Despite dropping four straight games, the Washington Nationals maintain a slight edge in this week’s MLB Power Rankings, while also holding onto baseball’s best record.
The Texas Rangers sit in second place, and own the best record in the American League, following a productive week in which the offense scored 52 runs over its last seven games.
Meanwhile, the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees and Cincinnati Reds round out this week’s top five.
Here’s where each team sits in the rankings, all calculated with a secret point system that covers a number of different team related categories and statistics. On top of that, check out some random team stats across a number of teams for the month of August.
KP’s MLB Power Rankings: August 27, 2012
*Stats, records and information as of Sunday August 26, 2012
1. Washington Nationals (168 points)
The Nationals’ pitching staff has allowed just 13 home runs in August, the fewest in baseball for the month, and 30 fewer than the Angels.
2. Texas Rangers (164 points)
As a team, the Rangers have posted a .293 average in August, the best in baseball for the month.
3. St. Louis Cardinals (141 points)
4. New York Yankees (139 points)
5. Cincinnati Reds (135 points)
6. Atlanta Braves (126 points)
The Braves have the best team ERA in the National League during the month of August, posting a 2.68 mark to date.
7. Chicago White Sox (118 points)
The White Sox have clubbed 43 home runs in August, more than any other team.
8. Tampa Bay Rays (109 points)
The Rays have a 2.11 team ERA in the month of August, giving up just 158 hits and 49 earned runs over 208-plus innings pitched.
9. San Francisco Giants (105 points)
10. Los Angeles Dodgers (80 points)
11. Oakland Athletics (79 points)
12. Detroit Tigers (79 points)
Max Scherzer leads all Major League pitchers with 44 K’s in the month of August.
13. Los Angeles Angels (53 points)
The Angels’ pitching staff has made it hard for the team to remain in the Wild Card chase, posting a 6.26 team ERA in August, the worst in baseball. C.J. Wilson has allowed 26 earned runs this month, more than any other pitcher.
14. Arizona Diamondbacks (46 points)
15. Pittsburgh Pirates (41 points)
16. Boston Red Sox (37 points)
17. Baltimore Orioles (33 points)
Four Baltimore starters have an ERA above 4.80 in the month of August, yet the Orioles manage to find ways to remain fully entrenched in the playoff chase.
18. Philadelphia Phillies (15 points)
19. Seattle Mariners (11 points)
20. Milwaukee Brewers (-9 points)
21. New York Mets (-22 points)
22. Kansas City Royals (-23 points)
Kansas City’s 30 steals this month are more than any other team.
23. San Diego Padres (-26 points)
Chase Headley’s 10 home runs are tied for the most in baseball during the month of August.
24. Toronto Blue Jays (-55 points)
Toronto’s .215 batting average in August is the worst in baseball for the month.
25. Miami Marlins (-62 points)
Giancarlo Stanton’s 10 home runs are tied for the most in baseball during the month of August.
26. Colorado Rockies (-76 points)
Colorado’s pitching staff continues to struggle, posting a 4.75 team ERA in August, which is the worst in the National League this month.
27. Minnesota Twins (-88 points)
The Minnesota pitching staff has allowed a .293 batting average this month and struck out just 131 batters, the fewest in the Majors for August.
28. Cleveland Indians (-111 points)
29. Chicago Cubs (-123 points)
30. Houston Astros (-220 points)
* All stats per MLB.com
The Wife Hates Sports MLB Power Rankings system has a method to its madness, attempting to be different and not just rank by popularity and record. It mixes a secret formula of six completely different categories, meshed into a points system. The categories don’t just include team results regarding record, but how each team has performed recently, as well as incorporating some statistics on both a team’s offense and pitching staff, too.