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Yankees reclaim the top spot

As the Reds run away with the National League Central -- and have a chance to pound the proverbial nail in the Cardinals' coffin when they travel to St. Louis this weekend -- the NL's next two hottest teams haven't had the luxury of running away with anything. The Phillies and Braves trail only Cincinnati for league's best record since Aug. 1, during which time Atlanta has held onto its slim three-game lead over Philadelphia, which has overtaken San Francisco by 1-1/2 games.

Before the season the Braves were expected to ride their great pitching and the Phillies had the NL's best offense. But both have remodeled their games. The Braves have scored the league's most runs (162) since the beginning of August while the Phillies have allowed the fewest (92).

Atlanta's offense has perked up even without the services of third baseman Chipper Jones, who was lost for the year with an ACL tear. Omar Infante has excelled as an everyday player in his absence, and the Braves have received balanced contributions from the rest of the offense while waiting for newly acquired Derrek Lee to perk up.

Starter Roy Oswalt, who carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning Wednesday night, has been a big addition for Philadelphia. He's 4-1 with a 1.89 ERA in seven starts for the red and white. The bullpen improved, too, going from a 4.18 ERA through July 31 to 2.79 since. Thus pitching has carried the Phillies while their big bats, Ryan Howard and Chase Utley, slowly get back on track after time spent on the disabled list.

For now, the Braves and Phillies must be content to beat up on the rest of the league as they await their time to duke it out one-on-one. The anticipation should keep building until the season's final dozen games when they play each other six times.

MLB Power Rankings

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11 - 20

21 - 30

MLB Power Rankings

1 - 10

11 - 20

21 - 30

MLB Power Rankings

1 - 10

11 - 20

21 - 30