Tigers Jump To No. 1 in Latest Power Rankings As They Continue To Lead the Charge
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For most of the season, the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Dodgers have swapped back and forth between first and second in the overall rankings.
After a great June and a 6-3 start to July, the latest power rankings by ESPN have put the Tigers back to the No. 1 spot with the Dodgers behind them.
Detroit is now 59-35 on the season and are closing in on their 60th win. They were the first team in the Majors to reach 30 wins, then 40 and then 50 with a three-game lead over Los Angeles in the race to 60.
The Dodgers were rightfully demoted in the latest rankings after they were handed an embarrassing sweep from the Houston Astros at home where they were outscored 29-6 on their own field.
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Detroit has a very comfortable lead in the American League Central division, as they’re 13 games ahead of the second-place Kansas City Royals and 13.5 games ahead of the Minnesota Twins.
The 32-15 record they have racked up at home is best in the AL and second-best in the Majors behind the New York Mets.
Teams notoriously perform better when they are at home, but the Tigers are also tough when they are on the road. They are the only team in the Majors to have more than 25 wins on their opponents' fields, with an overall record of 27-20 in away games.
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Their 108 positive run differential is second in the MLB only behind the Chicago Cubs, who are plus-117. Detroit is also one of only three teams to have over 100 in positive differential.
The Tigers are back in action on Friday against the Seattle Mariners for their final series before the All-Star break.
Surely they will reach the 60-win mark as they are 21-14 since June 1 and have not been swept yet this season.
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Maddy Dickens resides in Loveland, Colorado. She grew up with two older brothers, where their lives revolved around sports. She earned a master's degree in business management from Tarleton State University while simultaneously playing basketball and competing in rodeo at the collegiate level. She successfully parlayed a reserve national championship into a professional rodeo career and now stays involved in upper-level athletics by writing for On SI on several different MLB teams' pages, along with some NCAA sites.