MLB power rankings: Marlins have been best team in baseball
Heck, they even held onto franchise bulwark Sandy Alcantara, which may or may not portend positive things for a winter to build upon this surprise season. Miami's pitching staff leads the majors in WHIP (1.06) and the NL in ERA (3.16) since June 27, a 31-game stretch.
For now, though, the Marlins have zoomed up four more spots in USA TODAY Sports' power rankings - and are even loitering on the fringes of the NL wild-card race, six games out but with three teams to pass.
But if they keep up this pace, there's no ceiling that can stop them.
A look at our updated rankings:
1. Milwaukee Brewers (+2)
Banged out a franchise-record 56 hits in three-game sweep of Nationals.
All-Star Game headed to Wrigley in 2027. Which uniform will Kyle Tucker be wearing?
Don't look now, but Max Scherzer has struck out 16, walked none and won each of his past two starts.
4. Detroit Tigers (-)
Can they unlock a closer-like performance from newly acquired Kyle Finnegan?
Jhoan Duran's dominant stuff accompanied his personal intro on trip from Minnesota to Philly.
Max Muncy is ready to return, with Tommy Edman likely replacing him on the IL.
7. New York Mets (-2)
Cedric Mullins will fit very snugly on their playoff roster.
Has anyone ever rebutted A.J. Preller when he simply asked, "Why not?"
9. Houston Astros (-1)
Carlos Correa still eight days away from playing his first home game at Minut-, errr, Daikin Park since Game 6 of the 2021 World Series.
Once again, a pretty lame deadline, but Steven Matz is low-key a useful bullpen piece.
11. Seattle Mariners (+2)
Big series win against a Rangers team suddenly right in their way.
12. New York Yankees (-3)
Hard for Brian Cashman to blame Aaron Boone when the players he acquired blew up in the skipper's face.
Survived the Speedway semi-debacle. Will rest of season be a red flag?
Jacob deGrom the fastest to 1,800 strikeouts in both innings (1,493 1/3 ) and games (240).
15. San Francisco Giants (-)
A "soft sell" at the deadline, if you will, but now they're back at .500. One more run in 'em?
16. Miami Marlins (+4)
Kyle Stowers with a shot at 40 homers.
17. Cleveland Guardians (+1)
You'd think Emmanuel Clase would be the cautionary tale that gets ballplayers' attention.
18. St. Louis Cardinals (-2)
.500 looking like their destiny.
19. Kansas City Royals (-)
Mike Yastrzemski kind of a nice "Why the hell not?" pickup.
20. Tampa Bay Rays (-7)
Have now lost 11 of 16 since break.
21. Los Angeles Angels (+1)
Taylor Ward now with a career-high 26 home runs, his latest a walk-off.
The Jordan Montgomery Era really was something.
Like many Americans, they're struggling to be debt-free.
The deadline decimated entire roster, but lineup has responded; bullpen has not.
Don't think anyone will complain if someone calls the Speedway trophy "a piece of metal."
26. Athletics (-1)
Just 23 wins in Yolo County; only Rockies, Nationals have fewer at home.
The trade of moderate success story Bailey Falter was moderately depressing.
28. Washington Nationals (-)
Run differential now minus-134; only Rockies (-277) are worse.
