Major League Baseball Power Rankings Week 18: An Overview – Part 1
The Major League Baseball power rankings for week 18 are out now and apart from a few noticeable changes there are no major variations from last week. The top three spots remain unchanged with the Philadelphia Phillies leading the pack for the fourth consecutive
week. Boston Red Sox remain strong in the second position and New York Yankees continue to hold on to the third place in the rankings. San Francisco Giants have forced their way into the top five pushing out Atlanta Braves to the sixth spot.
Following is an overview of the teams for week 18.
Philadelphia Phillies are the top team in MLB this season and their post All-Star break performance tells exactly why. They have a win-loss record of 11-5 after the break and lost two consecutive games for the first time since June. Their series loss to
the Giants is the only stain on their record and they have since come back strongly, sweeping the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-0 in the three-game series.
The Phillies take on the Giants in a four-game series starting August 4 and it would be interesting to see how both teams battle it out as San Francisco make an impressive entry to the top five.
Boston Red Sox have not lost a single series after the All-Star break and their win-loss record in that stretch has been impressive at 11-5. Their worst series result was a draw against the lowly ranked Kansas City Royals when both team ended up splitting
the four-game series.
The Red Sox play a four-game series with the Cleveland Indians before an all-important three-game series with the Yankees which will decide who will prevail in the American League East division.
New York Yankees are going strong in the season and are in touching distance of the top spot in their division as well as in the Majors.
The Yankees, like the Red Sox, have not lost a single series after the midseason break and boast a win-loss record of 11-7 from 18 games in that stretch.
After a four-game series with Chicago White Sox, the Yankees head to Fenway Park for a crucial three-game series against their division leaders Boston. The Red Sox is currently just one game ahead of the Yankees and a positive series result for the players
in pin-striped jerseys can see Boston slip from the notch which they have dominated for a long time now.
The Yankees, however, are without Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter too is out with a finger injury. With the top position at stake, it will be vital to see how the final line-up shapes up.
San Francisco Giants had an impressive start to the second half of the season before a three-game sweep by the Cincinnati Reds overshadowed all that they had achieved. Before the 0-3 result against the Reds, the Giants were 9-4 after the All-Star break but
have now slipped to 9-7.
They are undoubtedly the best pitching outfit in MLB but their batting along with their offensive techniques have been questionable. Their 382 runs in the season are the 29th best in the Majors, an accomplishment that they should be feeling guilty
for.
The Giants take on the Phillies in a four-game series at home from August 4 and it would be interesting to see two of the best pitching outfits fight for glory.
Continued in Part 2
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