hit three homers in one game on Saturday. Bryce Harper hit for the cycle — his first career cycle — the same day. They won the night game Sunday against the Mets to take that series too. Cristopher Sanchez and Zack Wheeler are both dealing. Philadelphia visits Washington and New York this week.
San Diego is stuck in neutral. The Padres lost series to Texas and St. Louis, dropping two of three to each. Manny Machado had three extra-base hits last week, and Fernando Tatis Jr. posted an .830 OPS, so there are signs of life. But the offense has been the problem all year. Mason Miller leads the NL with 20 saves, which is nice. They’ve got Atlanta and Los Angeles coming up. That’s a gauntlet.
Cleveland fell to 41-37 after losing series to Milwaukee and Houston. Jose Ramirez and Chase DeLauter are out, but Travis Bazzana is doing things. He went 9-for-21 with three homers, seven RBI and six runs in those six games. If he keeps this up, the Guardians could make another summer run. They visit the White Sox before hosting Seattle.
The Cubs are surging. Pete Crow-Armstrong is on an absolute heater — OptaStats says no player in the modern era has had as many hits, doubles, triples, homers and steals in an 18-game span as he just did. He leads all non-Ohtani players with 4.6 bWAR. Chicago is 40-37 and holding the final NL Wild Card spot. They visit the Mets and the Brewers this week.
Seattle rounds out the top 10 after a split week. They took two of three from Baltimore, then lost two of three to Boston. Cal Raleigh is back from the IL but went 3-for-18 in those six games. The Mariners need him to hit. They travel to Pittsburgh and Cleveland.
The Blue Jays moved up after sweeping the Red Sox at Fenway and splitting with the Cubs. Brandon Valenzuela’s ninth-inning double capped that Boston series. But Kevin Gausman got shelled for eight first-inning runs in Chicago, which is concerning. Toronto is one game below .500. They host Houston and Texas this week.
St. Louis keeps hanging around. The Cardinals took two of three from San Diego, then dropped two of three to Kansas City. Rookie JJ Wetherholt hit two homers in Sunday’s win over the Royals. Dustin May threw a complete-game shutout against the Padres, which is honestly one of the best pitching performances of the year. They’ve got Arizona and Miami coming up.
The White Sox hit their first real speed bump in a while, losing series to the Yankees and getting swept by Detroit. Braeden Montgomery has five hits in his last eight games. Without Munetaka Murakami, they need both Montgomerys — Braeden and Colson — to pick it up. Cleveland and Kansas City are next.
The Rangers got swept by Minnesota to start the week, then took two of three from San Diego. Jacob deGrom had his worst start of the season, allowing six earned runs in six innings. His ERA is now 3.59. Nathan Eovaldi and Jack Leiter both got scratched from starts recently, so Texas needs deGrom right now. They visit Miami and Toronto.
Pittsburgh sits at .500 after taking a series from Oakland and dropping one to Colorado. Ryan O’Hearn drove in six runs in one win, highlighting a week where the offense actually showed up. They’ve lost seven straight Paul Skenes starts despite his 2.86 ERA, which is almost impressive in how unlucky it is. The Mariners and Reds are on deck.
Oakland dropped two spots after splitting with the Angels and losing to the Pirates. They’re 38-40 and 1.5 games back in the division, but the pitching isn’t there. Nick Kurtz leads baseball with 61 RBI, 72 walks and a .439 OBP. No sophomore slump for him. The A’s visit San Francisco and the Angels.
Baltimore bounced back from a series loss to Seattle by taking two of three from the Dodgers. Pete Alonso and Colton Cowser combined for seven RBI in a 12-run Sunday outburst. Alonso has a 1.006 OPS in June. The Orioles need him to keep that up with Adley Rutschman on the IL. Baltimore faces the Angels on the road and the Nationals at home.
Cincinnati took series from the Mets and the Yankees, moving to 37-39. Chase Burns shut down New York on Sunday to secure that series win. He’s 9-1 with a 2.00 ERA. Elly De La Cruz and Hunter Greene are both starting rehab assignments. The Reds host Milwaukee and visit Pittsburgh.
Washington is 40-38 after taking a series from Kansas City and losing one to Tampa Bay. The Nationals have built a foundation with C.J. Abrams and James Wood. If they trade those guys at the deadline, that foundation cracks. They host Philadelphia and visit Baltimore this week.
Arizona dropped two spots despite Corbin Carroll’s sensational season. He leads MLB with nine triples and is chasing his fourth straight NL triples crown. But Zac Gallen has been awful — a 6.10 ERA in 16 starts after taking the qualifying offer. The Diamondbacks visit St. Louis and Tampa Bay.
Miami swept the Giants and now sits at 40-38. Max Meyer is 8-0 with a 2.80 ERA, quietly one of the best stories in the NL Wild Card race. Liam Hicks went on the IL, which hurts. The Fish host Texas and visit St. Louis.
The Tigers are still 11 games under .500 after losing to Houston and sweeping the White Sox. Tarik Skubal went 5.2 innings in his second start off the IL, allowing three runs. Not his Cy Young form, but healthy Skubal is better than no Skubal. They host the Yankees and the Astros.
Minnesota won five of six this week, sweeping Texas and taking two of three from Arizona. The Twins are 38-41 and still in the AL Central race because the division is a mess. Byron Buxton has 24 homers and will be at the center of trade rumors. Do the Twins sell or push? They host the Dodgers and the Rockies.
The Mets lost series to Cincinnati and Philadelphia. Juan Soto is having a solid year, but that’s about it. Francisco Lindor is starting a rehab assignment, but the team is nine games under .500. Freddy Peralta had another bad start, fueling trade speculation. They host the Cubs and the Phillies.
Houston moved up a spot after taking sets from Detroit and Cleveland. Hunter Brown returned from the IL and allowed one run in 5.2 innings. The Astros are five games under .500, but in the AL West, that’s not a death sentence. They visit Toronto and Detroit.
Boston dropped two spots after getting swept by Toronto at home. The Red Sox are 31-44 and 14.5 games back in the AL East. Willson Contreras has a .903 OPS and Ranger Suarez leads the staff with a 2.93 ERA, but this team is selling at the deadline. They visit Colorado and host the Yankees.
Kansas City is 32-46 and nine games out of first. Bobby Witt Jr. missed the last two games against St. Louis with a knee injury, but the team says it’s the best-case scenario. The Royals visit Tampa Bay and the White Sox.
San Francisco swept a two-game set from Atlanta, then got swept by Miami. The Giants are 31-46 and the trade rumors are piling up. Willy Adames, Matt Chapman, Luis Arraez, Rafael Devers and Robbie Ray are all reportedly available. Devers waved off a pinch-runner in the ninth inning Sunday, which feels like a metaphor for the whole season. The Athletics and Braves are next.
The Angels have the worst record in the AL at 32-47. Mike Trout is back on the IL, ending his comeback at 74 games. Zach Neto has a .784 OPS and will be a trade candidate. The Orioles and Athletics come to Anaheim.
Colorado stays in the basement at 30-48. They lost a series to the Cubs and took one from the Pirates. TJ Rumfield and Hunter Goodman are having nice seasons, but it doesn’t matter. The Rockies host Boston and visit Minnesota.
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