Yankees, Dodgers and Astros vying for # 1

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What is most important at this time of year for a competitor – to accumulate victories or beat good teams?

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "The way the Major League Baseball is right now when you see two titans colliding – as we did with the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers this weekend – therefeels more special. It's almost like October. Especially when a third of the league does not even try to win this year. "Data-reactid =" 16 "> The current situation of the Major League Baseball, when you see two titans collide, as we did with the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers this week -end, it's more special, almost like in October, especially when a third of the league is not even trying to win this year.

Stacking wins is great if you're in a playoff pursuit. Win all possible games. But what about our weekly MLB rankings? It was the heart of the debate as I pondered this week's standings. A team such as the Astros, who are on another set of victories, should it have more merit for having defeated teams not very good while the Yankees and Dodgers are fighting?

And should a team like Oakland A's, who made a statement against the Yankees this week, deserve more credit for beating a good team than losing to a not-so-good team afterwards?

There is no sure answer, that's what makes an exercise like Power Rankings more fun than just looking at the rankings. So, who is my No. 1 this week? Yes, it's a team that was swept up earlier in the week.

Here are my choices and how I measure the 30 MLB teams.

Aaron Judge and the Yankees remain No. 1 in the MLB Power standings. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

THE TOP 10

1. New York Yankees (85-47; last week: 1)

After being swept by the A on the road, I did not think that the Yankees would recover their number 1 spot this week. But a good performance in L.A. against the Dodgers weighs a little more in my mind. Remember that this Dodgers team she beat was recently ranked # 1 in this ranking. In the end, I call this week a draw. Think of it as the end of "Rocky" – Apollo Creed did not win, but he did not lose either. And like future "Rocky" movies, the Yankees and other MLB contenders still have a lot to do.

2. Los Angeles Dodgers (86-46, last week: 2)

The Dodgers could have made a statement by pounding the Yankees. This would have done much to silence those who think that L.A. will fail again under the bright lights of October. Instead, you probably hear more at this point. I guess it's good it was just a regular season then, huh?

3. Houston Astros (85-47; last week: 3)

The Astros may be the forgotten team here. They have won four times in a row and six times out of seven. This has allowed them to regain a rank comparable to that of N.Y. and L.A., but victories have been won against the Tigers and Angels. They still count, but are not worth as much in the power standings when the two best teams face each other.

4. Atlanta Braves (80-52; last week: 5)

The hottest baseball team? They reside in the ATL. The Braves have not lost since last weekend, when the Dodgers beat them to start their series. Since then, Atlanta has recorded eight consecutive wins, including scorings of the Mets and Marlins, and two more against the Dodgers. The most encouraging part of this period is that Braves pitchers have only allowed more than three races once.

5. Minnesota Twins (79-51, last week: 4)

The twins continue to move forward. They are not as glamorous and spectacular as some of the teams above them, but certainly more stable than the others. They never knew a month when they played below .540.

6. Oakland A's (74-55; last week: 7)

First and foremost, I want to give credit to the teams who are doing well during the big matches. The A deserve a boost for sweeping the Yankees last week. It would have been a bigger bump if they had not lost two games against the Giants. Alas, baseball is weird.

7. Cleveland Indians (76-55, last week: 6)

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "The Indians who swept the Mets right now hurt & nbsp;Jose Ramirez at the injury& nbsp; also hurts. The tribe rebounded to win two of the three victories against the Royals, but the Royals are the Royals and you will have to look at this list in handy ways to find them. "Data-reactid =" 55 "> Indians Sweeping Mets Losing Jose Ramirez, injured, also hurts The Tribe bounced back to win two of the three victories against the Royals, but the Royals are the Royals and you'll have to look this list of concrete ways to find them.

