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Weekly Rankings: Where Does Your Team Stand? Our baseball expert ranks and breaks down each team.
Rank   Team Record   Change   Comment
1 Houston Astros Houston Astros 103-59
—
 The Astros lead MLB with a 3.11 ERA, and that’s the primary reason why they will be favorites to repeat as World Series champions. Opponents hit just. 217 against Houston pitchers this season. It’s tough to win in October against pitching like that.
2 Boston Red Sox Boston Red Sox 108-54
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 The Red Sox scored 876 runs in 2018 on their way to the fourth-best winning percentage in franchise history. Just remember that winning the most games in the regular season often does not translate into a World Series victory.
3 New York Yankees New York Yankees 100-62
—
 After posting a 62-33 record in the first half, the Yankees slumped to a 38-29 mark in the second half. What does this mean? No one knows for sure, but New York has been on cruise control for a few months now.
4 Oakland Athletics Oakland Athletics 97-65
▲ 1
 The A’s started the season with the lowest payroll in MLB, and they ended up winning 97 games anyway. Oakland was a combined 11-7 against Boston, Cleveland, and New York this season, but just 7-12 against Houston. Keep that in mind.
5 Cleveland Indians Cleveland Indians 91-71
▲ 2
 This team is a lot better than the record indicates, which is even more puzzling considering the cake walk Cleveland had in the American League Central Division this season. The 22-24 record in one-run games could be the weakness to watch.
6 Chicago Cubs Chicago Cubs 95-67
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 The Cubs posted a combined 21-17 record against the other four National League playoff teams this year, not losing the season series to any of them. But that 26-25 record in one-run games is going to be tough to overcome in October, if it persists.
7 Los Angeles Dodgers Los Angeles Dodgers 91-71
▼ 3
 Finishing ten games below their Pythagorean projection of 101 wins, the Dodgers also have the same flaw with just a 22-22 record in one-run games. The team’s 3.39 ERA was the best in the NL by a quarter of a run per game, so that helps a lot.
8 Milwaukee Brewers Milwaukee Brewers 95-67
▲ 2
 The 19-7 record in September shows the Brewers to be one of the hottest teams in MLB entering October play. Milwaukee posted a 33-19 record in one-run games this season, and that’s a dark-horse type of number for October baseball.
9 Tampa Bay Rays Tampa Bay Rays 90-72
▼ 1
 Remember when the Rays started off the season 3-12? That may have cost Tampa Bay a shot at a postseason spot. It’s tough playing in the same division with Boston and New York, but this is the best team in baseball to not be in the playoffs, easily.
10 Colorado Rockies Colorado Rockies 91-71
▲ 3
 The Rockies have won nine of their last ten games, and this is not your “typical” Colorado team. This squad was 26-15 in one-run games this year and just 18-21 in blowout games, those contests decided by five or more runs. Chew on that.
11 Atlanta Braves Atlanta Braves 90-72
▼ 2
 Pretty consistent before (52-42) and after (38-30) the All-Star break, the Braves ended up winning the NL East Division by eight games. Atlanta was 23-12 in one-run games and 27-17 in blowout games. This is your dark-horse NL contender right here.
12 St. Louis Cardinals St. Louis Cardinals 88-74
▼ 1
 After a blistering August where they posted a 22-6 record, the Cards played themselves out of October with a 12-15 mark in September. Finishing with just one victory in the final six games truly stings. Bring on 2019.
13 Seattle Mariners Seattle Mariners 89-73
▲ 2
 The Mariners played .477 baseball after the All-Star break to lose their grip on postseason play. Seattle finished just 21st in run scoring this year and just 17th in team ERA. This team won 12 more games than its Pythagorean projection as a result.
14 Washington Nationals Washington Nationals 82-80
▼ 2
 With just two winning months in 2018, it’s easy to see why the Nats struggled to chase a playoff berth. The 18-24 mark in one-run games certainly hurt, as did a combined 10-18 record against the Blue Jays, the Giants, and the Mets.
15 Los Angeles Angels Los Angeles Angels 80-82
▲ 2
 The Angels finished with winning marks in one-run games and blowout games, yet overall, they couldn’t post 82 wins or come near a playoff spot. L.A. was 7-24 against Boston, Cleveland, and New York in AL play this season. Ouch!
