Add The California Post on Google Each week, the California Post will power rank MLB’s 30 teams and check in on one intriguing awards race. Records as of Saturday morning:
The Brewers have been getting good news on and off the field. In the standings, they have some breathing room for the best record in baseball. And in a major relief this week, they announced that Dustin May somehow avoided injury after taking a 106 mph comebacker off his shoulder in his last start. (Last week: 1st)
The Braves had been going in the wrong direction recently. But it was nothing a sweep of the Dodgers –– which was punctuated by Chris Sale’s shutout –– couldn’t fix. Also encouraging: AJ Smith-Shawver looked sharp in his return from injury. (Last week: 6th)
The Dodgers aren’t in a free-fall. But they are just 2-13 in the last month against opponents with winning records, and continue to scuffle offensively. Also, Shohei Ohtani still isn’t 100%, which has left his pitching status unclear. (Last week: 2nd)
Amid what has been a special season in their return to Tropicana Field, the Rays got good stadium news this week, after their planned new ballpark (and surrounding commercial district) was greenlit by the local government. Asking now that it be called Trop 2.0. (Last week:
George Lombard Jr. isn’t Derek Jeter yet, after making dubious history with errors in six-straight games. But the Yankees keep winning, and should be getting Aaron Judge and Company back from the IL soon. (Last week: 5th)
The Cubs are doing that thing again. Prone to extreme highs and lows all season, they are beginning to trend back in the wrong direction, going from a 9-2 stretch to start this month to a 5-9 slide since. That probably takes care of the NL Central hopes once and for all, and leaves them hoping to get hot again before October rolls around. (Last week: 3rd)
After all the twists and turns that came at the start of this season, the Phillies are finally beginning to entrench themselves in a playoff position, pulling three games clear of the wild-card cut line with an 8-2 run. (Last week: 7th)
The city of Boston is evidently ready for Roman Anthony to return to the majors. But for now, the Red Sox are continuing to cruise without him, entering this weekend’s pivotal Yankees showdown as winners of three series in a row. (Last week: 9th)
Welcome to the new Padres owners, who said they want to “live within their means” but also entered their introductory press conference to a custom-written –– and, if we’re being honest, rather cringy –– hype song. (Last week: 8th)
We’re glad Pope Leo XIV got his promotional White Sox pope hat. That said, it might be time to finally give the “The Pope loves the White Sox” thing a rest –– at least until there is another World Series game on the South Side for him to attend. (Last week: 10th)
The Ketel Marte saga continues to drag on, with the latest developments including a late-night casino excursion, some questionable clubhouse behavior and more somber reporting about tragedies happening in his personal life. At some point, though, the Dbacks will probably need him back, as they try to climb back into a wild-card place. (Last week: 11th)
The whiplash-inducing experience that is the AL Wild Card continues, with the Guardians becoming the latest big movers thanks to an eight-wins-in-10-games stretch. That’s given them a two-game lead for the final playoff spot –– which feels like a massive cushion compared to the bunched way the standings have been. (Last week: 19th)
The Marlins sparked an industry-wide debate this week by slashing their pro scouting department and dusting off a familiar nerds vs. traditionalists discussion. Their bigger problem, though, is that their MLB roster continues to sputter, leaving their playoff hopes on life support entering September. (Last week: 14th)
The Cardinals were interesting for so much of this year. Now, they are simply playing out the stretch in hopes of returning to contention in 2026. (Last week: 13th)
Every time the Rangers appear to be turning a corner, they do something like this week: Losing three games in a row in which they were outscored by 15 runs. The state of the AL standings means they still have a shot at October. But they continue to play like something far less than a postseason-caliber squad. (Last week: 15th)
Pete Alonso is still doing all he can to keep the Orioles’ October dreams alive, improving his August slash line to .358/.419/.674 with nine home runs after another strong week. The O’s, however, still need every bit of it, having only managed a 12-13 record amid Alonso’s recent surge. (Last week: 18th)
