MLB Power Rankings Week 20: Boston climbs, Houston and San Diego surge, and Milwaukee visits Los Angeles (2026)

Milwaukee takes the top line from Los Angeles in this week's three-list composite, but the more useful movement is underneath: Boston climbs to No. 5, Houston jumps six places, San Diego seven, and Detroit rises despite having just traded away Tarik Skubal. The Dodgers arrive at No. 2 with a 2-8 last 10 and a +138 run differential; the Brewers arrive at No. 1 with MLB's best record and a +141 differential. They meet for four games at Dodger Stadium from Thursday through Sunday. 1 2 3 4

This is a post-deadline snapshot for games through Sunday, Aug. 9. The composite averages ESPN's Aug. 7 Stock Watch, MLB.com's Aug. 5 power rankings, and FanGraphs' Aug. 4 rankings covering July 27-Aug. 2. The Athletic did not publish an accessible ordinal MLB list in this window; its Aug. 10 playoff-road analysis is used for the forward schedule layer instead. Ties are separated by current record, run differential, MLB's expected record, and recent form. That makes this a transparent three-list composite, not a made-up four-source consensus. 5 6

All 30 teams ranked

RD is run differential. X-W/L is MLB.com's expected record, the record implied by runs scored and allowed. Pyth% appears in the analytics section below and is calculated from the same runs scored and allowed with a standard 1.83 exponent. The source range shows the highest and lowest position among the three ordinal lists. A wide range means the outlets are reading the same team differently.