29. Chicago White Sox (-)
Luis Robert is still here.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
8 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Man Utd fans plan first protest against Sir Jim Ratcliffe as they slam 'devil in disguise'
Manchester United supporters are still fuming over the club's plight and have staged protests accusing the ownership of robbing its "history, dignity and integrity" after a disastrous season led to a 15th placed finish Manchester United fans are planning to stage a protest against Sir Jim Ratcliffe's running of the club for the first time ahead of their Premier League season opener against Arsenal this month. Ratcliffe has come under fire from a huge section of supporters over his decision-making and handling of the club since his £1.25bn investment in the club last year - quickly taking control of United's football operations. But United have had a disastrous couple of years since he joined the club, which have seen United finish seventh in the Premier League in 2023-24 before a 15th-placed finish last season. The club have also been hit by financial difficulties, which has impacted their spending in this window. Ratcliffe has embarked on a brutal cost-cutting regime at Old Trafford, with ticket prices hiked and free lunches for staff in the canteen scrapped too. Meanwhile, Joel and Avram Glazer continue to own the club in the background despite mounting calls for the Americans to leave. The 1958 supporters' group have previously staged a number of demonstrations against the club's ownership, including before the final game of the season against Aston Villa - as they accused United of stealing their "history, dignity and integrity". They have now announced their next move in a bid to make their voices heard. The group will lead a protest outside Old Trafford before the team faces the Gunners on August 17. Protesters will hold up banners in opposition to both Ratcliffe and the Glazers presence at the club, with the signs reading: "Jim can't fix this". A spokesman for The 1958 said: 'It's a new season but the same old ownership issues. Twenty years of the Glazers and their debt mountain is 20 years too long. Enough is enough. "We won't allow some natural optimism and a couple of shiny new signings to deflect from the bigger off-field picture. Jim Ratcliffe chose to get into bed with the Glazers and in our opinion is helping keep them in charge. "So on 17th August, we protest not just against the Glazers, but now also against Jim Ratcliffe – a man once seen by many, including ourselves, as a possible saviour, a beacon of hope but now revealed as complicit in the ongoing erosion of everything that makes our club what it is. "Jim Ratcliffe, you have chosen your side and it is not ours. You now stand shoulder to shoulder with the Glazers. The mask has slipped. You are no saviour. You're like a (red) devil in disguise." Ratcliffe previously admitted he could leave the club if he became as unpopular as the Americans, saying: "Eventually, if it reached the extent that the Glazer family have been abused, then I'd have to say, 'look, that's enough guys, let somebody else do this'."
Reuters
10 hours ago
- Reuters
Isaac Collins, Brewers bid to stay hot in clash vs. Braves
August 5 - The visiting Milwaukee Brewers will bring the majors' best record into play on Tuesday night when they look to clinch a series victory over the hapless Atlanta Braves. After posting a 3-1 win in the opener of a three-game set on Monday, the Brewers are a season-best 24 games over .500 at 68-44 and hold a three-game lead over the Chicago Cubs atop the National League Central. Milwaukee has won four straight games and 12 of 16 since the All-Star break. For a lineup that produces by committee, helping the cause in the season's second half has been 28-year-old rookie Isaac Collins. Including hitting a three-run homer on Monday, Collins has reached safely in 13 of 15 games since the break, pushing his batting average to .281 and his OPS to .801. Admittedly, Collins has kept an eye on fellow first-year players across the league as he chases a possible NL Rookie of the Year Award. "I mean, it's hard not to acknowledge and think about that stuff, but we've still got two months of baseball left," Collins said. "I just try to take things one day at a time. ... It's not why I play -- it's just a byproduct of executing. Staying process-oriented and not getting so caught up in the results, when you do that, the results show up." Right-hander Freddy Peralta (12-5, 3.08 ERA) will start for the Brewers on Tuesday, looking to rebound from his first loss since June 3. Peralta allowed five runs in four innings against the Cubs the last time out as the Brewers fell 10-3 on Wednesday. In eight career appearances (seven starts) against the Braves, Peralta is 4-2 with a 4.58 ERA. As confidently as Milwaukee is playing, the opposite can be said for Atlanta. The Braves appear to be limping to the finish line after losing nine of their last 12 games to fall 17 games under .500. Each of the Braves' starting pitchers to begin the season are on the 60-day injured list, and the team hopes it can squeeze out another solid start from its midseason acquisition on Tuesday. Joey Wentz (2-2, 5.02 ERA) is slated to make his fifth appearance and fourth start for the Braves on Tuesday after being designated for assignment after 25 appearances split with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Minnesota Twins. The left-hander is coming off his best performance of the season on Wednesday, allowing one hit over 6 2/3 scoreless innings in a no-decision against the Kansas City Royals. Atlanta lost 1-0 in 10 innings. "It's going to be challenging the rest of the year, until we hopefully get a guy back from that group," Braves manager Brian Snitker said of the pitching injuries. "We knew as soon as the last guy (Grant Holmes) went down, it's going to be challenging. Hopefully, these guys can hold up and give us a chance to win some games." Wentz has a 7.20 ERA in four career relief appearances against the Brewers. With Pittsburgh, he threw a scoreless frame against them on May 22 before he surrendered four runs in 1 1/3 innings versus them with the Twins on June 20. --Field Level Media