8. Washington Nationals (73-57, last week: 9)

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "The Nationals once seemed like a big disappointment, but a lot of Things can change in a few months.Today, their chances of playing in the playoffs are 97.6%, & nbsp;according to Fangraphs. In the short term, the Nats have won five straight wins, including a Cubs sweep in three games over the weekend. There are six games in the east of the NL, so the blank card is probably the destination. However, they still have six games to play against the Braves. "Data-reactid =" 61 "> The Nationals have already appeared to be a big disappointment, but many things can change in a few months.On these days, their chances of winning According to Fangraphs, the playoffs reach 97.6%. In the short term, the Nats have won five straight wins, including a sweep of the Cubs' three games over the weekend, and the wild card is the likely destination, but there are six games remaining against the Braves.

9. Tampa Bay Rays (76-56, last week: 8)

The Rays played 3-4 last week against the Mariners and Orioles, which is not what you want to do at this time of year against the Mariners and Orioles. This week, they play against the Astros and the Indians, who are definitely not the Mariners and Orioles. We could learn a lot on the shelves this week.

10. Cardinals of St. Louis (71-58, last week: 10)

While the Nats sweep the Cubs and the Cardinals do the same with the Rockies, St. Louis has a 2.5-point lead in NL Central to start the week, which seems a little bit considering the proximity of this division since the beginning of the season. A test is expected as of today as the Cards visit Milwaukee and the Brewers, ranked third (but still at a striking distance).

NEXT UP

11. Chicago Cubs (69-61; last week: 11)

12. Boston Red Sox (70-62, last week: 12)

13. Philadelphia Phillies (67-62, last week: 13)

14. Milwaukee Brewers (67-63; last week: 15)

15. New York Mets (67-63; last week: 14)

There is not much going on here to feel good. These are the teams that could use a series of raises or a boost as September approaches. This week has been mostly all around. The Cubs were swept, the Mets also. The Red Sox, Phillies and Brewers continue to be underperforming. If any of these teams – especially NL. – wants to achieve his aspirations to the series, it's time to move up a gear.

Javier Baez (9), of the Chicago Cubs, hits the ball in the tenth inning against the Washington Nationals in a weekend match of the MLB players at Wrigley Field. (Quinn Harris-USA TODAY Sports)

THIS IS NOT GOOD

16. San Francisco Giants (65-65, last week: 16)

17. Arizona Diamondbacks (65-66, last week 17)

18. Texas Rangers (64-68, last week: 19)

19. Los Angeles Angels (63-70, last week: 18)

20. Cincinnati Reds (60-69, last week: 21)

Every week, I call this section "it does not look good", but it's probably time to make it look a bit more serious. Once hit in September, the Giants and D-back will need a lot of help to qualify for the playoffs. They have only four and four and a half games to play respectively, but three more wild card contenders are ahead of them. Regarding Rangers and Angels? No chance.

IT IS PRETTY A LOT

21. San Diego Padres (60-69, last week: 20)

22. Chicago White Sox (60-70, last week: 23)

23. Seattle Mariners (56-75; last week: 24)

24. Colorado Rockies (58-73; last week: 22)

25. Pittsburgh Pirates (55-75, last week: 26)

No hope here at the fourth level. The most positive are the Pirates who have won three games in a row against the Reds and Mariners who have won seven of their last ten. Otherwise, the Rockies lose four in a row and the Padres lose four of five.

THE CAVE

26. Blue Jays of Toronto (53-80, last week: 25)

27. Miami Marlins (47-82, last week: 27)

28. Kansas City Royals (46-85; last week: 28)

29. Baltimore Orioles (43-88, last week: 29)

30. Detroit Tigers (39-89, last week: 30)

The Tigers beat the Twins and the Astros this week, which is a very commendable performance. The Orioles beat the rays twice. The Marlins beat Philly twice. Sorry, picking small samples is the best I've got for these cellar dwellers.

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<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "Mike Oz& nbsp; is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Send him an e-mail to & nbsp;[email protected]& nbsp; or follow him on Twitter! & nbsp;Follow @mikeoz"data-reactid =" 115 ">Mike Oz is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Send him an e-mail to [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @mikeoz

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