Rank	Team	Record, form	RD / X-W/L	Move	Source range	Week 20 read
1	Milwaukee Brewers 1 2 5	74-44, 7-3, W2 3	+141 / 74-44 3	▲1	1-2	The best record, the best run differential, and a four-game Dodger Stadium test make this a deserved promotion rather than a ceremonial flip.
2	Los Angeles Dodgers 1 2 5	70-48, 2-8, L1 3	+138 / 73-45 3	▼1	1-3	The slide is real, but so is the run profile; Blake Snell's scheduled Aug. 11 return gives the rotation a near-term answer before Milwaukee arrives. 7
3	Atlanta Braves 1 2 5	71-47, 8-2, W1 3	+120 / 71-47 3	—	3-4	Atlanta has the cleanest current form among the top four, and Ronald Acuña Jr. has supplied four August homers in eight games. 4
4	Tampa Bay Rays 1 2 5	71-46, 8-2, W6 3	+46 / 63-54 3	—	3-5	Tampa Bay has the AL's best record and a six-game winning streak, but its expected record is eight wins lower; the Griffin Jax elbow issue is the roster watch. 7
5	Boston Red Sox 1 2 5	64-53, 8-2, L2 3	+84 / 68-49 3	▲2	1-7	Boston owns the week's strongest combination of form and underlying record, although the source range says the outlets disagree on how much to trust the surge.
6	Chicago Cubs 1 2 5	69-50, 7-3, W1 3	+107 / 70-49 3	—	5-6	Pete Crow-Armstrong leads FanGraphs' current WAR board at 8.0, while Chicago's +107 differential keeps the club securely in the top six. 8
7	New York Yankees 1 2 5	66-52, 5-5, L1 3	+82 / 68-50 3	▼2	6-7	The Yankees' run profile still looks like a top-six team; George Lombard Jr.'s two early homers make the Mariners series a more interesting lineup test. 4
8	Chicago White Sox 1 2 5	61-56, 5-5, W2 3	+37 / 62-55 3	▲1	8-10	A positive run profile and a winning expected record keep Chicago ahead of the more glamorous teams with worse ledgers.
9	Arizona Diamondbacks 1 2 5	63-56, 6-4, W1 3	+5 / 60-59 3	▲2	8-10	Arizona is 14-9 since the All-Star break, but a +5 differential leaves little margin for a bad series in Atlanta. 4
10	Philadelphia Phillies 1 2 5	63-56, 6-4, W1 3	+0 / 60-59 3	▼2	9-11	Luis Arraez has started quickly after the deadline, but Philadelphia's even run differential makes the Twins series a measurement, not a victory lap. 4
11	Houston Astros 1 2 5	60-59, 6-4, L2 3	-28 / 57-62 3	▲6	8-11	Houston got the largest composite lift after adding Daulton Varsho, but the negative run profile says the jump still needs proof. 2
12	San Diego Padres 1 2 5	62-57, 7-3, W2 3	-10 / 58-61 3	▲7	12	San Diego is the cleanest post-deadline mover: every source puts it 12th, and the club added Casey Mize and Robbie Ray to a rotation that needs the help. 2
13	Cleveland Guardians 1 2 5	58-61, 3-7, L2 3	-27 / 56-63 3	—	13-16	Cleveland's aggressive deadline and Angel Genao's four-hit debut add upside, but the current 3-7 stretch points the other way. 2 9
14	Miami Marlins 1 2 5	60-59, 5-5, W2 3	+15 / 61-58 3	▲6	13-17	Miami has stopped the bleeding, but Kyle Stowers' Aug. 9 hamstring discomfort is a reminder that the roster is still moving. 7
15	Texas Rangers 1 2 5	59-59, 4-6, L1 3	-33 / 55-63 3	▼3	14-18	The source lists still respect Texas, but a .500 record, a -33 differential, and a 55-63 expected record make this a cautious hold.
16	Detroit Tigers 1 2 5	58-60, 7-3, W2 3	+87 / 68-50 3	▲5	15-19	Detroit has the league's loudest buy-low run profile, but its rotation must now replace a two-time Cy Young winner.
17	Minnesota Twins 1 2 5	58-61, 4-6, L2 3	-35 / 56-63 3	▲1	14-21	The record is close enough to keep Minnesota in the Wild Card conversation, but Joe Ryan's IL stint arrives before a difficult Phillies series. 4 7
18	Seattle Mariners 1 2 5	56-63, 3-7, L4 3	-19 / 57-62 3	▼3	15-19	Seattle has the weakest current form among the AL West contenders and must face the Yankees before its Houston test; the next week can change its position quickly. 4
19	Pittsburgh Pirates 1 2 5	58-62, 3-7, L1 3	+21 / 62-58 3	▼9	14-20	Pittsburgh's positive run profile cannot cover a 3-7 stretch; Oneil Cruz's rehab assignment is the clearest upside still on the roster. 7
20	Baltimore Orioles 1 2 5	57-61, 5-5, W1 3	-33 / 56-62 3	▲2	17-23	The Orioles' transition is easier to see after Adley Rutschman moved to Boston; Chris Bassitt's rehab return is a smaller short-term positive. 2 7
21	St. Louis Cardinals 1 2 5	59-59, 5-5, W1 3	-8 / 58-60 3	▼5	19-24	St. Louis sold from a position already weakened by a poor July; the ranking reflects a reset, not a sudden collapse in the record. 2
22	Washington Nationals 1 2 5	59-61, 4-6, W3 3	+24 / 62-58 3	▼8	21-23	Washington scores runs better than its record suggests, but the recent 4-6 stretch and a crowded NL East keep the number from floating upward.
23	Cincinnati Reds 1 2 5	56-61, 6-4, L3 3	-74 / 51-66 3	▲1	21-24	The 6-4 stretch is the argument for Cincinnati; Hunter Greene's season-ending elbow surgery is the argument against a larger rise. 7
24	Toronto Blue Jays 1 2 5	56-63, 6-4, L1 3	-59 / 53-66 3	▼1	22-24	Toronto's 6-4 week matters less than its -59 differential, while Trey Yesavage and Yimi García add real rotation and bullpen uncertainty. 7
25	New York Mets 1 2 5	52-67, 6-4, W1 3	-43 / 55-64 3	—	25	Juan Soto has resumed light baseball activity, but the current record and -43 differential still make this a future-facing roster. 7
26	San Francisco Giants 1 2 5	49-69, 3-7, L2 3	-63 / 52-66 3	—	26	Matt Chapman's likely season-ending surgery removes the clearest reason to expect a late climb. 7
27	Kansas City Royals 1 2 5	49-70, 3-7, L1 3	-110 / 49-70 3	—	27-28	Bobby Witt Jr. remains a 5.1-WAR bright spot, but no individual return can erase a -110 run differential. 8
28	Athletics 1 2 5	47-71, 2-8, W2 3	-164 / 44-74 3	—	27-30	The A's have the worst run differential in baseball, even after winning two straight. Zack Gelof's rehab is the only near-term roster lift listed by MLB. 7
29	Colorado Rockies 1 2 5	46-72, 4-6, L1 3	-110 / 50-68 3	▲1	27-29	Colorado's 4-6 stretch is less damaging than its -110 differential; a slightly better source range does not change the bottom-three picture.
30	Los Angeles Angels 1 2 5	45-73, 3-7, L2 3	-91 / 50-68 3	▼1	29-30	The Angels' expected record is five wins better than their actual record, but the club still has MLB's worst record and no positive current form signal.

