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The top two teams -- the?Chicago Cubs and Washington Nationals -- maintained their positions for the fifth straight week in the Power Rankings. Elsewhere in the top 10, the AL comes in with the next four teams but no clear top squad. Despite a solid week, the Texas Rangers slipped a spot to No. 4, with the Toronto Blue Jays moving up to No. 3. The Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox follow at No. 5 and No. 6.Back in the NL, the Los Angeles Dodgers moved ahead of the San Francisco Giants in the NL West and the rankings, climbing to No. 7. The NL West rivals will get a chance to settle things on the field this week in a big three-game series starting Tuesday in L.A. Despite all the injuries to the pitching staff, including the continued absence of Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers have made up 6? games on the Giants since the All-Star break. The Dodgers are just 17-15 since the break, while the Giants are 11-23.This is the first time the Dodgers have been ahead of the Giants in the rankings since Week 6.This weeks voters are Jim Bowden of ESPN Insider, Eric Karabell of ESPN Fantasy, Tim Kurkjian of ESPN, David Schoenfield of the SweetSpot Blog Network/ESPN.com and Jayson Stark of ESPN.com. Most of the team comments come courtesy of the SweetSpot Blog Network.Past rankings: Week 19 |?Week 18 |?Week 17 |?Week 16 |?Week 15 |?Week 14 |?Week 13 |?Week 12 |?Week 11 |?Week 10 | ?Week 9 |?Week 8 |?Week 7 |?Week 6 |?Week 5 |?Week 4 | Week 3 | Week 2 | Week 1 | Preseason1. Chicago CubsRecord: 78-45 Week 19 ranking: No. 1The Cubs lead the majors with an ERA of 2.89 from their starting pitchers, which is significantly better than that of the second-place Washington Nationals at 3.49. However, the Cubs bullpen ranks 13th in baseball with an ERA of 3.71. With Hector Rondon and Pedro Strop hurting, the bullpen is the one Achilles heel of this team leading up to the postseason. --?Joe Aiello (@VFTB), View from the Bleachers2. Washington NationalsRecord: 73-50 Week 19 ranking: No. 2Anthony Rendon was awful during the first quarter of the season, but since mid-May, he has been hitting .296/.380/.516, including .338/.408/.569 in August. Manager Dusty Baker likes Trea Turner and Jayson Werth at the top of the order, but considering Werth is hitting .210/.310/.360 against right-handers, it makes sense to move Rendon up to the No. 2 spot, at least against RHP.?-- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot3. Toronto Blue JaysRecord: 70-54 Week 19 ranking: No. 5Kevin Pillar (thumb) is expected to return from the disabled list when eligible on Tuesday. Walks have plagued Francisco Liriano this season (5.5 per nine innings as a Pirate), but he has kept them somewhat in check as a Blue Jay, as he has yielded six in 17 2/3 innings.?-- Diane Firstman (@dianagram), Value Over Replacement Grit4. Texas RangersRecord: 73-52 Week 19 ranking: No. 3After being cut loose by the Houston Astros, Carlos Gomez has signed with the Texas Rangers, presumably to take over left-field duties with Shin-Soo Choo likely out for the season. Texas will hope that Gomez can turn his season around and be valuable for the stretch run to the postseason.?--?Brandon Land (@onestrikeaway), One Strike Away5. Cleveland IndiansRecord: 71-51 Week 19 ranking: No. 4The Tribe keep rolling along, generously helped by rookie Tyler Naquin. His walk-off sacrifice fly on Thursday lifted the Indians over the White Sox for a series win. He topped that Friday with a walk-off, inside-the-park home run to beat the Blue Jays.?--?Susan Petrone, Its Pronounced Lajaway6. Boston Red SoxRecord: 69-54 Week 19 ranking: No. 9The Red Soxs offense leads the majors with 5.51 runs scored per game, far ahead of MLBs second-ranked team (Rockies, at 5.28 R/G) and the second-best in the AL (Indians, at 5.07 R/G). Mookie Betts leads the majors in runs (98) and total bases (291).?-- Ryan P. Morrison (@ryanpmorrison), Inside the Zona7. Los Angeles DodgersRecord: 68-55 Week 19 ranking: No. 8Clayton Kershaw threw about 25 pitches in a bullpen session Saturday. His next step will be a bullpen session on Tuesday, scheduled for 40 to 45 pitches. Brett Anderson left Saturdays start with a blister on his left index finger. Los Angeles, 38-24 at home, will be home for 12 of its next 16 games.?