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There's a new No. 1 in Power Rankings for 1st time since April
2023-07-03
The final Power Rankings before next week’s All-Star break feature a new No. 1 team for the first time in two and a half months.
Though the Rays set the pace for nearly the entire first half, the red-hot Braves returned to No. 1 for the first time since April 16, ending Tampa Bay’s 10-week run in the top spot.
That wasn’t the only shakeup in the Top 5, though.
Biggest jump: The biggest jump in terms of significance was the Braves moving up a spot to No. 1 in the rankings – but no team climbed more than two places from last week. Four clubs moved up exactly two spots: the Marlins (from No. 9 to No. 7), Yankees (from No. 12 to No. 10), Brewers (from No. 16 to No. 14) and White Sox (from No. 26 to No. 24).
Biggest drop: Shohei Ohtani continues to awe on an almost nightly basis – most recently, smashing a 493-foot home run that capped a 15-homer June. He picked up right where he left off in July, clubbing his MLB-leading 31st of the season in Sunday’s win over the first-place D-backs … but the Angels had a rough week otherwise as they dropped four spots to No. 15. Sunday’s win came only after the club had lost four straight, including a pair of home games against the White Sox in which the Halos allowed 20 runs.
Power Rankings Top 5:
1) Braves, 56-27 (last week: 2)
It’s hard to find anyone who can stop – or even slow down – the Braves right now. After ending the Reds’ 12-game winning streak two weeks ago, Atlanta went 6-0 this week to improve to 16-1 in its last 17 games. On Tuesday, the Braves hit five home runs off AL Cy Young candidate Joe Ryan, matching the total he had allowed in his past 12 starts combined. Four days later, Atlanta knocked out Marlins rookie sensation Eury Pérez – who had a 1.34 ERA in nine starts coming in – after just one-third of an inning. Ronald Acuña Jr. -- who hit a leadoff home run in each of those games on his way to racking up five homers and four stolen bases in six games last week -- has 21 home runs and 38 stolen bases overall as he continues to bolster his MVP case.
2) Rays, 57-30 (last week: 1)
Tampa Bay bounced back from a rocky two-week stretch by taking two of three from the first-place D-backs in Arizona to begin the week. Still, it was another up-and-down period for the Rays, who saw ace Shane McClanahan make his shortest start of the year on Friday, then land on the IL with a back issue one day later. The club is hopeful that McClanahan will be ready at some point during the first turn of the rotation coming out of the All-Star break, but it’s still a tough blow – especially with a homestand against the surging Phillies and first-place Braves looming this week.
3) Rangers, 50-34 (last week: 3)
The fans rewarded the Rangers for their impressive first half by voting in four of their players to start next week’s All-Star Game. Corey Seager and Josh Jung will hold down the left side of the infield, while Marcus Semien will start at second and Jonah Heim will be behind the plate. It was announced on Sunday that Texas’ starting quartet will be joined in Seattle by Nathan Eovaldi and Adolis García. Along with having six All-Stars in this year’s game, the Rangers acquired seven-time All-Star reliever Aroldis Chapman from the Royals this week in an attempt to further solidify their grasp on the AL West. That division lead shrank to four games after dropping two of three to the Astros this weekend.
4) D-backs, 50-35 (last week: 5)
NL Cy Young favorite Zac Gallen added to his résumé this week by pitching the D-backs past the Rays on Tuesday, then matching a season high with 12 strikeouts in Sunday’s loss to the Angels. As a team, however, Arizona went just 3-3 this week and is now 7-7 over its past 14 games. The NL West leaders have a chance to pad their division lead heading into the All-Star break as they close the first half with a seven-game homestand against a pair of scuffling teams in the Mets and Pirates.
5) Orioles, 49-33 (last week: 4)
The O’s snapped a four-game losing streak with a much-needed victory over the Twins on Sunday in their final home game of the first half. Baltimore has a tough road trip this week leading into the All-Star break, starting with four games against the rival Yankees in the Bronx followed by three against the first-place Twins. The Orioles will then send four players to Seattle for the Midsummer Classic, each of whom will be making his first career All-Star appearance: Adley Rutschman, Austin Hays, Félix Bautista and Yennier Cano.