5 Up 5 Down: Power Rankings – 16 September 2013

With as few as 12 games left in the season for some teams, it really is now or never in the push for the post-season. The AL wildcard race remains as gripping and dramatic as it was seven days ago, as five teams are all within 3.5 games of each other, scrapping for those wildcard spots. The A’s have stretched out a decent lead in the AL West, whilst the Rangers have seen themselves dragged into the wildcard mayhem.

Meanwhile, the NL Central race refuses to slow down, as 2.5 games separate all three teams. The past couple of weeks has seen some incredible encounters, particularly between the Reds and Cards, whilst both the Dodgers and Braves have played under .500 over the last 10 games as they will try to hit the ground running in October. With some massive series on the slate this coming week, which teams are on the rise, and which teams find themselves struggling to tread water?

1. Boston Red Sox

Red Sox fans will no doubt have been nervous with their slim lead entering September, and memories of the 2011 meltdown likely still burn strong. So far, however, they have been on fire in the final month, pulling 7.5 games clear in the division, and all but guaranteeing their spot in the ALDS. After taking two of three from the Tigers at Fenway, they won three of four in a big set at Yankee Stadium, took two of three from the Rays and are once again victimising the Yankees back in Boston. They scored a whopping 64 runs across a four game stretch at one point in the last week, as the bats have been red hot, led by the resurgent Will Middlebrooks, Mike Napoli and Stephen Drew. Meanwhile, the bullpen has been lights out, with Koji Uehara’s ridiculous 0.23 ERA since June 10 leading the way. The injury to Ellsbury is a big blow to this team, but assuming they can have him patched up in time for the post-season, they should be a force to be reckoned with.

2. Oakland Athletics

The Athletics extended their AL West lead, as a 1.5 game advantage over the Rangers has quickly become an almost insurmountable 5.5. They continue to use a combination of solid starting pitching and timely hitting to contribute to their success, as they took two of three from the Twins and have won the first two games of a big three-game set with the Rangers, the latest victory down to eight dominant innings from Bartolo Colon. Josh Donaldson continues to put together a superb season, and Sonny Gray has begun to emerge as a dominant starter, giving the A’s plenty of optimism that they can go deep in this post-season.

3. Cincinnati Reds

The NL Central continues to be the most exciting division in baseball, as the three team race for the title shows no signs of slowing down. After an emphatic pair of series in which the Reds took 6 of 7 from the Cardinals and Dodgers, they now have a chance to prey on much easier opposition. After taking just one game from the Cubs, they face a big rubber match with the Brewers tonight to try and narrow down the 2.5 game lead for the Cards and Bucs atop the NL Central. With a series against the Astros upcoming, they’ll look to sweep before they play the Pirates in six of the last nine. Johnny Cueto, who has been out since June with a lat strain, appears to be close to a return, which would give the Reds rotation or bullpen a boost, although the dominance of Mat Latos and Homer Bailey in recent weeks hasn’t left them wanting. Meanwhile, the September call-up of Billy Hamilton has appeared inspired, as he has stolen a base in all five pinch-running appearances, scoring the tying or go-ahead run three times.

4. Kansas City Royals

The Royals continue to cling on to their slim play-off chances with fingernails, as they came back from 1-0 down to beat both the Tigers and Indians in key series. After once again losing the first game of the series at Comerica Park, they got a huge 1-0 win last night thanks to Ervin Santana’s dominant start and an incredible game-ending play at the plate. The Royals play host to the Indians again as part of their final homestand of the year, before a big set with the Rangers. For the Royals to have any shot at the playoffs, they’ll need to win those series’, and then hope they can take big gains during their final couple of stop offs against the Mariners and White Sox. With Eric Hosmer and Salvador Perez swinging hot bats, and the rotation starting to find some consistency, a late dash isn’t out of the question.

5. Washington Nationals

The NL East favourite heading into 2013, the Nats had been a major disappointment for most of the year, as scratchy starting pitching, weak hitting and far from solid relief pitching had them barely playing .500. In recent weeks, however, the Nats have really begun to turn it on, winning series against the Phillies and Marlins, before sweeping the Mets and taking the first game against Philadelphia. Yesterday’s loss snaps their seven game winning streak, but at 4.5 games out of the wildcard race, it looked for one moment as if they could launch an incredible late run.

1. Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays tailspin had shown no signs of coming to an end, as they were well and truly dragged into the five-way scrap for the second wildcard spot as a series loss to the Mariners was followed by two more losses at the hands of the Red Sox. Having taken the first two games against the Twins, they have the Red Sox to thank as the Yankees have fallen back restoring the 2.5 game lead the Rays have for their wildcard spot. Things get no easier next week though, as they face the Rangers, Orioles and Yankees in successive series.

2. Texas Rangers

The Rangers have let their slim AL West lead go, and are now spending the final couple of weeks playing catch-up with the A’s, whilst checking over their shoulder at the wildcard picture. They were unable to do any damage against the Angels, before being swept by the Pirates and after losing the first two against Oakland, they need to arrest this five game slump. The rotation has been troublingly inconsistent of late, and the likes of Derek Holland and Matt Garza will need to improve for Texas to secure their play-off berth.

3. New York Yankees
It’s been a bizarre season for the Yankees, who have been written off time and time again, but with a skeleton of a roster continue to battle for a wildcard spot. Robinson Cano has been simply ridiculous, single-handedly carrying the offense at times, but unfortunately he can’t do it all by himself. After the Yanks came one game shy of a play-off spot, winning three of four against Baltimore, they have run into the red hot Red Sox, who can sweep them at Yankee Stadium tonight. CC Sabathia has had an awful season, and Hiroki Kuroda is fading down the stretch, and the Yankees will need some bounce-back results against the Blue Jays and Giants next week.

4. Los Angeles Dodgers

It must be an odd sensation for Dodger fans to find the team facing a bit of a skid, but that’s exactly where they are at the moment. They were swept by the Reds, scoring just seven runs all series, and a series win against the D-Backs has been negated as they lost the last two to the Giants. The bats have been a little quiet of late, which is concerning, but the starting pitching is too good not to turn these fortunes around, and the Dodgers will be treated as a favourite entering the post-season.

5. Chicago White Sox

The White Sox traded away most of its valuable parts at the trade deadline or through waivers, and the result is a mess of a roster that has few notable names other than unfortunate Cy Young candidate Chris Sale, who would surely garner much more attention on a winning team. The Sox hit a new low last week when they lost nine in a row, going 1-9 on their road trip and dropping to 58-90; the third worst record in the Majors after the Indians swept them at US Cellular. The upcoming series with the Twins might provide some much needed respite, but things aren’t looking too good for the southsiders right now.