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Nationals(2-5)
01/03/19 at 02:18:35
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The 2018 MLB season is rapidly winding to a close Javier Baez Jersey , as we are now just six weeks from the start of the postseason. With 16 teams still sporting a winning record and four division titles and four wild-card spots still very much up for grabs, there's still a lot left to be decided between now and the beginning of the playoffs.For now, just remember that these rankings are fluid. Teams rise and fall based on where they were ranked the previous week. If a team keeps winning, it will keep climbing鈥攊t's as simple as that.Here's where all 30 teams stand heading into the rest of this week's action:Updated Rankings1 Boston Red Sox (88-37)2 New York Yankees (78-46)3 Oakland Athletics (74-50)24 Houston Astros (75-49)15 Chicago Cubs (71-52)16 Cleveland Indians (71-52)17 Arizona Diamondbacks (69-56)28 Colorado Rockies (68-56)79 St. Louis Cardinals (68-57)410 Atlanta Braves (68-55)211 Los Angeles Dodgers (67-58)112 Seattle Mariners (71-54)613 Milwaukee Brewers (69-57)214 Philadelphia Phillies (68-56)215 Tampa Bay Rays (63-61)216 Pittsburgh Pirates (63-62)217 Los Angeles Angels (63-63)218 Minnesota Twins (59-64)419 Texas Rangers (56-70)220 Washington Nationals (62-63)421 San Francisco Giants (61-64)322 New York Mets (54-69)223 Cincinnati Reds (55-69)224 Toronto Blue Jays (55-69)125 San Diego Padres (49-78)526 Chicago White Sox (46-77)227 Miami Marlins (50-76)28 Detroit Tigers (51-74)229 Kansas City Royals (38-86)30 Baltimore Orioles (37-87) Teams That ImpressedJack Flaherty has been dominant for the St. Louis Cardinals this month.Colin E. Braley/Associated PressHere come theColorado Rockies.With an 8-1 record in their last nine games, they've gone from 3.5 games back in the wild-card standings to tied with Philadelphia and Milwaukee for the right to host the Wild Card Game.Trevor Story continues to swing a hot bat with a .310/.333/.634 line in August that includes six more home runs to bring his season total to 26. On the mound, Kyle Freeland sports a 2.13 ERA in four starts this month, and he's quietly been one of the NL's best starters all season, going 11-7 with a 2.96 ERA in 25 starts.TheSt. Louis Cardinalsare the other team charging hard on the NL side.With a 14-4 record and plus-43 run differential in August, they've climbed right back into the race for both a wild-card spot and the NL Central title, and series wins against the Washington Nationals and Milwaukee Brewers this past week only furthered their cause.Young right-hander Jack Flaherty is 3-0 with a 0.95 ERA and 0.84 WHIP in three starts this month, while Jose Martinez is hitting a robust .400/.450/.527 to bring his season batting line to .308/.369/.468 overall.That being said, no team had a better week than theOakland Athletics.By taking two of three against the Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros, they are just one game back in the AL West standings. And they avenged some early-season struggles against the reigning World Series champions.This Oakland team is the real deal, and while it's going to have its hands full catching up to and holding off the Astros, it's in a great position to secure the second wild-card spot and reach the postseason for the first time since 2014.TheCleveland Indians(5-1),Minnesota Twins(5-1) andChicago White Sox(4-2) were the only other teams to win both of their series last week, as for one brief span, the AL Central didn't look quite so feeble. The only logical explanation is that they read this article from Zachary Rymer and were inspired.Teams That DisappointedMariners manager Scott ServaisLindsey Wasson/Getty ImagesTheSeattle Marinerssuffered series losses to the Athletics and Los Angeles Dodgers last week, and in the process, they slipped further out of the wild-card picture.It's essentially a two-horse race between the A's and M's for the second AL wild-card spot, which makes a head-to-head series loss that much more painful. The Mariners have been hanging on by a thread all season, as evidenced by their minus-42 run differential, and last week could be the beginning of the slide.On the NL side Kyle Schwarber Jersey , theMilwaukee Brewerscontinued their tumble down the rankings with a weekend series loss to the division-rival Cardinals.That gives the Brew Crew a 6-10 record and minus-31 run differential for the month. They are 3.5 games back in the NL Central race and tied for the wild card.ThePittsburgh Pirates(2-4),Washington Nationals(2-5) andSan Francisco Giants(2-4) all saw their slim playoff hopes take a hit with losing weeks.They now have a combined 19.6 percent chance to secure a postseason berth, according to the latest projections from FanGraphs. MVPs of the WeekHitter:Ronald Acuna Jr., Atlanta BravesStats:13-for-28, 2 2B, 4 HR, 9 RBI, 11 R, 3 SBIt was quite the week for Braves rookie phenom Ronald Acuna.The 20-year-old tied a franchise record
  
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