--?Diane Firstman (@dianagram), Value Over Replacement Grit8. San Francisco GiantsRecord:?68-56 Week 19 ranking: No. 6San Francisco snapped a four-game losing streak by taking the first two against the Mets, then fell to New York on Saturday. Heading into Sundays action, the Giants lead over the Dodgers had shrunk to just half a game. The two teams face off in a three-game set this week. -- Jeff Wiser (@OutfieldGrass24), Inside the Zona9. Baltimore OriolesRecord: 67-56 Week 19 ranking: No. 7Could this be when the Os drop out of the playoff race? They are 8-11 in August and cant seem to hit and pitch well at the same time. They lead the Mariners for the second wild-card spot by a game, but theyll need to turn things around in a hurry.?--?Matt Kremnitzer (@mattkremnitzer), Camden Depot10. Seattle MarinersRecord: 66-57 Week 19 ranking: No. 12Seattle continued to make up ground in the wild-card race this week and entered Sunday 10 games over .500 for the first time since May 25. Felix Hernandez was excellent once again Saturday, when he threw eight innings of two-run ball, struck out eight and lowered his ERA to 3.26.?-- Jeff Wiser (@OutfieldGrass24), Inside the Zona11. St. Louis CardinalsRecord: 66-57 Week 19 ranking: No. 10How are the Cardinals third in the majors in home runs? Two keys have been Brandon Moss (.570 slugging) and Jedd Gyorko (.483), who have combined for 43 home runs. Among players with at least 200 at-bats, Moss ranks first and Gyorko fifth in at-bats per home run.?-- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot12. Detroit TigersRecord: 65-59 Week 19 ranking: No. 11Hanging around, hanging around, the Tigers have alligator blood. Their schedule for the remainder of the year puts their fate in their hands, as they alternate between games against losing teams and games against their chief division rivals, the Royals and Indians. If the Tigers finally get hot, winning the AL Central might be easier than catching a wild card.?--?Richard Bergstrom (@rbergstromjr), Rockies Zingers13. Pittsburgh PiratesRecord: 62-59 Week 19 ranking: No. 15Mark who? In the seasons first half, the Pirates bullpen had a 3.70 ERA, which ranked a sturdy fifth in the NL. In the second half, they rank second in the NL with a 2.80 ERA, thanks in large part to former National Felipe Rivero (0.87 ERA), rotation refugee Juan Nicasio (2.49 ERA) and new closer Tony Watson (2.08 ERA). -- Ryan P. Morrison (@ryanpmorrison), Inside the Zona14. Miami MarlinsRecord: 65-59 Week 19 ranking: No. 14With Carlos Gomez off the board, Miami continues to explore other right-field options, and Jeff Francoeur could be a possibility in a waiver deal. Francoeur would be a right-handed-hitting option to share time with Ichiro Suzuki. Gerardo Parra of the Rockies could be another potential target.?-- Diane Firstman (@dianagram), Value Over Replacement Grit15. Houston AstrosRecord:?64-60 Week 19 ranking: No. 13Maybe Carlos Correa isnt the MVP candidate, as many picked back in March, but hes on pace for 24 home runs, 82 walks and 112 RBIs, and he ranks 11th in the majors in WAR among position players.?-- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot16. New York YankeesRecord: 63-60 Week 19 ranking: No. 16It was an ugly few days for the pitching staff earlier in the week against Toronto, but the Yankees rebounded to take two of three from the Angels over the weekend. Its hard to tell how much this team is trying to win day to day, but the young players such as Judge, Sanchez and now Chad Green and Luis Cessa?are performing well in the opportunities theyve been given. If the veterans can keep up, this team might actually contend. --?Brad Vietrogoski,?Its About the Money17. New York MetsRecord: 62-62 Week 19 ranking: No. 17Since returning from the disabled list, Yoenis Cespedes is 5-for-13 with three home runs, five RBIs, three runs scored and 15 total bases. By hitting his 40th home run in his 153rd game as a Met, Cespedes became the fastest to reach 40 homers in team history, shattering Carlos Delgados previous record of 175 games.?-- Joe Janish, (@metstoday), MetsToday.com18. Kansas City RoyalsRecord: 64-60 Week 19 ranking: No. 18The Royals have won eight in a row and 13 of 15 to suddenly get back in the wild-card race. The rotation has the second-best ERA in the majors in that span, and Danny Duffy has won 10 straight decisions, which makes him the first Royals starter to do that since Rich Gale in 1980.?-- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot19. Colorado RockiesRecord: 60-64 Week 19 ranking: No. 19Want the definition of a .500 team? The Rockies have a winning record against each MLB team that currently has a losing record (30-26) and a losing record against winning teams (30-38). They also have a losing record against every NL West team except the Diamondbacks, and they have gone 24-26 against the division overall. Still, being near .500 is progress.?