The biggest thing to keep an eye on over the last month will be the spoiler teams that are completely out of the playoff race but are playing good baseball lately, and have plenty of games left against contenders.
| RANK | TEAM | CHANGE | SCHEDULE | COMMENT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
 |
— 0 |
vs SD @ COL |
The Dodgers lost a series! Yasiel Puig got benched! PANIC! Wait…the Dodgers have a 9.5 game lead. Never mind.. |
| 2 |
 |
— 0 |
vs MIA @ NYM |
Atlanta's patchwork lineup only managed eight runs against the Indians this week, but their pitching staff allowed just three runs. That'll wipe the sour taste of that series in St Louis out of their mouth. |
| 3 |
 |
– 0 |
vs MIN @ OAK |
Texas has very quietly taken a slight lead over Boston for the AL's top record. |
| 4 |
 |
 +4 |
@ PIT @ CIN |
The Cardinals are 5-2 through this difficult 17 game stretch. If they finish 10-7, splitting the final ten with the Reds and Pirates, they'll probably be happy. |
| 5 |
 |
 -1 |
vs CLE @ BOS |
This nine game stretch for the Tigers is either going to lock up the division, or tighten a lot of sphincters heading into the final three weeks of the season. |
| 6 |
 |
— 0 |
vs CHW vs DET |
Boston's September schedule is a killer, but they've built up enough of a cushion where a .500 record should be fine. |
| 7 |
 |
-2 |
vs STL @ MIL |
Pittsburgh has one series win over the last three weeks. This is getting intense. |
| 8 |
 |
-1 |
@ COL vs STL |
A series loss in Denver would be inexcusable with the Diamondbacks and Nationals starting to make some noise behind the Reds. |
| 9 |
 |
— 0 |
@ OAK @ LAA |
Three close losses and a blowout this week, and the Rays now get to go to the west coast. The A's are looming, looking to grab that top wild card spot. |
| 10 |
 |
+1 |
vs SF vs TOR |
The Diamondbacks are flying dangerously close to the sun, but no one has really stepped up to knock them out of the race yet. |
| 11 |
 |
-1 |
@ DET vs BAL |
Getting swept in Atlanta hurts, especially after the Tigers had a bad week. |
| 12 |
 |
-2 |
vs TB vs TEX |
The A's can still make a run for the AL West title, and this week will tell us a lot about where Oakland will be playing in October. |
| 13 |
 |
-1 |
@ TOR vs SEA |
The Royals are going to have to beat good teams to make the playoffs. Luckily, they don't play any until next weekend. |
| 14 |
 |
— 0 |
@ NYY @ CLE |
The biggest difference from the 2012 Orioles to the 2013 Orioles is this year's squad's lack of one run magic. |
| 15 |
 |
+5 |
vs NYM @ PHI |
Since an 11-1 thumping by the Cubs a week and a half ago, the Nationals are 8-1. With a cupcake schedule the next two weeks, they could gain some ground in the wild card race. |
| 16 |
 |
— 0 |
vs LAA vs PIT |
Milwaukee is in the enviable position of spoiler in the NL Central over the season's final month. Whichever of the three contenders plays the Brewers the best will win the division. |
| 17 |
 |
-2 |
vs SEA vs MIN |
Well, the Astros' playoff hopes are officially over. Time to go crazy! |
| 18 |
 |
-1 |
vs BAL vs CHW |
Ryan Dempster woke up the Yankees, but the Rays and Jays put them back to sleep. |
| 19 |
 |
+2 |
@ CHC vs WAS |
Six of the Phillies' eight wins under Ryne Sandberg have come by one run. Five of their six losses under Ryno have come by at least four runs. Huh. |
| 20 |
 |
+4 |
@ MIL vs TB |
The Angels are getting a little warm at just the right time to screw up the Rangers' and Athletics' seasons once again. |
| 21 |
 |
+7 |
@ BOS @ NYY |
Chicago is on a 10-2 stretch. With plenty of good teams on the schedule in September, the White Sox might play a role in the playoff race. |
| 22 |
 |
-3 |
@ ATL |
Over the last three weeks, Miami is 6-13. Three of those wins came in Jose Fernandez's three starts. |
| 23 |
 |
-5 |
@ WAS @ ATL |
Matt Harvey's partially torn UCL is one of the more devastating injuries to a fanbase in recent memory. Absolutely crushing. |
| 24 |
 |
-1 |
vs KC @ AZ |
90 losses is still on the table for Toronto. Never would have imagined that coming into the year. |
| 25 |
 |
-3 |
vs PHI vs MIA |
The Cubs have taken up residence at the bottom of the NL Central, and look to lock up another top five pick in the Draft. |
| 26 |
 |
-1 |
@ LAD vs SF |
Hey, the Padres won a series. Cool. |
| 27 |
 |
+2 |
vs CIN vs LAD |
Two series wins for the Rockies have pushed them into third in the NL West. They have a better record than the Blue Jays, Angels, and Phillies. So, that's something. |
| 28 |
 |
-2 |
@ HOU |
Your friendly reminder that the Mariners are 18 out of the AL West lead, 15 out of the wild card race, and didn't sell at the trade deadline. |
| 29 |
 |
-2 |
@ TEX @ HOU |
Maybe the Twins can play spoiler down the stretch like the Brewers. Or, maybe they can just feed wins to the contenders. |
| 30 |
 |
— 0 |
@ AZ @ SD |
Barry Zito is having yet another terrible year with the Giants, and yet, he's not in danger of losing his rotation spot. That's bad. |
