MLB Power Rankings: New York Mets Keeping Pace
Aug 30, 2015; New York City, NY, USA; The New York Mets celebrate after defeating the Boston Red Sox 5-4 at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports
9. Texas Rangers (68-61) Don’t look now, but the Rangers look like they want that Wild Card spot. They may have lost two of three to the Blue Jays, but they won the series finale and parlayed that into success over the weekend against the Orioles, whom they swept. That has led them to hold a 1.5 game lead in the Wild Card race. The real question will be if they can now carry that away from Arlington, as the Rangers will embark on a road trip starting in San Diego this week. The big series is over the weekend against the Angels, one of their main competition for a playoff spot. With Derek Holland returning to form, this is an admirable starting rotation that can carry them if the offense ever falters.
8. Houston Astros (72-59) The Astros handled themselves well against the Yankees to start the week, blowing them out the last two games of the series. Carlos Gomez continues to get under the skin of opposing teams, but that may be the edge the Astros need as they head down the stretch to uncharted territory for many of their players. But, there is still clearly work that needs to be done, as they lost a weekend series to the Twins. Mike Fiers fired another strong game after his no-hitter last week, giving up one run in six innings against the Twins. This team will be receiving a boost like no other team will receive for the stretch run, as George Springer started his rehab assignment and is getting close to returning to the team.
7. New York Mets (72-58) The Mets decimated the Phillies in a four-game series to start the week, outscoring them 40-21 in the four games. But, that offense was left in Philadelphia, as the Mets then scored only 10 runs in the three-game series against the Red Sox, losing the weekend series. This is a team that looks a little tired, as Jacob deGrom has had two rough outings in a row, and Noah Syndergaard continues to struggle on the road despite picking up his first win away from Citi Field this week. They currently have a 5.5 game lead over the Nationals, but there is still plenty of work to be done against the Phillies to start the week before going on a 10-game road trip.
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