16 Arizona Diamondbacks Arizona Diamondbacks 82-80
▼ 2
 Remember when Arizona started the season with 20 wins in the first 28 games? The Diamondbacks finished with just eight wins over the final 27 games. They were pretty much a .500 club this year in the end, weren’t they?
17 Pittsburgh Pirates Pittsburgh Pirates 82-79
▼ 1
 The Pirates did well to finish above .500 this year considering the rollercoaster ride of a season they just went on from April to September. We’re dizzy just looking at the many ups and downs over the 161 games Pittsburgh played.
18 New York Mets New York Mets 77-85
▲ 1
 The Mets finished April with a 17-9 record and a 1.5-game lead in the NL East. They posted an 18-10 record in September. In between, it was a whole different story. The 5-21 record in June is probably all Mets fans will remember about 2018, sadly.
19 Philadelphia Phillies Philadelphia Phillies 80-82
▼ 1
 The Phillies faded hard this year, posting a 27-40 mark after the All-Star break. With just an 8-20 record in September, Philadelphia dropped eight games in the NL East standings very quickly. MLB is pretty volatile sometimes, isn’t it?
20 Minnesota Twins Minnesota Twins 78-84
▲ 1
 With an admirable 34-34 record in the second half, the Twins almost salvaged the 2018 season after starting it off so poorly. But with just 29 road wins this year, Minnesota clearly didn't like leaving home cooking behind it.
21 Toronto Blue Jays Toronto Blue Jays 73-89
▲ 3
 The most glaring tidbit about the Blue Jays was their 15-34 record in blowout games this season. Toronto was a combined 15-41 against Boston, New York, and Tampa Bay, too. Tough crowd in that AL East Division, eh?
22 San Francisco Giants San Francisco Giants 73-89
▼ 2
 It’s a minor miracle this team managed to reach the All-Star break with a 50-48 record. The offense was never there this season, though, as the Giants finished 29th in runs scored. Considering that $205 million payroll ... that has to sting badly.
23 Texas Rangers Texas Rangers 67-95
▼ 1
 The Rangers posted a 28-47 record in AL West Division play. Otherwise, they were an almost-decent team in 2018. But 30 losses in blowout fashion was a telltale sign that this team was outmanned almost constantly all year long.
24 Cincinnati Reds Cincinnati Reds 67-95
▼ 1
 With a 19-36 record over the final two months of the season, the Reds reverted to the way they opened the season 7-22. But from May to July, Cincinnati posted a 41-37 record. Will the real Big Red Machine please stand up?
25 San Diego Padres San Diego Padres 66-96
—
 It’s surprising to see that the Padres actually posted a winning month in 2018, as they went 15-13 back in May. San Diego hasn’t had a winning season since 2010, when it lost the NL West Division title on the last day of the season.
26 Detroit Tigers Detroit Tigers 64-98
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 The Tigers had just one month where they won more than 11 games, and that was back in May when Detroit went 15-14. This was basically the same season for the Tigers as it was for the Padres, and that’s not what Motown fans want to hear.
27 Chicago White Sox Chicago White Sox 62-100
▲ 1
 Think of where the ChiSox season would be if they hadn’t posted a 17-12 record in August. Chicago still lost 100 games for the first time since 1970, though. The last time the White Sox won 100 games was in 1917. Think about that for a minute.
28 Miami Marlins Miami Marlins 63-98
▼ 1
 The Marlins outperformed their Pythagorean projection by five games, and that may be the nicest thing to say about their season. Miami lost 35 games this year by five runs or more, and that tells us a lot, too, about the year it was in South Florida.
29 Kansas City Royals Kansas City Royals 58-104
—
 Give Manager Ned Yost some credit for turning this team around a bit in the second half. After posting a 27-68 record before the All-Star break, the Royals went 31-36 from that point on. That’s not too bad, really.
30 Baltimore Orioles Baltimore Orioles 47-115
—
 The team’s .290 winning percentage is the second-worst mark in franchise history, dating back to 1901. That’s a historically bad season. The Orioles finished 61 games out of first place. Baltimore won just 19 road games. That’s road kill.