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    2023 MLB Power Rankings Week 22: Philadelphia Phillies Make Huge Leap

    The Philadelphia Phillies took a significant step forward in this week's MLB power rankings on Inside the Phillies.

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    Philadelphia Phillies
    Philadelphia Phillies

    The Philadelphia Phillies made a jump in this week's edition of our weekly MLB power rankings. The Fightin' Phils moved up even higher in the top-10, remaining in the top third of the league for the fourth-straight week.

    The top-5 of our rankings remained the same for the second week in a row. Meanwhile, one team moved out of the top-10, and another team moved in to the top-10.

    Here's a look at our power rankings for Week 22 of the 2023 Major League Baseball season:

    1) Atlanta Braves (84-45; +219 DIFF, 44-27 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 1 [no movement]) — For the third straight week, the Braves hold the top spot. Hard to go against the team that is nearly 40 games over .500. 

    2) Los Angeles Dodgers (80-49; +152 DIFF, 38-30 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 2 [no movement]) — The Dodgers remain in our no. 2 spot, after winning two more series, over the past week. Los Angeles is now 33-11 since the Fourth of July.

    3) Baltimore Orioles (81-49; +86 DIFF, 42-31 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 3 [no movement]) — Baltimore remains steady at no. 3, with Tampa and Seattle right on their heels. The O's hold a two-game lead over the Rays in the AL East, with just over a month to play. The two teams have just one series remaining. They will meet for a four-game stand at Camden Yards in mid-September.

    4) Tampa Bay Rays (80-52; +174 DIFF, 36-32 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 4 [no movement]) — In the two weeks since the abrupt disappearance of Wander Franco, the Rays are 9-3. Even without their star shortstop, Tampa Bay keeps chugging along.

    5) Seattle Mariners (74-56; +102 DIFF, 32-33 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 5 [no movement]) — If it weren't for the fact that four teams already have reached 80 wins, the Mariners would be higher, so they'll remain comfortably in the no. 5 spot for now. Just over a month ago, the M's were 10 games back of first place in the AL West. As of Sunday, they are in sole possession of first place, surpassing the Texas Rangers, who have held the division lead for much of the season.

    6) Milwaukee Brewers (73-57; +19 DIFF, 37-36 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 7 [up 1]) — The Brewers are starting to heat up. Craig Counsell's club has won eight in a row. With a four-game lead in the NL Central, the Brew Crew has a chance to bury the Cubs this week at Wrigley.

    7) Houston Astros (74-58; +88 DIFF, 32-38 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 6 [down 1]) — Milwaukee's strong week has them swap places with the Astros, who are now just one game back of first place in the AL West.

    8) Philadelphia Phillies (72-58; +68 DIFF, 39-37 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 10 [up 2]) — The Phillies continue to create separation between them and the other teams vying for a spot in the National League Wild Card Series. The Fightin' Phils are three games up on the second Wild Card team (the Cubs) and five games up on the first team out (the Reds).

    9) Arizona Diamondbacks (69-62; -3 DIFF, 31-41 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 12 [up 3]) — I might be higher on the Snakes than most, but Torey Lovullo's club seems to have returned to form. The club was 16 games over .500 at the start of July, and fell to two games below .500 earlier this month. Since losing nine straight games, the D-Backs are 11-3, peaking perhaps at the right time.

    10) Toronto Blue Jays (71-60; +55 DIFF, 38-42 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 9 [down 1]) — The rapid ascension of the Mariners currently has the Blue Jays on the outside looking in of the postseason, but if Texas continues to slide, it shouldn't be too difficult for Toronto to return to the playoffs.

    11) Chicago Cubs (69-61; +79 DIFF, 29-36 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 13 [up 2]) — Their final two games in Pittsburgh over the weekend really changed the outlook of the Cubs' recent 12-game stretch against the White Sox, Royals, Tigers and Pirates. Entering Saturday, the Cubs were 6-4 with a +2 run-differential against inferior opponents, in what was a prime opportunity to gain ground on the first-place Brewers. Instead, the Cubs fell further behind Milwaukee, who rattled off eight-straight wins. The Cubs' bats finally came alive over the weekend, outscoring the Pirates 20-7. Now, they prepare for a critical three-game battle with the Brewers at Wrigley.

    12) Boston Red Sox (69-62; +42 DIFF, 36-36 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 11 [down 1]) — At 69-62, the Red Sox are 4.5 games back of the third and final Wild Card spot in the American League. They'd be tied for the third Wild Card and only a half-game back of the second Wild Card, if they played in the National League.

    13) Minnesota Twins (68-63; +47 DIFF, 30-34 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 14 [up 1]) — The Twins bullied the Rangers in Minnesota, taking three of four games, after dropping both games of a two-game set in Milwaukee. Minnesota leads Cleveland by six games, as the two clubs open a three-game series at Target Field on Monday.

