Bottom of the 9th Power Rankings (Through Series #11)
Only a few series remain in the Bottom of the 9th’s inaugural season. The trade deadline has come and gone, so rosters are now set for the stretch run. For the third week in a row, there is no change in the top spot of these rankings. The #1 spot may be secure, but the races for the other nine playoff spots are anything but.
*Please keep in mind that with the one series flex rule, some teams have played ahead of schedule and as a result, have more games shown on their record than others.
- Boston Red Sox (Official_Mole): 28-5 (#1 last week)
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The Red Sox continue their stranglehold on the rest of the league. Still with seven games remaining, this team has pretty much wrapped up home field advantage on the American League side of the playoffs (they have a seven-game lead on the Mariners). The Red Sox now lead the majors with a 1.25 ERA, and there isn’t a weak spot in this lineup either. Some of the power hitters are struggling to hit for average, but even they cannot be taken lightly. The Red Sox faced last week’s #3 team, the Reds, in their most recent series, and passed that test with flying colors.
- Colorado Rockies (TortugaTheGoat): 24-7 (#2 last week)
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Similar to the Red Sox, the Rockies have done nothing over the past week to give up the #2 spot in the rankings. They are on the verge of clinching the NL West division, and anything short of a season-ending collapse will see them clinch home field advantage throughout the NL playoffs as well. Even with a left-handed dominated lineup and Troy Tulowitzki playing in the nation’s capital, this offense continues to rake. Max Scherzer has been the ace that this team needed, and he is currently leading the Cy Young race. This will be a very difficult team to beat in the playoffs.
- Seattle Mariners (WobbleWeezy): 21-12 (NR last week)
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From unranked last week, to top 3 this week, the Mariners have come out of nowhere to emerge as one of the true contenders in this league. Ever since taking over for the previous user midseason, this team has been unbeatable. Winners of eight straight games, the Mariners have surged to the lead in the AL West. They have outscored opponents 71-9 over the course of this current winning streak. The division race is still tight, but the Mariners are definitely peaking at the right time.
- Kansas City Royals (primetimekcs): 19-11 (#4 last week)
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A few weeks ago, it appeared as if the Royals would have to settle for a wildcard spot in the American League. Now, their solid play, combined with a long losing streak by the Twins, has the Royals two games clear of the field at the top of the AL Central division. It could be a tough road ahead to secure the crown though. The Royals close the season with a series against a pretty good Padres team, followed by a series against both the Mariners and the Rockies, and finally, a game against the Orioles. This club is in a good position for the time being, but they are not safe yet by any means.
- Cincinnati Reds (daskins21): 22-11 (#3 last week)
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It was an important week for the Reds. After sailing along against mediocre competition for most of the season, they had to face their challenger in the NL Central, the Brewers, followed by the top team in the league, the Red Sox. The results were mixed. The Reds took two out of three against the Brewers to pad their lead in the division, then some bad luck cost them in their first two games against the Red Sox. Johnny Cueto was able to salvage the finale of that series for the Reds, but the jury is still out on this team. Another tough test against the Rockies looms ahead.
- Pittsburgh Pirates (TrippOnDeeze): 17-13 (NR last week)
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The Pirates struggled mightily for the first half of the season. They were a few games under .500 and largely a non-factor in the playoff hunt. However, this club has come to life in the second half and is making a late push for a spot in the postseason. A seven-game winning streak has pushed the Pirates to within one game of a wildcard spot and has put them only 3.5 games behind the division-leading Reds. A combination of good pitching and timely hitting has been key in recent weeks. The Pirates still have the Brewers on their schedule. That could very well be a battle for a wildcard berth.
- Texas Rangers (Jae-Gee): 19-12 (#5 last week)
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The Rangers have fallen off a little bit over the past week. They are just 5-5 in their last 10 games, and as a result, they no longer lead the AL West division. At 19-12, they are currently still in prime position to land a wildcard spot if things don’t work out for them in the division race. However, with games still remaining against both the Rockies and the Red Sox, and several other teams right on their heels in the wildcard race, it is quite possible that the Rangers fall out of the playoffs altogether. They need to right the ship in a hurry.
- San Diego Padres (wahinton): 18-12 (NR last week)
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The Padres are another team that was on the outside looking in for much of the season. However, they are starting to click at the right time. The Padres have played the best baseball of any team in their division over the last 10 games, going 7-3 during that time. This late-season push has brought them into a three-way tie for the two wildcard spots in the National League. With 10 games still remaining, and seven of those coming against either the Royals, Reds, or Rockies (all top 5 teams), the Padres will need to continue their stellar play if they hope to survive that stretch and make the playoffs.
- Tampa Bay Rays (dalton22rox): 18-12 (#6 last week)
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The Rays are prone to getting overlooked in these rankings because of the division they play in. The gap between first and second in the AL East is 8.5 games, the largest in baseball. That is not really any fault of the Rays. The Red Sox are just that good. That being said, this team has only played .500 ball over their last 10 games. At 18-12, they currently hold a one game lead over the Indians and Twins for the second wildcard spot in the AL. The Rays are the only team batting below .200 to be anywhere near making the playoffs.
- Milwaukee Brewers (Texas__Ranger21): 19-13 (#9 last week)
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The Brewers played a pivotal series against the Reds last week. A series win could have tightened up the NL Central race and given this team a legit shot at the division crown. However, the Brewers were shut down by Raisel Iglesias in the rubber match and dropped two out of three in the series. Now 2.5 games back with eight to play, the division still isn’t completely out of reach, but it may be wise to look in the rearview mirror. The Pirates are charging hard to try to steal a wildcard spot. It will be important for this team to move on from the tough loss in Cincinnati and finish the season strong.
