Major League Baseball Power Rankings

In this week's Major League Baseball Power Rankings: The (1) Oakland Athletics staved off a hard challenge from a division rival to hold on to the top spot for one more week. The only new member of the top 10 comes at the tenth position as the (10) St.Louis Cardinals move once again ahead of the (11) San Francisco Giants.

At the top: The Athletics continue to hold on to the top spot in the power ranking this week. The challenge from the (2) Los Angeles Angels, who currently hold the AL West division lead by one game over the Athletics and baseball's best record, was pushed back a bit after the Athletics took two of three in their weekend series in Oakland. The two teams will face each other again in a four game series this coming weekend in Anaheim. The outcome of the coming series will go a long way in determining if the Athletics stay #1.

Curt Young #41 of the Oakland Athletics and Derek Norris #36 talk to Scott Kazmir #26 on the pitchers mound during the third inning against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at O.co Coliseum on August 24, 2014 in Oakland, California.
(August 23, 2014 - Source: Jason O. Watson/Getty Images North America)

Biggest rise: The (22) Chicago Cubs put together an impressive week against quality opponents to rise three spots in the rankings to #22. The Cubs went 5-2, including a four game series against the AL East leading (4) Baltimore Orioles. The Cubs will have much to say about the National League playoff picture come September as they have 19 games remaining in the month against the (8) Milwaukee Brewers, Cardinals, (15) Pittsburgh Pirates, and (5) Los Angeles Dodgers.

Hector Rondon #56 (L) and Welington Castillo #5 of the Chicago Cubs celebrate a win against the Baltimore Orioles at Wrigley Field on August 24, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. The Cubs defeated the Orioles 2-1.
(August 23, 2014 - Source: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images North America)
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Biggest Fall: The (8) Brewers took the biggest fall in the rankings, falling three spots this week to #8. The Brewers, who lead the NL Central by 1 1/2 games over the Cardinals went 2-3 during the week. They began the week with a split of their two game interleague series with the (16) Toronto Blue Jays before dropping two of three to division rival Pittsburgh. The Brewers' pitching suffered in their three losses as they were outscored 27-10.

MILWAUKEE, WI - August 23: Wiley Peralta #38 of the Milwaukee Brewers on the mound as Pedro Alvarez #24 of the Pittsburg Pirates rounds third with his second homer of the night at Miller Park on August 8, 2014 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
(August 22, 2014 - Source: Tom Lynn/Getty Images North America)

At the bottom: The Rangers remain the #30 team in the rankings for another week. The (29) Colorado Rockies have opened a two game separation with the Rangers who seem to have settled into the bottom spot for the remainder of the season.

**Major League Baseball Power Rankings**
Rank	Last Week	Team	Record	L10
1	1	Oakland Athletics	76-53	3-7
2	2	Los Angeles Angels	77-52	7-3
3	3	Washington Nationals	75-54	9-1
4	4	Baltimore Orioles	73-55	5-5
5	6	Los Angeles Dodgers	74-58	5-5
6	7	Seattle Mariners	71-58	7-3
7	8	Kansas City Royals	72-57	7-3
8	5	Milwaukee Brewers	72-58	6-4
9	9	Detroit Tigers	70-59	5-5
10	11	St. Louis Cardinals	70-59	7-3
11	10	San Francisco Giants	68-61	6-4
12	12	Atlanta Braves	68-63	7-3
13	14	New York Yankees	67-61	6-4
14	15	Cleveland Indians	66-63	6-4
15	13	Pittsburgh Pirates	67-63	3-7
16	16	Toronto Blue Jays	66-64	3-7
17	17	Tampa Bay Rays	64-66	5-5
18	19	Miami Marlins	64-65	5-5
19	18	Cincinnati Reds	63-68	3-7
20	20	New York Mets	61-70	4-6
21	21	San Diego Padres	60-69	3-7
22	25	Chicago Cubs	58-72	6-4
23	23	Minnesota Twins	58-72	4-6
24	22	Chicago White Sox	59-71	2-8
25	26	Philadelphia Phillies	58-72	5-5
26	24	Boston Red Sox	56-74	1-9
27	28	Houston Astros	55-76	5-5
28	27	Arizona Diamondbacks	55-76	3-7
29	29	Colorado Rockies	52-77	6-4
30	30	Texas Rangers	50-79	3-7