The moves that changed the board

Milwaukee finally gets the top line

The top two did not separate; they traded places. Milwaukee is 74-44 with a plus-141 differential, while Los Angeles is 70-48 with a plus-138 differential. The Brewers also won seven of their last 10, while the Dodgers went 2-8. FanGraphs' Elo list has Milwaukee second and Los Angeles third, but MLB.com puts Los Angeles first and Milwaukee second. The composite's tie-break is simple: the current record and recent results now favor Milwaukee. 3 5

The Dodgers still have the higher ceiling. Tarik Skubal is in the rotation, and Blake Snell is scheduled to return Aug. 11. That ceiling will be tested immediately: Milwaukee visits Dodger Stadium for four games, with Skubal tentatively lined up for Sunday's finale against Jacob Misiorowski. The series is more informative than another ranking vote because it puts the two best run profiles in the same park. 4 7

Boston is the cleanest riser

Boston moved from No. 7 to No. 5. Its 8-2 last 10, plus-84 differential, and 68-49 expected record all support the move, even though the Red Sox lost the last two games of the week. FanGraphs is the outlier at No. 1; ESPN has Boston seventh and MLB.com sixth. That spread is useful: it says the rise is real, while the size of the rise is still debatable. 1 2 3 5

The roster can get better before the next edition. Adley Rutschman played rehab games on Aug. 8-9 and traveled to Toronto; MLB says he should be activated during the four-game series, though not for the opener. Boston then has the season's final series against a Blue Jays club that has won six of nine head-to-head games. 4 7

Houston and San Diego are different kinds of risers

Houston rises six places, from No. 17 to No. 11, after a deadline that added Daulton Varsho around a lineup built around Yordan Alvarez. The Astros are 60-59 with a minus-28 differential and a 57-62 expected record, so this is a roster bet, not a statistical verdict. FanGraphs is highest on Houston at No. 8; ESPN and MLB.com put it 11th. 2 3 5

San Diego's move is cleaner. All three lists put the Padres 12th, and the club is 7-3 over its last 10. The minus-10 differential still says the record is a little ahead of the run ledger, but Casey Mize and Robbie Ray give the rotation a concrete reason to expect a better October version. Joe Musgrove is also in the rehab process, while Nick Pivetta has no next outing scheduled after elbow tightness. 2 3 7

Detroit's rise has a contradiction built into it

Detroit moves from No. 21 to No. 16 despite losing Skubal. The Tigers are 7-3 over their last 10 and own a plus-87 differential with a 68-50 expected record against a 58-60 actual record. That is the strongest buy-low profile in the league by this ledger. The problem is obvious: Skubal is now a Dodger, and Casey Mize is now a Padre. The offense and defense can remain better than the record; the rotation that produced the run margin cannot be assumed to remain intact. 2 3

Texas moves the other way, from No. 12 to No. 15. A .500 record, a minus-33 differential, and a 55-63 expected record make the Rangers a weaker case than their place in the AL West race suggests. Detroit's rise and Texas' fall are not a clean standings story; they are a reminder that power rankings are trying to price what each roster can be from here, not simply reorder the current table.

Pittsburgh is the week's clearest faller

The Pirates drop nine places, from No. 10 to No. 19. The positive part of the case is still visible: Pittsburgh is plus-21 in runs and 62-58 on MLB's expected record. The negative part is louder now: 3-7 over the last 10, a loss in the source window, and a source range from 14th to 20th. Oneil Cruz began a rehab assignment on Aug. 7, but the return is a possibility, not current production. 3 5 7

The analytics check

The run ledger still separates the top tier from the middle. Milwaukee is at plus-141, Los Angeles plus-138, Atlanta plus-120, Chicago plus-107, and Detroit plus-87. The standings also show why Boston belongs above the crowded middle: its plus-84 differential and 68-49 expected record are stronger than its .547 actual winning percentage suggests. 3

Team	Actual W-L	RD	X-W/L	Pythagorean win%
Brewers	74-44	+141	74-44	62.4%
Dodgers	70-48	+138	73-45	61.9%
Braves	71-47	+120	71-47	60.5%
Red Sox	64-53	+84	68-49	57.9%
Tigers	58-60	+87	68-50	58.0%
Astros	60-59	-28	57-62	47.7%
Padres	62-57	-10	58-61	49.1%
Twins	58-61	-35	56-63	47.2%
Mariners	56-63	-19	57-62	48.2%
Rangers	59-59	-33	55-63	47.0%

The Tigers are the obvious caution flag in this table. Their 58.0% Pythagorean rate and 68-50 expected record say the club has played like a much better team than its record. The Skubal trade then removes one of the players most responsible for converting that underlying strength into wins. Detroit is still a buy-low team; it is no longer the same buy-low team.

