Houston Astros See Dramatic Fall in Power Rankings
This week, the Houston Astros dropped out of the top-5 in Sports Illustrated's weekly MLB power rankings on Inside the Phillies.
In Monday's edition of the power rankings, the Astros fell two spots, now standing as the 6th-best team in Major League Baseball. Houston placed in the number four spot a week prior.
The Astros started last week strong, taking two of three from the Marlins in Miami. The wheels came off over the weekend, as Houston was swept at home by the red-hot Seattle Mariners. The M's have won 21 of their last 28 games, and now only trail the Astros by a half-game. The sweep moved the Mariners into the number five spot, placing them in front of the Astros for the first time all season.
The Mariners enter the new week as the highest-ranked AL West team, in what is quickly shaping up to be a thrilling three-team division race. Since June 6, the division-leading Texas Rangers are 32-32. Texas has been an average team, playing .500 baseball, for the past two and a half months.
The Astros will try to snap their three-game losing streak Monday, when they open a four-game stand against the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox are hot off a sweep of the New York Yankees.
10) Philadelphia Phillies (67-57; +44 DIFF, 37-36 vs. >.500)
9) Toronto Blue Jays (69-56; +62 DIFF, 37-40 vs. >.500)
8) Texas Rangers (72-52; +185 DIFF, 31-29 vs. >.500)
7) Milwaukee Brewers (68-57; +5 DIFF, 35-36 vs. >.500)
6) Houston Astros (70-55; +80 DIFF, 30-36 vs. >.500)
5) Seattle Mariners (69-55; +72 DIFF, 32-33 vs. >.500)
4) Tampa Bay Rays (75-51; +161 DIFF, 36-32 vs. >.500)
3) Baltimore Orioles (77-47; +79 DIFF, 40-30 vs. >.500)
2) Los Angeles Dodgers (76-47; +143 DIFF, 36-29 vs. >.500)
1) Atlanta Braves (80-43; +212 DIFF, 42-26 vs. >.500)
Here's a look at the full, 30-team power rankings.
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