In every hero journey, there has to be a point in the story where the main character has to struggle with adversity before eventually emerging victorious. That’s the only explanation I can come up with for the recent swoon we’ve witnessed from the LA Dodgers, who are supposed to be the greatest baseball team ever assembled.
It has to be something contrived in Hollywood to build some level of interest and suspense, right? OK, maybe a 7-game losing streak isn’t exactly “The Empire Strikes Back”, but it’s probably as close as we are going to get this season.
I must do my part and play along, and for that reason I have knocked the Dodgers down from the top spot in my overall MLB power rankings for this week. How far have they fallen? Let’s dig in and find out.
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Rankings 30-25
#30: Los Angeles Angels. If the Dodgers are the equivalent of Luke Skywalker in my above-mentioned “Hero Journey” analogy, this team is Jar-Jar Binks.
#29: The Athletics. They made it all the way to the bottom of the standings, even below the Angels. I am only ranking them one spot ahead because they have lost Nick Kurtz and Brent Rooker to injuries and they’re still trying.
#28: Colorado Rockies. Still the worst team in the NL, just playing out the season.
#27: Kansas City Royals. Things have been bad in K.C. this season. So forgive me if the Dodgers breaking a 7-game losing streak by sweeping the Royals didn’t impress me. Injuries have ruined this season for the Royals.
#26: San Francisco Giants. They’ve lost 7 of their last 10 games. Buster Posey will have them back next year, but this year is lost.
#25: New York Mets. They’re playing their best ball of the season, but it doesn’t really matter. Unless the goal is 75 wins.
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Rankings 24-19
#24: Baltimore Orioles. Sitting at the bottom of the AL East, just playing out the season.
#23: Toronto Blue Jays. Tied with the Orioles, 16.5 games back. Vlad may be all alone on this squad next year.
#22: Seattle Mariners. This would be a bottom 5 team if they didn’t play in the West. Their record stinks, but they still have a mathematical chance at winning the division.
#21: Pittsburgh Pirates. It makes me sad that this team actually made some moves to improve and then took a nose dive. 7 losses in their last 10 games have landed them at the bottom of the NL Central standings.
#20: Cincinnati Reds. Tito Francona has this team scrapping every night, but they’re too far back to have any serious hopes for an NL Wild Card spot.
#19: Washington Nationals. Losing James Wood for an extended period of time sucked the air out of the balloon in DC. They will be interesting to watch next year.
Rankings 18-13
#18: Cleveland Guardians. The AL Central is tight, and losing 7 of their last 10 games has caused the Guardians to fall to 4th in the race.
#17: Minnesota Twins. Another team that bought at the deadline and has a losing record since. This doesn’t bode well for future deadline decision makers.
#16: Detroit Tigers. Plot twist. The Tigers are 7-3 over their last 10 games and are now in the final wild card spot in the AL. The Tigers now have the best run differential in the AL at +90. I guess they just had to rid themselves of the Skubal guy.
#15: St. Louis Cardinals. The Cards have woken back up, winning 7 of 9 over a recent stretch to get back over .500. There are still a bunch of teams between them and the final NL Wild Card Spot.
#14: Miami Marlins. The Fish are hanging tough, despite trading away a few key players at the deadline. Still just 2.5 games out of the last wild card spot.
#13: Texas Rangers. Still under .500, but just 2 games out of first place in the West and a half game out of the final Wild Card spot.
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Rankings 12-6
#12: Arizona Diamondbacks. Just a half game behind the Phillies for the last NL Wild Card spot.
#11: Houston Astros. They lead the division, despite being just barely above .500. Somebody is going to hate having to play them in the postseason.
#10: San Diego Padres. A recent 5-game win streak has them in the #2 spot in the NL Wild Card race.
#9: Philadelphia Phillies. They have stagnated a bit over the past month, but still sit in one of the 3 NL Wild Card spots. The talent is there for a postseason run, but they will have to start playing better.
#8: Boston Red Sox. Boston was probably wondering: “What is that giant orb hurtling towards our heads?” Oh nothing, just the Earth getting bigger as they came crashing back down after flying ridiculously high for over a month. They are still right in the mix for the playoffs.
#7: Chicago White Sox. This team has been in first place for over a month now, so maybe this is really happening. Nothing is a given since the whole AL is bunched together, but these guys are steering the ship right now.
#6: New York Yankees. The team will be a problem in the playoffs if they get everybody healthy. George Lombard has been a breath of fresh air, and the Yankees seem to have righted the ship while they await the return of Judge and Bellinger.
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Top 5
#5: Chicago Cubs. They have won 8 of 9 games recently and have clawed their way within 4 games of the Brewers, while stretching their lead for the top Wild Card spot. The playoffs are happening on both sides of Chicago as of now.
#4: Los Angeles Dodgers. They not only fell from the top spot, but they also didn’t even make the podium. Their “Heroes Journey” has officially hit a snag, and that snag looks like their closer. The plan was to win the World Series while dancing to the live trumpeter blasting “Timmy Trumpets”. It might be time to reconsider the soundtrack.
#3: Atlanta Braves. Nothing to see here, just the Braves doing what the Braves always do. They are coasting to the playoffs, 9 games ahead in the division. I sure hope Chris Sale can pitch every other day in October; otherwise, they may regret being so complacent at the deadline.
#2: Milwaukee Brewers. They have been at #2 for quite some time, and while Jacob Misiorowski is easily the most exciting pitcher in the game, the team is giving me “Bride’s Maid” vibes. They don’t have the 2nd best run differential in baseball by accident, so they are clearly very good, as evidenced by their 2nd best overall record. I just feel like I am saying “2nd best” a lot with them.
#1: Tampa Bay Rays. Behold, the best team in baseball! I’m sorry I ever doubted this team. A 9-game winning streak has them comfortably ahead of both New York and Boston. I’m not sure what else they have to do to get fans to come out to see them play. Between the great baseball and the free air conditioning, you would think the good people of Tampa would be lining up to get in.
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