    14) Texas Rangers (73-57; +172 DIFF, 32-34 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 8 [down 6]) — There isn't a contender that has cooled off more than Texas has, as of late. The Rangers snapped an eight-game losing skid Saturday, then dropped a 13-inning thriller on Sunday. The Rangers were 40-20 on June 6. In the time since, the club is a measly 33-37. They've been a sub-par team for nearly three months.

    15) Cincinnati Reds (68-64; -22 DIFF, 37-39 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 17 [up 2]) — The Reds picked up a much-needed sweep, over the Angels, last week. The Redlegs will complete their ten-game road trip this week, as they travel to San Francisco for a critical three-game series between a pair of teams vying for a playoff spot.

    16) San Francisco Giants (67-63; -2 DIFF, 38-35 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 15 [down 1]) — San Francisco continues to slide. The Giants went 2-4 over the past week against potential playoff teams, Atlanta and Philadelphia.

    17) Miami Marlins (66-65; -48 DIFF, 30-40 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 16 [down 1) — The Marlins are still very much alive in the National League, despite losing their last four series and posting a 12-26 record since the All-Star break.

    18) Washington Nationals (61-70; -93 DIFF, 35-45 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 23 [up 5) — Coming into the season, many believed the Nationals would be the worst team in the National League. Don't look now, but the pesky Nats are 11-4 over their last five games, have won their last five series, and are eight games out of a playoff spot in the NL. They probably won't sneak into the playoffs, but the Nats may be closer to contention than many originally believed.

    19) Cleveland Guardians (62-69; -10 DIFF, 30-35 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 19 [down 1]) — With their win Sunday, the Guardians clinched their first series win in over a month! Now on life support, the Guardians need to sweep the Twins in Minnesota this week, in order to have any hope of climbing back into the AL Central race. Cleveland trails Minnesota by six games.

    20) Los Angeles Angels (63-68; -41 DIFF, 32-49 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 18 [down 2]) — In what appeared to be an exciting week for the Angels, Mike Trout was placed back on the IL after playing just one game in his return, and Shohei Ohtani tore his UCL, which will likely require Tommy John surgery to repair. Ohtani's days as a pitcher may be done. Brutal week for the Angels, and for baseball fans everywhere.

    21) New York Yankees (62-68; -23 DIFF, 39-48 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 20 [down 1]) — It's becoming increasing more likely that the Yankees will post their first losing season since 1995, in 2023.

    22) San Diego Padres (61-70; +53 DIFF, 39-49 vs. >.500. LAST WEEK: no. 21 [down 1]) — The Padres may have sealed their fate, being swept by the Brewers in a crucial series. They're now eight games back of a Wild Card spot.

    23) New York Mets (60-71; -39 DIFF, 31-42 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 22 [down 1]) — A 2-4 week drops the Mets a spot in our rankings.

    24) Detroit Tigers (59-71; -116 DIFF, 30-48 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 24 [no movement]) — The Tigers gave the Cubs a run for their money this week, narrowly dropping two of three.

    25) Pittsburgh Pirates (58-73; -96 DIFF, 30-54 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 26 [up 1]) — The Pirates edge in front of the Cardinals after taking a three-game series in Pittsburgh.

    26) St. Louis Cardinals (56-75; -75 DIFF, 33-47 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 25 [down 1]) — A 1-5 week paired with a series defeat to the Pirates, moves the Cardinals into last place in the NL Central, and drops them below the Pirates in our rankings.

    27) Chicago White Sox (52-79; -124 DIFF, 22-50 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 28 [up 1]) — White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf did the unthinkable: he fired somebody! And not just anybody, but he fired longtime vice president Kenny Williams and general manager Rick Hahn. From the outside looking in, the dismissal was rather shocking. It will be interesting to see who takes over the front office, moving forward.

    28) Colorado Rockies (49-81; -181 DIFF, 21-53 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 27 [down 1]) — The Rockies aren't too far from approaching Royals/A's territory. Give them enough time, and they just might catch up with them, in the final weeks of the season!

    29) Kansas City Royals (41-91; -181 DIFF, 19-55 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 29 [no movement]) — It's now time for everyone's favorite part of the power rankings: How many games will Kansas City and Oakland lose this year? The Royals are now on pace to finish 50-112, which would be the worst record in franchise history.

    30) Oakland Athletics (38-93; -302 DIFF, 19-62 vs. >.500, LAST WEEK: no. 30 [no movement]) — The A's are on track to finish 2023 with a 47-115 record, which would be four games better than the 2003 Tigers, who hold the worst record in a 162-game season in baseball history (43-119).

    For more from Jack Vita, follow him on Twitter @JackVitaShow, and subscribe to his podcast, the Jack Vita Show, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Facebook, Amazon, iHeartRadio, and wherever podcasts are found.

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