--?Richard Bergstrom (@rbergstromjr), Rockies Zingers20. Chicago White SoxRecord:?59-64 Week 19 ranking: No. 20A dismal week for the White Sox saw few highlights, but Chris Sale was on his game once again on Saturday. The Chicago ace threw eight scoreless innings, struck out eight and yielded just three hits against the Athletics. --?Jeff Wiser?(@OutfieldGrass24), Inside the Zona21. Philadelphia PhilliesRecord: 58-67 Week 19 ranking: No. 21Sometimes theyre lights-out, and at other times they get lit up. Although the Phillies pitching staff is tied for the league lead in team shutouts, with 11, it ranks second-worst in the National League in doubles and home runs allowed. --?Richard Bergstrom (@rbergstromjr), Rockies Zingers22. Oakland AthleticsRecord: 53-71 Week 19 ranking: No. 22Kendall Gravemans past 13 starts: 7-2, 3.15 ERA, .248 average allowed, 14 walks, seven home runs. No, thats not as valuable as Josh Donaldson, but its something!?-- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot23. Milwaukee BrewersRecord: 53-70 Week 19 ranking:?No. 23The Brewers have struggled as of late and just lost their third consecutive series. One bright spot in the lineup is Keon Broxton. Since he was recalled on July 25, the outfielder has gone 24-56 with five doubles, one triple, three home runs and 11 RBIs through Aug. 20.?-- Gabe Stoltz (@Stoltzy3), Disciples of Uecker24. San Diego PadresRecord: 53-71 Week 19 ranking: No. 24Rookie third baseman Patrick Kivlehan became the fifth Padre to homer in his major league debut when he connected for a 464-foot bomb on Saturday. San Diego hopes that?Tyson Ross can return to make three or four starts before the end of the season.?-- Diane Firstman (@dianagram), Value Over Replacement Grit25. Los Angeles AngelsRecord: 52-72 Week 19 ranking: No. 25The clubs 11-game losing streak tied the franchise record for futility set three times previously (1972, 1992, 1999). The Angels are 20 games under .500 for the first time since 1999.?-- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot26. Tampa Bay RaysRecord: 52-70 Week 19 ranking: No. 26By playing a game over .500 since the All-Star break, the Rays have done a great job of assuaging concerns that they are tanking. Unfortunately, these wins have clouded their chances of a top-five pick, which seemed like a lock just a month ago. --?Jason?Hanselman?(@sandykazmir), The Process Report27. Arizona DiamondbacksRecord: 51-73 Week 19 ranking: No. 27After a seven-inning gem Saturday in which he struck out 13 while yielding just one hit and one walk, Robbie Rays K/9 for the season stands at 11.19. The rest of the D-backs rotation has combined for a 7.37 K/9 this year.?--?Ryan P. Morrison?(@ryanpmorrison), Inside the Zona28. Cincinnati RedsRecord:?53-70 Week 19 ranking: No. 28Break up the Reds! Cincinnati is 21-13 since the All-Star break and had won five in a row before Sunday. The Reds now have a winning record at home this season. In addition, Joey Votto has been the best hitter on the planet, with a .451/.552/.699 line in the second half.?--?Chad Dotson (@dotsonc), Redleg Nation29. Minnesota TwinsRecord: 49-75 Week 19 ranking: No. 29Against the defending champs, the Twins have stood no chance. After dropping four straight in Kansas City, Minnesota is now 2-11 against the Royals this year. -- Nick Nelson (@NickNelsonMN), Twins Daily30. Atlanta BravesRecord: 45-79 Week 19 ranking:?No. 30Its hard to Dansby get excited Dansby about a team Dansby such as the Braves Dansby that has Dansby lost seven in Dansby a row. When the Braves play the Diamondbacks this week, there is a chance that Arizona will start?Shelby Miller, and facing him in the Braves lineup could be every player he was traded for:?Aaron Blair, Ender Inciarte and one other guy.?-- Martin Gandy (@gondeee), Chop CountyAvalanche Jerseys China . In taking its goal tally to 99 in all competitions already this season, City delivered another demonstration of its lethal firepower at Etihad Stadium to set up a fourth-round match at home to another second-tier team -- Watford. Colorado Avalanche Pro Shop .com) - The Pittsburgh Penguins placed forward James Neal on injured reserve Tuesday. https://www.cheapavalanche.com/ .S. Open champion Justin Rose birdied the first hole with a blind shot he hit to a foot of the pin, and he stayed in front Tuesday until he completed a 4-under 67 for a two-shot lead over Jason Dufner in PGA Grand Slam of Golf. Custom Colorado Avalanche Jerseys . The scientists believe the small earthquake during a Marshawn Lynch touchdown was likely greater than Lynchs famous "beast quake" touchdown run three years ago, which also