The season has come down to the final two weeks and all eyes are on the tight races in the AL East, AL West, and the AL Wild Card.
The St. Louis Cardinals, remain number one in the power rankings again this week, becoming the first team to clinch a playoff berth. The third-ranked Kansas City Royals are set to become the first team to clinch a division title as they enter the week with a 11-game lead over 14th-ranked Minnesota Twins in the AL Central.
Who is on top? #1 St. Louis Cardinals (93-56, 1st NL Central). The Cardinals have been on top of the baseball world all season and have a division title within reach. Sitting four-games in front of the second-ranked Pittsburgh Pirates, the Cardinals will close out their home schedule this week with two, three-game series against the 25th-ranked Cincinnati Reds and 27th-ranked Milwaukee Brewers.
A three-game showdown with the Pirates next week looms large, but the Cardinals can't overlook this week's schedule or they will find their division title hopes in jeopardy.
Who is rising high? #4 Chicago Cubs (87-62, 3rd NL Central). A postseason spot is looking very good for the Cubs as they currently sit with the second wild card spot, nine-games ahead of the 10th-ranked Washington Nationals and 13th-ranked San Francisco Giants. The Cubs are 2.5 games back of the Pirates for the first wild card, and will host their division rival in a three-game series this weekend.
Who is falling fast? #11 Houston Astros (79-71, 2nd AL West). The Astros were riding high in the AL West until September arrived, and they have been falling ever since. The Astros have tumbled out of first place and currently sit 1.5 games behind ninth-ranked Texas Rangers.
The Astros are 3-7 over their last 10 games and will need to right the ship fast. This week will determine the Astros playoff chances with three games against 12th-ranked Los Angeles Angels and three with the Rangers in the final homestand of the year. Houston holds a 2.5 game lead over the Angels for the second wild card.
Who is bringing up the rear? #30 Philadelphia Phillies (56-94, 5th NL East). The Phillies are looking ahead to 2016 and with that in mind they decided to shut down left-handed starting pitcher Adam Morgan for the rest of the season. Morgan was sidelined in 2014 after undergoing shoulder surgery.
Morgan ends 2015 with a record of 5-7 with a 4.48 ERA in 15 starts.
Rank | Team | Overall Record | Last Week |
1 | St. Louis Cardinals | 93-56 | 4-2 |
2 | Pittsburgh Pirates | 89-60 | 3-4 |
3 | Kansas City Royals | 87-62 | 3-4 |
4 | Chicago Cubs | 87-62 | 5-2 |
5 | Toronto Blue Jays | 85-64 | 3-3 |
6 | Los Angeles Dodgers | 85-63 | 3-3 |
7 | New York Mets | 84-65 | 2-4 |
8 | New York Yankees | 82-66 | 4-2 |
9 | Texas Rangers | 80-69 | 5-2 |
10 | Washington Nationals | 78-71 | 6-1 |
11 | Houston Astros | 79-71 | 2-5 |
12 | Los Angeles Angels | 76-73 | 4-3 |
13 | San Francisco Giants | 78-71 | 3-3 |
14 | Minnesota Twins | 76-73 | 2-5 |
15 | Cleveland Indians | 74-74 | 4-3 |
16 | Seattle Mariners | 73-77 | 4-2 |
17 | Baltimore Orioles | 73-76 | 4-3 |
18 | Boston Red Sox | 71-77 | 3-3 |
19 | Tampa Bay Rays | 72-77 | 3-4 |
20 | Arizona Diamondbacks | 71-78 | 3-3 |
21 | Chicago White Sox | 70-78 | 3-4 |
22 | Detroit Tigers | 69-79 | 4-2 |
23 | San Diego Padres | 70-80 | 3-3 |
24 | Oakland Athletics | 64-86 | 3-4 |
25 | Cincinnati Reds | 63-85 | 3-3 |
26 | Colorado Rockies | 63-86 | 3-3 |
27 | Milwaukee Brewers | 63-86 | 1-5 |
28 | Miami Marlins | 64-86 | 3-4 |
29 | Atlanta Braves | 60-90 | 4-2 |
30 | Philadelphia Phillies | 56-94 | 1-6 |