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With the trade deadline behind us, it is officially August and there are two months to go before the start of the postseason. Some teams can't reach playoffs, some still can, and some will be in barring collapse. Who are the top 10 teams entering week 19?
10. Colorado Rockies: The Rockies have one of the best offenses in baseball and they are getting quality starting pitching. Colorado is currently tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the second wild-card spot in the National League with a 58-48 record. The Rockies are 0.5 games back of the Arizona Diamondbacks for first place in the NL West. Colorado could be dangerous if they make the playoffs. They didn't make any moves at the trade deadline. The Colorado Rockies are 7-3 in their last 10 games. Last week's ranking: not ranked.
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9. Philadelphia Phillies: The Phillies lead the Atlanta Braves by 0.5 games in the NL East with a 59-48 record. They split with the Boston Red Sox on the road on Monday and Tuesday. Philadelphia continues to pitch well, but they haven't been spectacular offensively. The Phillies acquired catcher Wilson Ramos from the Tampa Bay Rays. He played in 78 games with Tampa Bay. His batting average was .297 with 14 home runs and 53 RBI's. His on-base percentage was .346. He was the starting catcher in the All-Star Game for the American League. Last week's ranking: 8.
8. Chicago Cubs: The Cubs didn't make many moves at the trade deadline and they are now feeling the heat from the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central. They are tied for first place in the division. Chicago's record is 61-45. They are just 4-6 in their last 10 games. The Cubs have a seven-game stretch of bottom feeders against the San Diego Padres (four at home) and the Kansas City Royals (three on the road) after Wednesday Night's game on the road against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Last week's ranking: 3.
7. Oakland Athletics: The Athletics continue to climb the standings. They are just one game back of the Seattle Mariners for the second wild-card spot in the American League. Oakland is only five games back of the Houston Astros for first place in the American League West. The A's record is 63-46. They have been amazing for the past couple of months and after Oakland got off to a slow start. Last week's ranking: 9.
6. Seattle Mariners: The Mariners will feel pressure in the final two months of the regular season. They only hold a one-game lead over the Oakland Athletics with a 63-44 record for the second wild card in the American League. Seattle is only four games back of the Houston Astros for first place in the American League West. Seattle has split the first two games with Houston so far and the rubber is the match is on Wednesday Afternoon at Safeco Field in Seattle. James Paxton pitched seven scoreless innings in Monday Night's 2-0 win. He also struck out eight batters and Nelson Cruz had a two-run double in that game. Cruz's batting average is .265 with 25 home runs and 63 RBI's, along with one stolen base. His on-base percentage is .354. Robinson Cano will be back in a couple of weeks from his suspension. He has only played in 39 games and his batting average is .287 with four home runs and 23 RBI's. Cano's on-base percentage is .385. James Paxton's record is 9-4 with a 3.49 ERA. In 126.1 innings pitched, he has given up 100 hits and 49 runs. Paxton has only walked 33 batters and has struck out 163. Marco Gonzales is also having a very good season in the rotation for Seattle. His record is 12-5 with a 3.37 ERA. In 125.2 innings pitched, he has given up 121 hits and has given up 49 runs. Gonzales has walked 25 batters and has struck out 111. Last week's ranking: 5.
5. Arizona Diamondbacks: The Diamondbacks are 7-3 in their last 10 games and they currently lead the NL West by 0.5 games over the Colorado Rockies and the Los Angeles Dodgers with a 60-49 record. Arizona plays better on the road (32-23) then they do at home (28-26). The Diamondbacks will continue their homestand on Thursday Night against the San Francisco Giants for four games. They will then play the Philadelphia Phillies for three games. Zack Godley struck out 10 batters in seven innings, in Arizona's 6-0 win at home on Tuesday Night against the Texas Rangers. The Diamondbacks have different players stepping up every night. They made trades to improve the bullpen. Last week's ranking: 10.
4. Milwaukee Brewers: The Brewers are in it to win it in 2018. They acquired second baseman Jonathan Schoop from the Baltimore Orioles for two prospects and Jonathan Villar. The Brewers might now have the best lineup in the National League. They acquired third baseman Mike Moustakas from the Kansas City Royals this past Friday Night. Jonathan Schoop played in 85 games for the Baltimore Orioles. His batting average was .244 with 17 home runs and 40 RBI's. His on-base percentage was .273. In four games with the Brewers, Mike Moustakas's batting average is .176. His on-base percentage is .222. The Milwaukee Brewers are tied for first place in the NL Central with the Chicago Cubs. The Brewers record is 63-47. Milwaukee has the most wins in the National League. The Milwaukee Brewers have taken two games on the road so far against the Los Angeles Dodgers. They will play two more against them and then the Brewers will have a huge three-game set at home this weekend against the Colorado Rockies. Last week's ranking: 7.
3. New York Yankees: The Yankees acquired two more pitchers before the trade deadline in J.A. Happ from the Toronto Blue Jays and Lance Lynn from the Minnesota Twins. In ways, I couldn't understand what the New York Yankees were doing with these moves because I thought this was a panic move because they were given up prospects, but they are making room to sign possible international prospects. J.A. Happ made his Yankees debut in a 6-3 win on Sunday Afternoon at home against the Kansas City Royals. He pitched six innings and only gave up three hits and one run. Happ only walked a batter and struck out two. Aaron Judge is on the disabled list with a wrist injury after he was hit by a pitch in a game against the Kansas City Royals on Thursday Night. Judge's batting average is .285 with 26 home runs and 61 RBI's, along with six stolen bases. His on-base percentage is .398. The New York Yankees record is 68-37 and they are five games back of the Boston Red Sox. New York has a monster four-game set in Boston this weekend. If the Yankees slip up, they will most likely be in the wild-card game. If not, then they have a chance to win the American League East. Last week's ranking: 4.
2. Houston Astros: The Houston Astros continue to be road warriors in 2018 and they have a 36-17 record on the road and a 68-41 record overall. Houston is up four games on the Seattle Mariners and five games on the Oakland Athletics. The Astros will face the Los Angeles Dodgers for three games on the road this weekend in a World Series rematch. The Houston Astros rubber game against the Seattle Mariners is on Wednesday Afternoon on the road. Houston has given up two runs in each game against Seattle. Gerrit Cole and Charlie Morton started both of those games and pitched well. Josh Reddick went 3-for-5 and hit a home run and had three RBI's, in Houston's 5-2 win on Tuesday Night on the road against the Seattle Mariners. Reddick's batting average so far this season is .253 with 11 home runs and 34 RBI's, along with five stolen bases. His on-base percentage is .323. Last week's ranking: 2.
1.Boston Red Sox: The Red Sox own the best record in baseball at 75-34. They lead the New York Yankees by five games in the American League East Standings. Boston will have a huge four-game set at home this weekend against the New York Yankees. The Red Sox have a great chance to distance themselves from their arch-rivals. Boston had a day off on Wednesday. They split the two-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies at home. The Boston Red Sox pitched well during that series. Eduardo Nunez hit a walk-off double in Monday Night's 2-1 win in the 13th inning against the Philadelphia Phillies. Nunez is currently filling in for Rafael Devers at third base because he is currently on the disabled list with a shoulder injury. Nunez's batting average is .259 with six home runs and 29 RBI's, along with five stolen bases. His on-base percentage is .288. Last week's ranking: 1.
