Yahoo Movies MLB power rankings: Mets, Braves meet again while Phillies surge in roller-coaster NL East
Barely a week after a five-game series in New York, the Mets and Atlanta Braves face off for another four starting Monday, a crucial set that will help decide who wins the National League East.
The Mets have a 5 ½-game lead entering Monday and won four of the five at Citi Field. The Braves haven't lost a game since, winning six in a row last week to pick up 1 ½ games.
New York took two of three over the weekend from the Philadelphia Phillies, who had won seven of eight to establish a firm hold on the NL's third wild-card spot. They'll meet again this upcoming weekend for four more in Philadelphia.
Here's how USA TODAY Sports' eight-person panel voted this week:
Rank (movement from last week)
1. Los Angeles Dodgers (–)
Dustin May, out since May 2021 due to Tommy John surgery, set to return in the next week.
2. Houston Astros (–)
Alex Bregman hitting .333 (28-for-84) with a 1.001 OPS since the All-Star break.
3. New York Mets (–)
Francisco Lindor breaks Jose Reyes' single-season franchise SS record with his 82nd RBI of 2022.
4. New York Yankees (–)
Team's .221 average in August ranks in the bottom half of the AL.
5. Atlanta Braves (–)
Riding a six-game winning streak into big four-game set vs. Mets at Truist Park.
6. Philadelphia Phillies (+3)
10 of the Phillies' next 14 games are against the Reds and Pirates.
7. San Diego Padres (-1)
With PED suspension, Fernando Tatis Jr. will officially miss the entirety of his age 23 season.
8. St. Louis Cardinals (–)
With two homers Sunday vs. Brewers, Albert Pujols enters the week with 689 in his career.
9. Toronto Blue Jays (-2)
Jose Berrios has given up an AL-worst 26 home runs in his 23 starts.
10. Seattle Mariners (–)
George Kirby has a 2.18 ERA with 24 strikeouts and only three walks in his last four starts.
11. Milwaukee Brewers (+1)
Trevor Rosenthal, acquired from the Giants, nearing the start a rehab assignment.
12. Tampa Bay Rays (+1)
Drew Rasmussen took a perfect game into the ninth inning on Sunday vs. Baltimore.
13. Cleveland Guardians (+2)
Having won seven of eight, Cleveland enters Monday with a 2 ½-game lead in the AL Central.
14. Baltimore Orioles (–)
Anthony Santander (.341 average past 30 days) and Jorge Mateo (.338) have been on fire.
15. Minnesota Twins (-4)
Fading in playoff race, Twins need to win vs. Royals, Rangers in seven-game homestand.
16. Chicago White Sox (–)
Andrew Vaughn is hitting .351 with a .999 OPS in his last 15 games.
17. San Francisco Giants (+1)
Entering the week six games out of the NL's third wild-card spot.
18. Boston Red Sox (-1)
Only 4 ½ games back in the wild-card, but there's three other teams ahead of them.
19. Texas Rangers (–)
Corey Seager has already tied his career high with 26 home runs.
20. Arizona Diamondbacks (+1)
Tough week ahead with series against Giants and Cardinals.
21. Miami Marlins (-1)
Edward Cabrera tosses 10 ⅔ scoreless innings in his first two starts off the IL.
22. Los Angeles Angels (+1)
Injured Mike Trout taking batting practice, will face live pitching in the coming days.
23. Colorado Rockies (-1)
Shortstop Jose Iglesias is hitting .368 in his last 30 games.
24. Chicago Cubs (–)
"This is not the type of baseball Cubs fans deserve," owner Tom Ricketts told ESPN.
25. Cincinnati Reds (–)
Joey Votto on Nick Lodolo: “In my opinion, he’s got as much potential as any of the young starters of ours."
26. Pittsburgh Pirates (+1)
Right-hander Mitch Keller has a 2.45 ERA in his last five starts.
27. Detroit Tigers (-1)
General manager Al Avila fired after seven seasons.
28. Kansas City Royals (–)
They've been playing around .500 ball for the past two months.
29. Oakland Athletics (–)
Jed Lowrie designated for assignment by Oakland.
30. Washington Nationals (–)
Shortstop C.J. Abrams (Soto trade) getting called up after Luis Garcia's injury.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB power rankings: Mets-Braves showdown, Phillies surge in NL East
