The MLB’s same top dogs continue to lead the pack, while a few teams are heating up at just the right time. With pivotal head-to-head matchups on the horizon, this upcoming stretch could ultimately determine who’s dancing in October — and who’s watching from home.
10. Boston Red Sox (68-59, 3rd AL East)
The Sox have dropped seven of their last ten, and back-to-back losses to the Orioles bumped them from the top spot in the AL Wild Card race. Ahead of them lies a critical four-game stretch against the team that’s taken that position: the New York Yankees.
Boston has had New York’s number this year, winning five of six matchups. It’s a team they’ve dominated all season — but one that’s heating up, and one they can’t afford to slip against now.
9. Seattle Mariners (68-59, 2nd AL West)
The Mariners have followed up their eight-game winning streak by dropping six of their last seven. The pitching staff has unraveled during that stretch, allowing more than six runs per game.
Cal Raleigh continues to launch home runs at a historic pace, now just two shy of passing Salvador Perez for the most homers by a catcher in a single season. But he needs help — particularly from Eugenio Suarez, who has managing just a .543 OPS with two homers since joining the Mariners.
8. New York Yankees (68-57, 2nd AL East)
What a night the Yankees had in Tampa. They looked right at home at their spring training ballpark, launching nine home runs in a 13-3 thumping of the Rays on Wednesday — tying the single-game franchise record they first set earlier this season.
While the Yankees took turns trotting the bases, both Boston and Seattle lost. New York, winners of four straight and eight of their last 11, now holds sole possession of the top AL Wild Card spot.
7. San Diego Padres (70-56, 2nd NL West)
San Diego learned a hard lesson this week: trade deadline shopping sprees don’t guarantee dominance. The Padres coasted up to Los Angeles on Friday, having recently eclipsed the Dodgers for the top spot in the NL West — only to hand the lead right back after a three-game sweep.
Luckily, they won’t have to wait long for their rematch. The Padres get another three games against the Dodgers starting Friday — this time, on their home turf.
6. Chicago Cubs (72-54, 2nd NL Central)
August has not been kind to the Cubs. Potential MVP candidate Pete Crow-Armstrong is homer-less this month, posting a .448 OPS since the calendar flipped. And Kyle Tucker? His dreadful .381 OPS in August earned him a chorus of boos and a couple days off. Cubs fans desperately needed a reason to cheer. On Tuesday, they finally got one.
Chicago took both games of a doubleheader against their steaming-hot division rival, the Milwaukee Brewers. The Cubs, still seven games back in the NL Central, have two more tries at the Brewers at Wrigley starting Wednesday — and a chance to continue chipping away at the gap.
5. Detroit Tigers (75-53, 1st AL Central)
The Tigers fortified their bullpen by adding Nationals right-hander Kyle Finnegan at the trade deadline. He’s since shattered expectations, already notching four saves without allowing a single run since arriving in Detroit.
Paired with one of the game’s best starters, Tarik Skubal, Detroit’s dominant pitching staff has made life easy for the lineup. The Tigers have shut out Houston in back-to-back games — most recently walking them off in extras via a bases-loaded walk.
4. Toronto Blue Jays (74-53, 1st AL East)
The Blue Jays are just having fun at this point. On Friday night, Toronto held a one-run lead over the Rangers when Alejandro Kirk — whose sprint speed rivals that of Giancarlo Stanton — swiped second base for the first time in his six-year career.
Winners of six of their last nine games, Toronto has extended its AL East lead to five games over the Yankees. A favorable stretch lies ahead before they round out August with a showdown against the league-best Brewers.
3. Philadelphia Phillies (73-53, 1st NL East)
A rare storm cloud hovered over Philadelphia this week: ace Zack Wheeler was placed on the 15-day IL with a blood clot. The three-time All-Star — who was in contention for the National League Cy Young Award — underwent a procedure to remove the clot on Monday, and his timeline to return is unknown.
Even if Wheeler is sidelined for the rest of the year, the Phillies still have the tools to win it all. They’re loaded with rotational depth, the bullpen is lethal, and the lineup comprises some of the best hitters in the sport. Still, the potential loss of their ace casts a shadow over an otherwise sunny season outlook.
2. Los Angeles Dodgers (72-54, 1st NL West)
Even amid a disastrous skid, the Dodgers still find ways to win when it matters most. They had just been swept by the lowly Angels when they welcomed the Padres to town on Friday night, a team that clawed its way to the top of the NL West lead while Los Angeles spiraled.
Naturally, Los Angeles responded with a three-game sweep to reclaim the top spot in the division. But later this week, they’ll march into enemy territory for another three games in San Diego.
1. Milwaukee Brewers (79-47, 1st NL Central)
Here’s something that hadn’t happened in a couple of weeks: Milwaukee lost. The longest winning streak in Brewers history was capped at 14 after they dropped a game to the Reds on Sunday — marking just their fifth loss since the All-Star Break.
The club has stumbled slightly since then, dropping two more games to the division rival Cubs. But even a mini-skid – for their standards – isn’t enough to slow down the Brewers, who own the best record in baseball by a whopping five games.
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