MLB Power Rankings: Braves leapfrog Mets for top-five spot

by Ben Verlander
FOX Sports MLB Analyst

We are halfway to 2022 MLB Season, and no department has more eyes than NL East.

Just a month ago, the Mets had a 10.5-game lead over the Atlanta Braves. At the beginning of July, the Braves cut that lead to 3.5 matches.

The Braves put in one of the best months in team history with a 21-6 score, which equates to their biggest win in a month since their move to Atlanta in 1966. They’re definitely playing better than the Mets at the moment, but the Mets are on the cusp of reclaiming two of their top bowlers. in the game.

This race is heating up, and I can’t wait to watch it.

MLB Power Rankings: Yankees, Astros and Dodgers top this week’s list

Ben Verlander gives us the MLB power ratings after Week 13, which includes the Toronto Blue Jays, Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres.

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10. Minnesota Twins

The Twins sit atop AL Central, but the division’s favorite White Sox is playing better lately. The Twins need some weapons to help complete their team, and if they are serious about winning the division, they should be big buyers on the trade deadline. For now, they’re a fun team to watch, and they hold the top spot in the division by a thread.

9. St. Louis Cardinals

Last week, the Cardinals made back-to-back rounds at home for the eleventh time in history. They’d benefit from another arm in the rotation, but their attack – led by league best player Paul Goldschmidt – keeps them in the thick of things at NL Central.

The Cardinals hit four straight runs for the 11th time in MLB history

Louis Cardinals hit four straight runs for the 11th time in MLB history in the first inning, with Nolan Arenado, Nolan Gorman, Juan Ypez and Dylan Carlson all deepening.

8. Toronto Blue Jays

This season, he leads the MLB offensive in OPS, and in June, they scored 170 points in the league. And their crime is why Toronto will play baseball in October. On the other hand, he has some questions.

7. Milwaukee Brewers

Unlike the teams behind the Brewers in this week’s power rankings, Milwaukee does it a different way: by dominating the side of the field. For a while, the Brewers were without two of their Big Three pitchers in the starting session, but now they’re back Brandon Woodruff to work out a 1-2 punch with Corbin Burnes, and they’re not up for a win.

6. San Diego Padres

The Padres faced the Dodgers last weekend and found themselves a few steps away from drifting in a four-game streak. Fortunately for them, they fought back and found a way to win on Sunday, saving themselves from a disastrous streak against their division rivals. The Padres pitching has been great, as they lead baseball in the hits. But if they want to compete with the Dodgers at NL West, they need Fernando Tatis Jr.

5. New York Mets

The Mets need Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer again in a hurry now that the Atlanta Braves are breathing in their necks. I’ve had to bump into the Mets after a tough show against the Houston Astros over the past week and a half, but they’ve been able to bounce back quickly with their teammates ready to come back.

The battle for the NL East crown rages on

Ben Verlander talks about the fight between the Mets and the Braves in the NL East. The Braves are back in action with main performances from Dansby Swanson and Ronald Acuna Jr. and others, while the Mets anticipate the return of Max Scherzer and Jacob DeGrom.

4. Atlanta Braves

For the first time since the first week of the season, the Braves are ahead of the Mets in my strength rankings. They won 21 games in June, which equals a franchise record, and trimmed the Mets’ lead by eight games that run. The Mets are still number one in the NL East, but for now, the Braves are the team you don’t want to meet.

3. Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers undoubtedly have some injury issues they’re dealing with, but we saw how good they were and how deep they were when they played against the Padres over the weekend. It was the biggest streak of the season so far for both teams, and the Dodgers dominated. They haven’t had the best month, but there is no doubt that they are one of the best teams in baseball.

The depth of the Los Angeles Dodgers is unparalleled in baseball

Ben Verlander delves deeper into the Dodgers and their success even without Clayton Kershaw, Mockie Bates and Dustin May Walker Buehler.

2. Houston Astros

The Astros have been a force lately, and that’s been on full display for the past week and a half. In a strange stretch of their schedule, the Astros had to play the top team in each league for nine straight games: first at home, then on the road, then at home against both the Yankees and Mets. During this stretch, the Astros have shown how good he is. They went 7-2 and controlled every aspect of the game.

1. New York Yankees

Even though the Yankees have lost three out of five games to the Astros, I don’t think much of their lead this week. The Yankees are on track to break the MLB winning record, and despite the narrow gap between first and second place, the Yankees are still the best team in baseball. They have an amazing 34-9 home record this season, by far the best in baseball.

Ben Verlander, MLB Analyst at FOX Sports and host of “philippines batsPodcast. Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Verlander was an all-American at Old Dominion University before joining his brother, Justin, in Detroit in the 14th round of the Tigers’ pick in 2013. He spent five years in an organized Tigers. Follow him on Twitter @Ben Verlander.