MLB power rankings: Seattle Mariners jump as top 10 gets a shakeup under Braves, Dodgers
By Kevin Henry
While the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers and Baltimore Orioles hold the top three spots in this week's MLB power rankings, there is no doubt that one of the hottest teams in all of MLB is the Seattle Mariners.
After dispatching the Kansas City Royals on Sunday, the Mariners are now 11-1 in their last 12 games, 19-4 over their last 23, 21-5 over their last 26, 24-6 over their last 30, and 27-8 over their last 35 contests. Is it any wonder why they have shot to the top of the American League West?
Oh sure, the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros will still have something to say about the division, but what is going on in the Pacific Northwest can't be ignored. Right now, the team you don't want to face in the American League is the Mariners ... but what is this hot streak doing to their standings in our latest MLB power rankings? Well, let's find out, starting at the bottom of the MLB food chain and working on our way up.
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MLB Power Rankings: 30. Oakland Athletics
It hasn’t just been a painful season for the A’s in the standings, but also at the plate as well. On Saturday, the A’s were hit by a pitch for the eighth consecutive game, a new Athletics record. During that painful stretch, 13 Oakland batters have been hit by pitches, giving them 76 for the season. That’s the fourth-most in MLB and tied for fourth-most in Oakland history. The good news? The streak was snapped on Sunday.
MLB Power Rankings: 29. Kansas City Royals
Seattle flexed their muscles against the Royals on Saturday, posting a 15-2 win. Of those 15 runs, 13 were scored thanks to seven Mariners homers, setting a Royals franchise record for homers allowed in a game. All five Royals pitchers on Saturday were tagged for a home run, including three off starter Jordan Lyles, all of which came in Seattle’s seven-run, 46-pitch third inning.
MLB Power Rankings: 28. Colorado Rockies
In a season of not-so-great things in Colorado, kudos go out to manager Bud Black, who managed his 1,000th game for the Rockies on Sunday. Black also managed 1,362 games with the San Diego Padres from 2007-15, making him the 12th manager in MLB history to manage at least 1,000 games with two different clubs. He joins Leo Durocher (three teams), Tony La Russa (three teams), Sparky Anderson, Bruce Bochy (active), Terry Francona (active), Bucky Harris, Hurdle, Jim Leyland, Gene Mauch, Bill McKechnie and Bobby Valentine on that list.
MLB Power Rankings: 27. Chicago White Sox
With a home win over Oakland on Sunday, the White Sox are now 12-21 against teams from the American League West this season, including a 6-10 record at home. That’s a big dropoff from previous seasons when the White Sox went 18-16 against the division in 2022 and 16-17 in 2021.
MLB Power Rankings: 26. Washington Nationals
Maybe it’s time we start putting a little respect out there for the Nationals, a team that has now won five consecutive series. Washington heads to Toronto on Monday for a three-game set, so it will be interesting to watch if the Blue Jays can cool off the Nationals (that’s a sentence I wasn’t sure I would type in 2023).