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.


Christian Colon #24 of the Kansas City Royals scores and is congratulated by manager Ned Yost #3 during the fifth inning of the game against the Detroit Tigers on September 20, 2015 at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan.
(Sept. 19, 2015 - Source: Leon Halip/Getty Images North America)

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.

MLB Power Rankings
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

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