The Guardian
13 hours ago
- The Guardian
F1 2025: end-of-term report card as drivers head for their summer break
Oscar Piastri Leading the world championship and has earned his place at the top. He has not only been quick in the best car on the grid, but consistent and calm. This has not been the stuff of fireworks, but relentless precision. His execution and attitude have no little of the Alain Prost about them and he is shaping up to be a similarly formidable opponent as The Professor. He has gone toe to toe with his teammate, Lando Norris, in these opening 14 meetings and, overall, come out on top. There have been six wins and only twice has he failed to reach the podium. The three consummate victories in a row in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Miami made his title ambitions clear, while errors have been few and far between. A spin in the wet in Australia and a safety car infringement at Silverstone are the only blots on an otherwise immaculate copybook. Lando Norris Entered the season as favourite and when the McLaren duly proved to be the class of the field was expected to exploit it. However, after a strong start in Australia it became clear the MCL39 was not quite giving him the feel for the front grip of the car that he likes. It proved costly, particularly in qualifying, and Norris was typically forthright and honest that it was up to him to adapt. Errors compounded his problems, not least crashing in qualifying in Saudi Arabia and hitting his teammate in Canada. In Budapest, he revealed an intriguingly nihilist approach, noting in regards to the title race: 'In 200 years no one is going to care. We'll all be dead.' Rather than settling down to contemplate the meaninglessness of existence in a darkened room the Briton has doggedly stuck at his task and returned some impressive wins with fine drives in Monaco and Austria and an inspired strategy coup on Sunday in Budapest. If he can eliminate the faults Norris will be challenging his teammate to the end. Max Verstappen Before the weekend began in Hungary, Verstappen ended speculation over his future by stating he would be with Red Bull next year, but did not say whether he would see out his contract that runs to 2028. The world champion has acknowledged the title is beyond him this year, but he still craves performance and stability within the team. However, over these 14 races, the form of the car has been sorely lacking, while bringing an end to the turbulence of the past two years and soothing the ruffled brows of the Verstappen camp was at least part of the purpose of the removal of Red Bull's team principal of 20 years, Christian Horner. Verstappen has still succeeded in wrestling repeated results, including two impressive wins, from a car that is barely manageable, but he and the team's focus is now on the future. There are major exams coming up in the form of the new regulations for next season and, for the second half of this one, the question that will dominate is how do Red Bull under their new boss, Laurent Mekies, now adapt? If the Frenchman fails to deliver, the internal politicking at the team could be fascinating. And brutal. Gabriel Bortoleto When Sauber brought in a new floor in Spain the 20-year-old Brazilian rookie came alive, showing promise given his team's relatively uncompetitive car. He is in good company in the new intake. At Racing Bulls, Isack Hadjar has been a standout adapting quickly to F1 with consistent, confident performances and largely outdriving his teammate, Liam Lawson, whom Red Bull had rated enough to promote, briefly, to the senior squad at the start of the season. Kimi Antonelli has demonstrated his potential at Mercedes, but has been inconsistent in a car George Russell muscled to a win in Canada. Bortoleto has given the impression he may have so much more to come. After Sauber applied upgrades in Barcelona, Bortoleto took his first points in Austria including challenging Fernando Alonso for seventh place. A crash at Silverstone followed while on slicks in the wet, but he took points in Belgium and in Hungary he was flying. He qualified seventh, 12 places in front of his experienced teammate, Nico Hülkenberg, and claimed sixth in the race after a battling drive. If he can repeat it in the second half of the season, Audi, as Sauber will be next season, have a genuine asset. Lewis Hamilton Left dejected after two races of, by his own admission, below-par performances – with 16th on the grid in Spa and a 12th in qualifying in Hungary he described as 'absolutely useless' before finishing the race in 12th – Lewis Hamilton even appeared to cast doubt on his future in F1. It was a response, likely a blip, from a driver worn down by having to deal with adapting to his new team under such scrutiny as well as dissatisfaction at how they, and he, are performing. It is unusual for Hamilton to be so publicly hard on himself and perhaps represents real frustration with Ferrari, but he has proved repeatedly he is nothing if not a fighter. A step back after what has been a gruelling opening with a new team is clearly required even if, as is believed, he feels there is still enormous work to be done at the Scuderia. Hamilton accepted the process to adapt would take time, but that frustration in Hungary suggests he could be disillusioned despite his belief Ferrari have everything needed to return to the top. He said rather dejectedly in Budapest he would 'hopefully' return after the summer break. The touch is still there, as he proved in Silverstone and Spa, but he, perhaps like no other driver, could benefit from a reset over the summer break.
