With nearly all playoff contenders struggling since the All-Star break, there is still a lot to be resolved in the final weeks of the Major League Baseball season.
However, one thing is almost certain: there will be no repeat champions in the 24th season in a row.
The Texas Rangers faced two potential playoff clubs last week and got squashed, losing two of three games at Boston’s Fenway Park before returning home and blowing four leads against the Minnesota Twins and losing three of the games. And now it’s virtually impossible for the 57-68 club to qualify for the postseason.
The Rangers dropped to No. 23 in USA TODAY Sports’ Power Rankings, befitting a club that now sits 11th in the American League — behind even the Toronto Blue Jays — and 13 games out of a playoff spot. Their chances of making the playoffs are 0.2%, according to FanGraphs.
That’s the case for manager Bruce Bochy, who won three titles with the San Francisco Giants ten years ago, but did so every two years, which shows how difficult it is to win two titles in a row. This time, it’s mainly due to injuries to pitchers and a certain decline in the number of starters. After winning 90 games and the World Series last season, the club would be good to get to .500 by the end of the season.
But the likelihood of a repeat has virtually disappeared.
A look at our updated rankings:
1. Philadelphia Phillies (+2)
- Cristopher Sanchez recovers with a full-game performance.
2. New York Yankees (+1)
- Jasson Dominguez returned to the major leagues for the first time in nearly a year, as the 27th man for the Little League Classic.
3. Baltimore Orioles (-2)
- Gunnar Henderson’s awakening: Four home runs in his last five games after hitting just one in the previous 23.
4. Cleveland Guardians (-)
- Emmanuel Clase saves four games in a row, now has 37 and an ERA of 0.64.
5. Los Angeles Dodgers (-)
- Shohei Ohtani is hitting home runs and still missing – seven home runs, .174 average this month.
6. Milwaukee Brewers (-)
- The lead is now 11 games over the Cardinals – the largest among the division leaders.
7. Minnesota Twins (-)
- Thirty-three wins after coming from behind.
8. San Diego Padres (-)
- Winning eight consecutive series set a franchise record.
9. Kansas City Royals (-)
- Bobby Witt Jr. joins Bo Jackson and Carlos Beltran as the only Royals players with consecutive 25–25 seasons.
10. Arizona Diamondbacks (-)
- First series lost in Tampa Bay since June.
11. Houston Astros (-)
- Justin Verlander is scheduled to return on Wednesday.
12. Boston Red Sox (-)
- With the return of Triston Casas and Tyler O’Neill, the lineup is nearly complete for the first time since April.
13. Atlanta Braves (-)
- A 6-1 away record on the west coast stabilizes the situation for the time being.
14. New York Mets (+1)
15. Seattle Mariners (-1)
- From 10 back to 4 in exactly two months.
16. Tampa Bay Rays (+2)
- Jose Siri sat on the bench for three games in a row after problems with his resilience.
17. San Francisco Giants (-1)
- They collapsed in the showdown series against the Braves, scoring five runs in three losses.
18. St. Louis Cardinals (-1)
- Class AA starter Quinn Mathews leads the Minors with 168 strikeouts.
19. Chicago Cubs (-)
- Returning to Cleveland for the first time since 2016. Little has changed since then.
20. Detroit Tigers (+3)
- The role of spoiler may suit them, as the Mariners and Yankees found out.
21. Cincinnati Reds (+1)
- Hunter Greene’s dangerous elbow strike further dampens the playoff flames.
22. Pittsburgh Pirates (-2)
- Andrew McCutchen is placed on the injured list due to knee inflammation.
23. Texas Rangers (-2)
- Jacob deGrom is scheduled to begin rehab.
24. Toronto Blue Jays (-)
- Joey Loperfido hits his first home run as a Jay.
25. Washington Nationals (-)
- CJ Abrams is tied with Elly De La Cruz with five games with three steals since 2023.
26. Oakland Athletics (+1)
- Osvaldo Bido – The Osvaldo Bido – has thrown six scoreless innings in two consecutive starts.
27. Los Angeles Angels (-1)
- Christian Moore, drafted last month, is completing 11 of 20 passes in a week in Class AA.
28. Miami Marlins (-)
- Xavier Edwards has 11 multi-hit games since the All-Star break.
29. Colorado Rockies (-)
- Elias Díaz goes from All-Star Game MVP to free agent in 13 months.
30. Chicago White Sox (-)
- 2-6 in the Grady Sizemore era. Hey, it’s a little better.
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