Major League Baseball

MLB Power Rankings: What do we make of the Mets and Braves?

Updated Sep. 12, 2022 5:36 p.m. ET

By Ben Verlander
FOX Sports MLB Analyst

It's been a long time since I can remember a division race similar to what we are seeing in the NL East this season.

What was once a double-digit lead for the New York Mets was all but whisked away the past few months, and on Friday, we saw the lead in the NL East shift for the first time. But the Atlanta Braves' hold over it proved to be short-lived, as the Mets regained the NL East lead the next day.

As this new week gets underway, all eyes are on the NL East as we head down the home stretch, with the Mets and Braves both putting on a show. The Mets have been one of the best teams in baseball all season, while the Braves have been the best team in baseball since June 1.

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10. San Diego Padres

The Padres continually make me scratch my head. Since they were handed a gold star by everyone for their seemingly exceptional trade deadline, the Padres have gone 17-18. Even without Fernando Tatis Jr., this team is very talented. Now is the time to start playing like it.

9. Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays have been red-hot lately, winning nine of their past 12 games. As you'd expect, the offense has led the way. The Jays lead Major League Baseball this season in batting average against opposing starters at .271, and their wRC+ (weighted runs created plus) of 116 indicates they've been 16% better than the average team — second in the league behind the Dodgers.

8. Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays' home-field advantage has been key to their success, as they've posted the third-best win percentage at home since Aug. 1, at .789, behind only the Dodgers (.824) and Cardinals (.818). At the time, they were 15 games out of first place in the AL East. Now, they have cut the division lead to 4.5 games.

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7. Seattle Mariners

Since the trade deadline, no team has a better road win percentage than the Mariners (.750). A huge reason for that is their pitching. One overlooked aspect of the Mariners, however, is their defense. They are tied for the best fielding percentage in baseball at .989 and have the fewest errors, with 55. They're also in the top 10 in DRS (defensive runs saved) and OAA (outs above average).

6. New York Yankees

After seeing their massive AL East lead all but drift away, the Yankees have turned it back on and are playing better of late. They took down the Rays over the weekend in a huge battle between the top two teams in the division. The Yankees have been dominant late in games this season, posting the second-best run differential in innings 7-9 at +66, behind only the Dodgers (+74).

5. St. Louis Cardinals

Since the trade deadline, no team has a better win percentage than the Cardinals (.730). A key to their hot stretch has been striking early; they're tied with the Phillies for the most first-inning runs (28) in MLB. St. Louis seems to have the NL Central under control, so now all attention turns to Albert Pujols as he closes in on his 700th home run. On Sunday, he hit his 697th, passing Alex Rodriguez for sole possession of fourth place all time.

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4. Atlanta Braves

Since May 31, the Braves have the best record in the majors at 64-26. They are the only team in that time to post a winning percentage above .700 (.711). At the end of May, the Braves were 10.5 games behind the Mets. Now the Mets' lead is down to 0.5 games.

3. New York Mets

The Mets are one of two teams in MLB that have not lost more than three consecutive games this season. The division rival Braves are the only other team that can say the same thing. The Mets are scratching and clawing to stay atop the NL East, but it hasn't been easy with the Braves playing better than anyone else the past few months. The Mets have been great all year and have a very favorable schedule down the stretch, which should help them hold off Atlanta.

2. Houston Astros

On Sunday, the Astros became the first American League team to reach 90 wins, and they're well on their way to claiming the No. 1 seed in the AL. A big part of their success has been their ability to win on the road. The Astros are one of only two teams with a road winning percentage better than .600, with the Dodgers the other.

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1. Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers, with a win over the Padres on Sunday, became the first team to clinch a playoff spot this season. The Dodgers are dominating in all aspects of the game, scoring the most runs per game (5.40) and giving up the fewest (3.22). That's a pretty good indication of a good baseball team, and the Dodgers have been the best in Major League Baseball this year.

Here's to another great week!

Ben Verlander is an MLB analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the "Flippin' Bats" podcast. Verlander was an All-American at Old Dominion University before he joined his brother, Justin, in Detroit as a 14th-round pick of the Tigers in 2013. He spent five years in the Tigers organization. Follow him on Twitter @BenVerlander.