1) Red Sox
With the divisional lead now at 9 games, and the remaining schedule featuring 13 games against the lowly Tampa Bay Devil Rays, I’m not yet ready to say the Sox are nailing the Yankees in their coffin in the AL East “race”. But, they are certainly shopping for the nails and wood. Per Baseball Prospectus, the Sox have a 97.78% chance of winning the division.

2) Tigers
Finally knocked off of their perch after an impressive run at #1. With all of the impressive individual performances in Detroit, getting lost in the discussion is center fielder Curtis Granderson, who leads the league with 16 triples. Next on the list are Carl Crawford with 8, and Coco Crisp with 7. You could argue that Granderson has been the best CF in the league this year, an impressive feat considering the competition at that position.

3) Indians
The great AL Central race continues to be tight, as both teams have struggled of late. Cleveland dropped 3 of 4 to Boston at home, and are under .500 in their last 20 games. If Travis Hafner was hitting like he normally does, Cleveland might have run away with the division, but “Pronk” is sporting an OPS+ of “only” 123, after 183 in 2006. The story in Cleveland has been starter Fausto Carmona, a pleasant surprise who is on the outskirts of the AL Cy Young discussion.

4) Brewers
The National League’s strongest team has what could be the strongest bullpen in the game, as their top five relief options have a 3.34 ERA in 232 innings on the year. Rookie starting pitcher Yovanni Gallardo has filled in nicely for injured Ben Sheets, giving America’s drunkest city another piece to a strong foundation of young talent.

5) Yankees
They’ve been winning games, but the divisional race is now a near-insurmountable precipice, given their remaining schedule in relation to that of the Red Sox. Luckily, their wild card competitors have been floundering, and the Yankees are back in the playoff picture. Johnny Damon, who is having the worst season of his career, has been swinging the bat more effectively recently, hitting .308 in his last 6 games.

6) Diamondbacks
The Snakes have won 8 straight games and are in the NL West lead, so they deserve a little bump here, but the team as a whole has been smiled upon by Lady Luck. Arizona has yielded more runs than they have scored, and their Pythagorean record is 51-55. Young hitters Stephen Drew and Chris Young have both underperformed their expectations, and if they play to their potential, there is hope that ‘Zona can maintain their lead into October.

7) Angels
Having a .500 record in their last 30 games does not help them in the Power Rankings, even though they have maintained their lead after Seattle has begun their descent back to Earth. If they do manage to win the division, this tea will be very tough in the first round, with a 1-2-3 of John Lackey, Kelvim Escobar, and Jered Weaver.

8) Mets
I gratuitously shit all over Carlos Delgado in one of the prior Power Rankings, and he must have been reading, as he is now hitting .321/.424/.500 after the All-Star break. Pedro Martinez continues his long road back to the mound, and could begin a minor league rehab stint next week.

9) Dodgers
With young outfielder Matt Kemp raking to the tune of .341/.382/.540, the Juan Pierre deal is looking worse every minute. Pitcher Brad Penny is not only doing his part on the mound (13-1, 2.51 ERA), he’s chipping in at the plate as well, hitting .293 in 49 plate appearances, and sporting a higher OPS+ than teammate Nomar Garciaparra.

10) Phillies
After Chase Utley was injured after being hit on the hand, the Philadelphia Phillies reacted very quickly, grabbing Tadahito Iguchi from the White Sox to fill in at second base. Ryan Howard continues to put fear in the hearts of the enemy, with his ungodly isolated power percentage of .337.