Houston Astros Make Surprising Jump in Recent Power Rankings
This week, the Houston Astros reached new heights in Sports Illustrated's weekly MLB power rankings on Inside the Phillies. The Astros climbed into the top-5, claiming the no. 4 spot.
Houston entered last week sitting in the no. 6 spot. Dusty Baker's club went 4-2 for the week, winning both series they played, earning them a two-spot promotion in Monday's edition of the weekly power rankings.
The Astros went out to Baltimore and impressively took two of three games from the Orioles, who occupied the top spot in the power rankings for the previous two weeks. Consequently, the Orioles fell out of the top spot, and into the fifth spot, with the 'Stros leaping in front of the O's.
The Astros are 2.5 games back of the Texas Rangers for first place in the American League West, entering play Monday. The Rangers have won ten of their last 12 games, since the trade deadline. With the Rangers leading, Bruce Bochy's team finds itself one spot in front of the Astros, in this week's rankings.
Here's a look at the full top-10:
10) Chicago Cubs (61-57; +64 DIFF, 31-37 vs. >.500)
9) Philadelphia Phillies (65-54; +33 DIFF, 37-37 vs. >.500)
8) Milwaukee Brewers (65-54; +6 DIFF, 32-33 vs. >.500)
7) Seattle Mariners (63-54; +58 DIFF, 31-37 vs. >.500)
6) Tampa Bay Rays (71-49; +139 DIFF, 40-35 vs. >.500)
5) Baltimore Orioles (73-45; +65 DIFF, 47-36 vs. >.500)
4) Houston Astros (68-51; +86 DIFF, 30-34 vs. >.500)
3) Texas Rangers (70-48; +181 DIFF, 35-29 vs. >.500)
2) Los Angeles Dodgers (71-46; +136 DIFF, 32-30 vs. >.500)
1) Atlanta Braves (75-42; +193 DIFF, 40-25 vs. >.500)
The Astros have just one series remaining against the Rangers. The two clubs will meet in what should be a tight division race, the first week of September.
Both the Rangers and the Astros scored future Hall of Fame starting pitchers from the New York Mets before the deadline last week. The Rangers snagged Max Scherzer, while the Astros added Justin Verlander. The grizzled veterans were teammates in Detroit for the first half of the 2010s. Last winter, they were reunited, as Verlander signed a two-year contract with the Mets. As the Mets spiraled out of contention, its front office began clearing house, functioning as sellers at the trade deadline last week. Now, Verlander and Scherzer could pitch against each other with a division title on the line, in September.
Here's a look at the full, 30-team power rankings.
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