Houston is the opposite case. The Astros are three wins above their expected record and have a negative Pythagorean rate, so the six-place rise rests on lineup and roster changes more than on the season-long run ledger. San Diego has a similar, smaller warning: a 7-3 last 10 with a minus-10 differential. Both clubs can improve, but the reasons are forward-looking rather than fully visible in the current numbers. 2 3

FanGraphs' current WAR board gives the individual layer some shape: Pete Crow-Armstrong leads at 8.0, Shohei Ohtani is at 6.5, Dillon Dingler at 5.6, Yordan Alvarez at 5.5, and Bobby Witt Jr. and Jacob Misiorowski at 5.1 each. That is why the Cubs, Dodgers, Tigers, Astros, Royals, and Brewers can still have very different team stories even when one player appears near the top of the same leaderboard. 8

The retrieved FanGraphs views did not expose a consistent, same-date team table for wRC+, rotation ERA/FIP, and bullpen ERA. Those measures are not estimated here. Mixing a stale team split with Aug. 9 standings would look more complete but would be less honest; this edition uses run differential, expected record, the derived Pythagorean estimate, FanGraphs Elo, current WAR, and forward projections where they are actually retrievable. 5 8

Injury and roster watch

Dodgers: Blake Snell is set to return Aug. 11. Shohei Ohtani began playing catch Aug. 8 while recovering from left-knee inflammation and right-biceps discomfort. The rotation ceiling is rising, but the health margin is still thin. 7
Red Sox and Orioles: Rutschman is close to activation in Boston after the Orioles traded him at the deadline. The move improves Boston's present lineup while making Baltimore's rebuild line harder to ignore. 2 7
Rays: Griffin Jax went on the 15-day IL Aug. 9 with right-elbow discomfort, while Ben Williamson went on the 10-day IL with a hamstring strain. Tampa Bay's six-game streak does not remove the bullpen question. 7
Reds: Hunter Greene will undergo right-elbow surgery and will not pitch again in 2026. Nick Lodolo is expected to return Aug. 11 against the White Sox. Cincinnati's ranking cannot be separated from that rotation loss. 7
Yankees: Carlos Rodón began a rehab assignment Aug. 8, while Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton continue their progress. George Lombard Jr. has started quickly enough to give New York a live lineup variable before Aaron Judge's return. 4 7
Blue Jays and Giants: Toronto lost Trey Yesavage to a meniscus injury and faces a likely season-ending absence for Yimi García after a thoracic-outlet diagnosis. San Francisco's Matt Chapman is more likely than not to need season-ending surgery. 7
Pirates and Padres: Oneil Cruz is in rehab, while Joe Musgrove works through his own return and Nick Pivetta has no next outing scheduled after elbow tightness. These teams have upside on paper, but their returns need innings and at-bats before they change the ranking. 7

The next seven days

The Athletic's Aug. 10 schedule analysis puts the next stretch in a useful frame: playoff contenders face very different remaining-August opponent mixes, so a ranking can move even before a roster changes. The five series below are the clearest immediate tests. 6

Series	Dates	Question it answers
Red Sox at Blue Jays	Monday-Thursday	Can Boston's post-streak form survive a four-game road set against a Toronto team that has won six of nine in the season series? 4
Mariners at Yankees	Tuesday-Thursday	Does Seattle's 3-7 slide deepen, or can it take ground from a Yankees club that is 5.5 games behind Tampa Bay? 3 4
Phillies at Twins	Thursday-Sunday	Can Philadelphia's new Arraez-led lineup hold its Wild Card position against Minnesota, which is only 1.5 games out but has a minus-35 differential? 3 4
Brewers at Dodgers	Thursday-Sunday	Which top-two case survives a four-game head-to-head: Milwaukee's record and depth, or Los Angeles' run differential and new rotation ceiling? 3 4
Diamondbacks at Braves	Friday-Sunday	Can Arizona's 14-9 post-All-Star record hold up against Atlanta's 8-2 last 10 and a division-leading run profile? 3 4

The top two are stable in strength even after swapping places. The sharper questions sit below them: whether Boston can keep climbing after its streak ended, whether Houston's roster bet can outrun its negative ledger, whether San Diego's new rotation can make the 12th-place consensus durable, and whether Detroit's numbers survive the loss of its best starter.

Cover photo: A baseball game at Wrigley Field; source page.