Updated: August 20, 2012, 12:44 PM ET

Nationals remain in top spot

Week:

ESPN.com

The Washington Nationals, which own the best record in baseball, hold on to the top spot for the second consecutive week in our Power Rankings.

The Cincinnati Reds move up one spot to No. 2, while the Atlanta Braves rise two spots to take over the No. 3 position.

The New York Yankees, which have the best record in the American League, drop two spots to No. 4, and the Texas Rangers fell one spot to No. 5.

This week's voters were Jim Bowden of ESPN Insider and Tim Kurkjian of ESPN The Magazine. Many of the team comments come courtesy of the fan bloggers on the SweetSpot Blog Network. Meanwhile, you can rank the teams yourself.

Tell us what you think about the Power Rankings: Use the hashtag #ESPNMLBPOWER.

2012 Power Rankings: August 20
RANKTEAM / RECORD TRENDINGCOMMENTS
1
--

Last Week: 1		After splitting a four-game series with the Braves in late July, the Nats have held off hard-charging Atlanta (18-8 since) with a run of their own (20-7). -- Harper Gordek: Nationals Baseball
2
Reds
74-48
1
Last Week: 3		The Reds increased their lead in the NL Central to 6½ games on the strength of a 5-2 homestand. Mat Latos had two strong starts during that stretch, and since the end of April, Latos is 9-1 with a 3.02 ERA. -- Chad Dotson: Redleg Nation
3
Braves
70-51
2
Last Week: 5		After addressing the pitching rotation, the Braves find themselves occasionally struggling to score runs, scoring zero, one and two runs in their three losses over the past week (in which they went 4-3). Chipper Jones continues to be the best hitter on the team in his farewell season, boasting an incredible 147 wRC+ (Weighted Runs Created plus). -- Franklin Rabon: Capitol Avenue Club
4
Yankees
72-49
2
Last Week: 2		Hiroki Kuroda has been red hot since the All-Star break, as he has compiled a 1.39 ERA and 0.81 WHIP in seven starts. It couldn't have come at a better time, with CC Sabathia on the DL. -- Rob Abruzzese: Bronx Baseball Daily
5
Rangers
70-50
1
Last Week: 4		The Rangers have all but eliminated the Angels from contention for the AL West title, and the Athletics may not be far behind from falling out of the AL West race -- which brings to light a more important question: Can the Rangers overtake the Yankees for the AL's No. 1 playoff seed? -- Joey Matschulat: Baseball Time in Arlington
6
Pirates
67-54
1
Last Week: 7		On paper, the Pirates have a relatively easy schedule ahead of them for this week -- three games against the Padres in San Diego and three against the Brewers at home. -- ESPN.com
7
Rays
67-54
5
Last Week: 12		The Rays looked, well, perfect in their four-game sweep of the Angels in Anaheim and near perfect on their 8-2 road trip. -- Mark Heilig: The Ray Area
8
Giants
66-55
2
Last Week: 6		There was a brief, beautiful moment when Pablo Sandoval came back from the DL and the Giants put together a lineup that nearly had a serious hitter at every position. Then Melky Cabrera got popped for enhancing his performance, and the Giants are left hoping that Gregor Blanco, Justin Christian or waiver claim TBD will suffice to fill the hole in both left field and the fans' hearts. -- Otis Anderson: Bay City Ball
9
1
Last Week: 8		The White Sox were swept in Kansas City, which had been 10 games under .500 at home heading into the series. The Sox are 17-17 since July 13 but have lost only 1½ games off their division lead. Adam Dunn hit his MLB-leading 35th home run (400th in his career) Saturday and is aiming to be the first member of the White Sox to win the homer title since Dick Allen (32) in 1974. -- Diane Firstman: Value Over Replacement Grit
10
Dodgers
67-55
1
Last Week: 11		The Dodgers' long-struggling infield exploded last week, with Hanley Ramirez, Luis Cruz, Mark Ellis and James Loney combining to go 35-for-82 (.427) with seven home runs and eight doubles -- a .780 slugging percentage. -- Jon Weisman: Dodger Thoughts
11
1
Last Week: 10		After being sidelined for more than two months, Jaime Garcia returned to the Cardinals' rotation. But the Cards dropped two of three to the Pirates, including Sunday's 19-inning game, the longest in the majors this season. Despite having the second-best Pythagorean record in the NL, the Cardinals are two games out of the wild card. -- Matt Philip: Fungoes
12
Tigers
64-57
3
Last Week: 9		The Tigers sit 1½ games back in the AL Central despite losing two of three to the Orioles over the weekend. -- Josh Worn: Walkoff Woodward
13
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Last Week: 13		Grant Balfour has a 0.68 ERA and a .111 batting average against in 14 outings since the All-Star break. -- ESPN.com
14
Orioles
66-55
1
Last Week: 15		Wei-Yin Chen leads the Orioles in ERA (3.87) and strikeouts (122), but he has given up 20 home runs in his 25 starts. -- ESPN.com
15
Angels
62-60
1
Last Week: 14		The Angels' pitching staff didn't meet expectations last week. The team took two of three from the Indians but followed that by losing all four games against the Rays. Pitching coach Mike Butcher is on the hot seat, and if things don't turn around soon, Mike Scioscia might be on the hot seat too. -- Hudson Belinsky: Halos Daily
16
--