Last year, the Blue Jays and Mariners were playing for a spot in the World Series. This weekend, their meeting in Seattle feels more like a last-ditch effort from both teams to remain in the postseason hunt. (Last week: 17th)
Two weeks ago, the Mariners suffered a 22-0 loss. This past week, their worst defeat was only 19-2. We’ll consider that progress! More seriously, they did win back-to-back series to at least stay within striking distance in the AL West race. (Last week: 21st)
Our national emergency is over. Paul Skenes had a quality start (six scoreless innings in San Diego) for the first time in six weeks. Unfortunately for the Pirates, it has come too late to likely save their season. (Last week: 20th)
Just when we were finally buying the Twins as playoff contenders, they got swept by the Padres and lost a series to the lowly Athletics. Oh, and Byron Buxton might need surgery this offseason. It appears midnight has struck on their Cinderella campaign. (Last week: 16th)
A tip of the cap to 27-year-old rookie Erik Tolman, who overcame a nearly debilitating leg injury a few years ago to make his MLB debut with the Washington Nationals this week, with three scoreless appearances to boot. (Last week: 23rd)
The Reds have become this year’s “see-who-can-dangle-on-waivers” club, making Eugenio Suarez and TJ Friedl quietly available this week. Only, it wasn’t quiet enough for manager Terry Francona, who was none too pleased to see that news get leaked. (Last week: 24th)
Were those “boos,” or “Scoobs” that some fans showered on Tarik Skubal? Regardless, the majority of the crowd at Comerica Park on Friday night received their former ace pitcher warmly –– even though his return with the Dodgers was another reminder of how wrong this season has gone. (Last week: 22nd)
As the Post’s Jon Heyman wrote this week, Alex Cora remains the home-run candidate in the Mets’ upcoming managerial search. But current interim Andy Green is certainly looking like a strong option, too, if he wants to be. Even after their deadline sell-off, the club has a winning record under his direction in August. (Last week: 25th)
Despite an out-of-nowhere 11-1 run, the Royals don’t have any chance of getting back in the playoff … right? A quick check of Fangraphs’ computer models show, no, not really, with playoff odds of 0.1%. (Last week: 26th)
Not that it matters much at this stage, but shortstop Willy Adames’ already disappointing season is in danger of coming to a premature end because of an elbow injury. Just another setback in a Giants season that has been full of them –– and can’t end soon enough. (Last week: 27th)
It was reverse celebration week in Denver, where the Rockies have clinched their eighth losing season in a row. That streak is the second-longest in the majors, only topped by the… (Last week: 28th)
Maybe John Mozeliak was on to something. Ever since the interim Angels general manager fired the club’s old pitching coaches a couple weeks ago (for not utilizing analytics the way he wanted), the club ranks fourth in the majors in team ERA. Not that it’s helped them avoid a recent five-game losing streak, or a 10th-straight year with a losing record. (Last week: 29th)
The A’s have only clinched a fifth-straight losing season, but they are starting to feel as helpless as their hapless companions at the bottom of this list. (Last week: 30th)
Award Tracker: National League MVP
1) Pete Crow-Armstrong (.277 average, 33 home runs, 83 RBIs, .923 OPS)
We had been reluctant to move PCA past Ohtani in previous iterations of these check-ins. But with Ohtani’s pitching status remaining unclear, and Crow-Armstrong now owning a better OPS and nearly two more full wins-above-replacement (8.6 to 6.9, per Fangraphs), it’s starting to look likelier that Ohtani’s three-year MVP streak will be snapped.
2) Shohei Ohtani (.283 average, 30 home runs, 80 RBIs, .921 OPS)
While Ohtani’s uncertain pitching status isn’t helping him, neither is a recent slump at the plate, with the slugger entering Saturday 4-for-31 over his last eight games. If Ohtani is going to beat PCA in the MVP race, his offensive numbers will have to be decidedly better. Right now, they are starting to become worse instead.
3) Jacob Misiorowski (14-5 record, 1.73 ERA, 222 strikeouts, 151 innings)
This MVP race has become such a two-man show, that the rest of the field is open enough for a pitcher like Misiorowski to finish higher than normal. For reference, after Crow-Armstrong and Ohtani, the next closest NL position players by WAR are Otto Lopez (4.7) and Corbin Carroll (4.5). Misiorowski’s standout season, meanwhile, has been worth 5.7.
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