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The National League race is heating up. There are eight teams that could make the playoffs and only five will get in. The American League has one interesting race at this point and that's the American League West. There isn't many weeks left in the regular season before the postseason begins. Who are the top 10 MLB teams entering this week?
10. St. Louis Cardinals: The Cardinals have caught fire and they are 9-1 in their last 10 games. They are just one game back of the Philadelphia Phillies for the second wild-card spot in the National League. St. Louis is only two games back of the Milwaukee Brewers for second place and four games back of the Chicago Cubs for first place in the NL Central. Matt Carpenter leads the team with 33 home runs and he is playing at an elite level right now. St. Louis's recorded is 65-55 and the Cardinals are playing more loose ever since Mike Shildt took over as manager. Last week's ranking: not ranked.
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9. Arizona Diamondbacks: The Diamondbacks might be in the tightest division race in all of baseball right now. It seems to be a back and forth affair each week in the NL West between them, the Colorado Rockies, and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Arizona's record is 66-55 and they lead the Colorado Rockies by one game and the Los Angeles Dodgers by two games. That division race will go down until the final weekend of the MLB regular season. Last week's ranking: 9.
8. Milwaukee Brewers: The Brewers smashed the Cubs 7-0 on Tuesday Afternoon at Wrigley Field and they have one more game against them before having to face a red-hot St. Louis Cardinals team on the road this weekend for a three-game set. Milwaukee is just two games back of Chicago for first, but the Brewers are also only up two games on the Cardinals. Ryan Braun hit two home runs and four RBI's in Tuesday Afternoon's 7-0 win. His batting average is .254 with 14 home runs and 47 RBI's, along with nine stolen bases this season. Braun's on-base percentage is .303. Milwaukee's record is 68-54. Last week's ranking: 6.
7. Cleveland Indians: The Indians just lost a key starter in Trevor Bauer because of a stress fracture in his right fibula and he landed on the 10-day DL. His record is 12-6 with a 2.22 ERA. In 166 innings pitched, Bauer has given up 125 hits and 49 runs. He has walked 56 batters and has struck out 214. This might hurt his chances to win the AL Cy Young Award. Jose Ramirez continues to be a pest for opponents and he could very well be the AL MVP. His batting average is .305 with 36 home runs and 89 RBI's, along with 27 stolen bases. Ramirez's on-base percentage is .414. The Cleveland Indians are now truly pulling away in the AL Central. They are up 12.5 games on the Minnesota Twins and the Indians record is 68-51. Cleveland is 8-2 in their last 10 games and they have a big four-game series with the Boston Red Sox next week. Last week's ranking: 10.
6. Chicago Cubs: The Cubs continue to be a consistent inconsistent for much of the 2018 season. When they lose, they can't score at all. When they win, they score a bunch of runs. The Chicago Cubs live and die by scoring three runs a game or more this season. That isn't a good thing, especially come playoff time. The Cubs record is 68-50. They currently have the best record in the National League at the moment. Chicago is only up two games on Milwaukee and four games on St. Louis. Last week's ranking: 4.
5. Atlanta Braves: The Braves have one of the hottest hitters on the planet right now in outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. He has six home runs in the last five games. Acuna Jr. has a total of 19 home runs this season and 43 RBI's, along with eight stolen bases. His batting average is .288 and Acuna Jr.'s on-base percentage is .346. Because of his play, the Atlanta Braves are currently sitting in first place in the National League East with a 67-51 record and they are two games up on the Philadelphia Phillies for first place in the NL East. Atlanta could still get the number one seed. They swept a doubleheader with the Miami Marlins at home on Monday by winning 9-1 and 6-1. Touki Toussaint made his MLB debut in Monday in the first game of the doubleheader for the Braves. He pitched six innings and gave up four hits and one run. Toussaint walked two batters and struck out four in his debut. The Atlanta Braves have a huge four-game set at home against the Colorado Rockies starting on Thursday Night. Last week's ranking: not ranked.
4. Houston Astros: The Astros lead in the American League West Standings has shrunk to one game. Oakland is climbing up the standings fast and Houston has had injuries lately. They are going to need key players back soon. The Houston Astros are only 4.5 games up on the Seattle Mariners and the Mariners just swept them over the weekend. That should be a concern, even though it feels like Seattle is starting to fall off a cliff. The Houston Astros have a monstrous six-game road trip after their three-game homestand with the Colorado Rockies. Houston faces the Oakland A's on the road this weekend and then the Seattle Mariners next week. The Houston Astros record is 73-47 so far this season. Last week's ranking: 2.
3. New York Yankees: The Yankees have been playing a lot better ever since they got swept against the Boston Red Sox on the road. New York did slip up in Monday Night's make up game against the New York Mets by losing 8-5. Luis Severino hasn't been pitching well as of late. Gary Sanchez started his rehab assignment, but there hasn't been any word on when Aaron Judge will start his. Giancarlo Stanton has played well for the New York Yankees as of late. His batting average is .280 with 30 home runs and 76 RBI's, along with four stolen bases. Stanton's on-base percentage is .348. J.A. Happ has been a good acquisition for the Yankees so far. He pitched seven strong innings and only gave up one hit, but Happ walked four batters and struck out four in the Yankees 4-1 win on Tuesday Night at home against the Tampa Bay Rays. New York has a capable schedule coming up and their record is 75-44 and they are 10 games back of the Boston Red Sox for first in the AL East, but New York currently has the first wild card spot in the American League. Last week's ranking: 5.
2. Oakland Athletics: The Athletics continue to soar in the American League and they are playing really well right now. Oakland is one win away from sweeping a big series at home against the Seattle Mariners. The A's will be tested once again this weekend at home against a banged-up Houston Astros ball club. The Oakland Athletics are just one game back of them right now and they are up 3.5 games on the Seattle Mariners for the second wild-card spot in the American League. The A's record is 72-48. Mike Fiers pitched six decent innings for Oakland and struck out five, in Tuesday Night's 3-2 win against Seattle. Jed Lowrie also had two RBI's in that game. His batting average is .273 with 19 home runs and 76 RBI's. His on-base percentage is .351. Last week's ranking: 3.
1.Boston Red Sox: The Red Sox continue to amaze people and they won a pitcher's duel in Philadelphia on Tuesday Night against the Phillies by a score of 2-1. Boston is the best team in baseball for a reason. They are 86-35 and the Red Sox can't seem to be beat. The Boston Red Sox are up 10 games on the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. Rick Porcello pitched seven strong innings and struck out 10 against the Phillies. His record is 15-5 with a 4.04 ERA. In 151.2 innings pitched, Porcello has given up 138 hits and 73 runs. He has walked 36 batters and has struck out 150. Mookie Betts continues to get on base for the Boston Red Sox and his on-base percentage is .439. He also has a .350 batting average with 27 home runs and 63 RBI's, along with 24 stolen bases. J.D. Martinez has been Boston's best hitter this season. His batting average is .333 with 37 home runs and 104 RBI's, along with four stolen bases. Martinez's on-base percentage is .400. Last week's ranking: 1.