came against New Orleans during a playoff game. Stitched Avalanche Jerseys .C. Lions has come to an end. Banks told TSN on Jan 2 that he had no interest in playing out the option year of his contract with the Lions in 2014, and he again made that clear in a conversation with Lions GM Wally Buono last week.SHANGHAI -- Hideki Matsuyama arrived at the HSBC Champions as the first Japanese player in almost two decades to reach the top 10 in the world ranking. His 19 birdies over 36 holes in biting chill and swirling wind helped explain how he got there.Even as the weather shifted dramatically Friday at Sheshan International, Matsuyama kept piling up the birdies. One last birdie on the par-5 18th gave him a 7-under 65 and a three-shot lead going into the weekend of the final World Golf Championships event of the year.He is playing very well, said Rory McIlroy, who was six shots behind. And hell be tough to catch.Matsuyama was at 13-under 131 and led by three shots over defending champion Russell Knox (68) and Bill Haas (67). He shouldnt have been surprised by the result because it was his eighth consecutive score in the 60s dating to the second round of the Tour Championship.What made this one so satisfying were the conditions.Rain the past two days gave way to a strong wind when Matsuyama was warming up, and the wind made the sharp dip of temperatures into the 50s feel even worse.I thought maybe just a couple under par would be a good score, Matsuyama said. So Im really happy with how it ended up today. It was windy and cold. The ball, its hard to control. It was tough out there today.It was plenty tough for Adam Scott, who had a pair of double bogeys on the par-5s on his way to an 80. Kevin Kisner, a runner-up at the HSBC Champions last year, made a 9 on the final hole for an 80.Fifteen players still managed to break 70 because of the rain-softened greens, and while Matsuyamas 65 was the best score of the second round, making it even more impressive was that he also had two bogeys. On Thursday, he had 10 birdies against four bogeys.Nineteen birdies ... thats really, really strong, Knox said.Matsuyama already is having his biggest year since he began playing regularly around the world in 2014. He overcame a two-shot deficit over the final two holes and beat Rickie Fowler in the Phoenix Open. He had another top 10 in the Masters. While he went into a summer lull of poor putting -- missing the cut in the U.S. Open and The Open -- the 24-year-old returned to form at the PGA Championship with his best finissh in a major (T-4) and has been steady ever since.dddddddddddd.Two weeks ago, he won the Japan Open for his ninth victory worldwide. He was runner-up to Justin Thomas in Malaysia last week, pushing his PGA Tour earnings for the year to over $4.6 million and moving him to No. 10.The last Japanese player in the top 10 was Jumbo Ozaki during the week of the 1998 Masters.A better attitude has helped this week too. Matsuyama doesnt have much of a record in the World Golf Championships, with his only top-10 at the Dell Match Play a year ago in San Francisco when he reached the quarterfinals only to be blown out by McIlroy.In three previous appearances at the HSBC Champions, he withdrew twice and tied for 41st.I havent really played well here before, Matsuyama said. So before coming here, I was a little bit nervous again thinking, Well, maybe its not going to be a good week for me. But then I decided, Lets just have fun this week. Its made a difference.It didnt look like much fun on Friday, particularly the final hour when the temperature dropped and a light rain fell.This felt like a cold day at Pebble Beach, said Daniel Berger, who shot a 70 and was in the group five shots behind.McIlroy thrived, too, and at least got back into the mix going into the weekend. He figured a 66 would do the trick, and it might have felt like more of an accomplishment if Matsuyama had not gone one better in the second round.McIlroys only blemish came at the reachable par-4 16th, when his tee shot was just right of the green and in a hazard. He found the ball in the bushes and thought for the longest time about playing it, constantly rehearsing a swing to see if the branches would allow him to make contact.A wiser head, and advice from his caddie, prevailed. McIlroy took a penalty drop and got out with a bogey. He made up for it with a birdie on the final hole for a 66 that at least has him in range, though much depends on Matsuyama.Theres definitely some rust in the 71 yesterday. I feel like Ive shaken most of that off, McIlroy said. It should be a good weekend. Im just happy to be in the mix. ' ' '