Last Week: 16		A sweep of the Astros puts Arizona 4½ out in the NL West race and five out in the wild-card race. The D-backs' next seven games are against the Marlins and Padres at home. Miguel Montero is hitting .321 with six homers and 27 RBIs since the All-Star break. -- Diane Firstman: Value Over Replacement Grit
17
Red Sox
59-63
--

Last Week: 17		It appears as if Boston will no longer have the services of Carl Crawford, who will likely undergo Tommy John surgery Tuesday. He probably won't be ready to play by the start of spring training but will have a shot to play on Opening Day. Expect Ryan Kalish to receive full time at-bats the rest of the way. -- Evan Brunell: Fire Brand of the AL
18
Mets
57-64
--

Last Week: 18		On the bright side (pardon the pun), the Mets are 25-18 in day games this year. Perhaps they should pull the lights out of Citi Field. -- Joe Janish: Mets Today
19
--

Last Week: 19		Fielding a predominantly Triple-A lineup due to injuries, the Blue Jays were able to tread water against the first-place Rangers and White Sox this past week. Brandon Lyon has been dominant since joining Toronto via trade, striking out 22 while walking only one in 11 innings pitched. -- Callum Hughson: Mop-Up Duty
20
2
Last Week: 22		After five straight wins (including a perfect game!), the Mariners find themselves just six games under .500 and 8½ games from a wild-card berth. I hate to compare apples and oranges, but the M's were 11½ behind California on this date in 1995 and went on to win the AL West. -- Brendan Gawlowski: Pro Ball NW
21
Marlins
55-67
2
Last Week: 23		Nate Eovaldi is sporting a 3.75 ERA in five starts since joining the Marlins. In 24 innings pitched during that stretch, he has yet to allow a home run. -- ESPN.com
22
2
Last Week: 20		Kyle Kendrick has thrown 15 consecutive scoreless innings. This is his second lengthy scoreless innings streak, having thrown 22 consecutive between June 28 and Aug. 3. He has been one of the few bright spots for the Phillies in 2012. -- Bill Baer: Crashburn Alley
23
Indians
54-67
1
Last Week: 24		Willie Nelson may have liked to "get on the road again," but the Indians certainly do not. In their last two road trips combined, they're 1-14. They still have three games in Seattle before they return to the friendlier confines of Progressive Field to play the first-place Yankees next weekend. -- Stephanie Liscio: It's Pronounced "Lajaway"
24
Brewers
54-66
3
Last Week: 21		Randy Wolf has given up a combined 20 hits in his past two starts (both losses). As you would expect, his ERA (5.69) continues to rise. -- ESPN.com
25
Royals
54-66
2
Last Week: 27		Jeremy Guthrie is unbeaten in his past three starts, as he has given up zero earned runs while allowing only 11 hits in 22 2/3 innings during that stretch. -- ESPN.com
26
Twins
50-70
--

Last Week: 26		The Twins sunk to 20 games below .500 with a weekend sweep at the hands of the last-place Mariners. Trevor Plouffe is 1-for-22 since returning from the DL. -- Nick Nelson: Twins Daily
27
Padres
53-70
2
Last Week: 25		The Padres were outscored 28-2 during a four-game stretch last week before putting up seven runs on both Saturday and Sunday. Chase Headley is hitting .301/.369/.594 with 12 homers since the All-Star break. -- Diane Firstman: Value Over Replacement Grit
28
Cubs
47-73
--

Last Week: 28		Chris Volstad failed to record a win again Sunday. His last win in the majors was on July 10, 2011. -- Joe Aiello: View from the Bleachers
29
Rockies
46-73
--

Last Week: 29		The Rockies are 8-5 over their past 13 games. This is their best 13-game stretch since the team went 9-4 from May 23 through June 4. -- Travis Lay: Blake Street Bulletin
30
Astros
39-83
--

Last Week: 30		Interim manager Tony DeFrancesco lost his big league debut, as the Astros lost to the D-backs 8-1. He'll want to get used to that. Welcome to the Astros, losers of 30 out of 36 games since the All-Star break. -- Austin Swafford: Astros 290
  • Biggest Jump:
  • 5
  • Biggest Drop:
  • 3

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