The NL playoff race is coming into focus...at least with the teams we're talking about. The Cubs have long since looked like the team for that second wild card spot, but now it's even more likely as they enter play after the holiday weekend up 8.5 games on the Nationals and nine games on the Giants. The Giants also trail the Dodgers by a hefty margin and the Nationals have some work to do if they want to catch the Mets in the NL East, which looks like maybe the only way they can enter the postseason tournament. The biggest question in the NL right now is: Can the Pirates hold on to home-field advantage in the wild card game?
With that comes another week of MLB Power Rankings from CSNChicago.com's Tony Andracki and JJ Stankevitz. Stay with us every Monday from here through October for a fresh set of rankings.
Stay tuned for updated rankings every Monday throughout the 2015 campaign. Here's where we're at so far: Preseason rankings | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Week 12 | Week 13 | Week 14 | Week 15 | Week 16 | Week 17 | Week 18 | Week 19 | Week 20
| Rank | Team |
Last Week | Comment |
| 1 | 1 |
At some point, all these injuries and losses will have to catch up with them. Is it happening now, losing 3 of 4 to inter-division teams? |
|
| 2 | 2 |
Johnny Cueto’s gotta do better than his 4.86 ERA (in eight starts) once Kansas City gets into the playoffs. |
|
| 3 | 3 |
Did well to take 2 of 3 in STL, but they are certainly looking over their shoulder at the Cubs bearing down full speed ahead. |
|
| 4 | 5 |
They need to shore up their bullpen, but they wanted to make a statement in STL. Think a 9-0 win Monday did just that. |
|
| 5 | 7 |
That 3-game sweep over the Giants will go down as the tide-turning point in their season, all but eliminating SF from postseason play and locking up the division. |
|
| 6 | 4 |
Still have seven games against the Yankees left in their quest to make the playoffs/win the AL East for the first time since 1993. |
|
| 7 | 6 |
At age 40, A-Rod’s only 17 home runs away from 700 and should blow past that mark with two more years left on his contract. |
|
| 8 | 9 |
Now Lucas Duda is back, too. Add him to David Wright, Yo Cespedes and that Mets lineup looks solid...regardless of whether Matt Harvey pitches or not. |
|
| 9 | 8 |
Only two games up on Texas with a four-game series looming in Arlington next week. |
|
| 10 | 11 |
They play Seattle, Oakland and Detroit 15 more times before the end of the year. |
|
| 11 | 13 |
Bryce Harper should be the NL MVP, but do the Nats have to make the playoffs for that to happen? |
|
| 12 | 12 |
A team that’s not particularly good refuses to go away in the AL playoff race. Kudos to Paul Molitor for a fine managerial job this year. |
|
| 13 | 10 |
Thinking more and more that their season is ovah. |
|
| 14 | 14 |
All of a sudden, they’re lurking at five back in the wild card race with an even run differential. Don’t count them out. |
|
| 15 | 15 |
With the Astros dawdling and the wild card race defined by mediocrity, it’ll be a massive failure if this team misses the playoffs. |
|
| 16 | 16 |
Logan Forsythe from 2011-2014: 1.1 WAR. 2015: 4.0 WAR. |
|
| 17 | 22 |
Winners of seven of their last 10 but it’s too little, too late for one of this season’s biggest disappointments. |
|
| 18 | 18 |
Joe Maddon loves this team and I do, too. Not for this year, obviously, but they have some nice young talent. |
|
| 19 | 21 |
Out of nowhere rolled into Kansas City and swept the Royals, who’ve owned them since Day 1 this year, over the weekend. |
|
| 20 | 20 |
Small sample size alert, but Jackie Bradley Jr. has a .631 OPS in 49 games. |
|
| 21 | 19 |
They’re 4-16 in their last 20 games, going from in the thick of playoff contention to tied for last place in the AL East. |
|
| 22 | 25 | Matt Garza would pitch on the moon...but he won't be pitching on Earth any more this season. | |
| 23 | 17 |
4-game losing streak to the division basically a microcosm of this season's gone for them, I'd say. |
|
| 24 | 24 |
Looks like they’re destined for last place in the AL Central. Can they rebound next year? |
|
| 25 | 24 |
That season-long positive run differential has been whittled down to +1 entering Tuesday night. |
|
| 26 | 26 |
Joey Votto has a .576 OBP since the All-Star Break! .576! In 156 at-bats! |
|
| 27 | 27 |
How 'bout Carlos Gonzalez? What a bounceback year from him. |
|
| 28 | 29 |
Let's get Stanton and Fernandez back soon, please. |
|
| 29 | 28 |
This team just continues to fall lower and lower... |
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| 30 | 30 |
Can they just give up yet and forfeit the rest of their games? Might as well. |