2012 Power Rankings: October 1

RANK TEAM / RECORD TRENDING COMMENTS

1 Nationals

96-63 --

Last Week: 1 Barring a Cincinnati sweep at St. Louis, Washington will finish the season with the best road record in the majors at 48-33. -- Harper Gordek: Nationals Baseball

2 Rangers

93-66 --

Last Week: 2 The Rangers will fail to improve upon their 96-66 regular-season record from 2011, but they'll enter their final series in Oakland needing just one win to clinch the AL West title for a third straight year -- and, with a ticket to the postseason, perhaps finish what they started in 2010 and '11. -- Joey Matschulat: Baseball Time in Arlington

3 Reds

96-63 --

Last Week: 3 The Redlegs have 96 wins, with three games left to play. Most comparisons to the Big Red Machine are flawed, but the last time Cincinnati won more than 96 games was 1976. That was a pretty good year to be a Reds fan. -- Chad Dotson: Redleg Nation

4 Braves

93-66 3

Last Week: 7 The Braves have won 23 consecutive starts made by Kris Medlen and hope that trend continues as he is slated to start the wild-card play-in game. The Braves have rode dominant pitching from both the rotation and bullpen to an impressive season's end, covering up the fact that the offense has sputtered at times. -- Franklin Rabon: Capitol Avenue Club

5 Giants

93-66 --

Last Week: 5 The Giants have had their division sewed up for a week and there's not much drama left to be had in the playing of regular-season games. Sure, they can eliminate the Dodgers from the playoffs, but the Giants have their own issues to sort out as they enter the postseason. Which starter will go to the bullpen? (It's not necessarily Barry Zito.) Should Hector Sanchez start a game or two at catcher? -- Otis Anderson: Bay City Ball

6 Yankees

92-67 2

Last Week: 4 The Yankees have officially clinched at least a wild-card spot, but they still have the AL East to figure out. They have three games against the Red Sox while the Orioles have three to play against the Rays. These two teams seemed determined to play a 163rd game. -- Rob Abruzzese: Bronx Baseball Daily

7 Orioles

92-67 1

Last Week: 6 With a playoff spot officially secured, Baltimore heads to Tampa tied with the Yankees for first in the AL East and just one game back of the AL-leading Rangers. Could this improbable 162-game run conclude with home-field advantage through the ALCS? -- Nick Faleris: Camden Depot

8 Athletics

91-68 --

Last Week: 8 The A's leader in plate appearances is Josh Reddick with 661. Just two other players even have 500. Despite this, the A's have a league-average offense. There aren't any good criteria for Manager of the Year, but for Mixer-and-Matcher of the Year, it's Bob Melvin in a landslide. -- Jason Wojciechowski: Beaneball

9 Rays

88-71 2

Last Week: 11 The Rays suddenly became the team we thought they'd be in April with a week to go in the season. Unfortunately, winning 9 of 10 and having the best run differential in the American League might not be enough to get one of the two AL wild-card spots. -- Mark Heilig: The Ray Area

10 Angels

88-71 1

Last Week: 9 The Angels could finish the regular season with 90 wins, and still not make the postseason. Yes, it will likely be a disappointing end to the year for the Halos. -- ESPN.com

11 Cardinals

86-73 2

Last Week: 13 The Cardinals showed in winning two of three games against the Nationals this past weekend (outscoring Washington 26-12) that though they're likely going to be just the second wild card, they'll be as dangerous as any team in the postseason. -- Matt Philip: Fungoes

12 Tigers

86-73 --

Last Week: 12 With three games to go, the Tigers have a three-game lead over the White Sox. One loss by the Sox or a win by the Tigers will eliminate the Sox and give the Tigers their second consecutive AL Central title. -- Josh Worn: Walkoff Woodward

13 White Sox

83-76 3

Last Week: 10 The White Sox's offense has disappeared as they've lost 10 of their last 12, going from three up to three behind in the AL Central. Now they must sweep all three at Cleveland and hope Kansas City can sweep three from Detroit to force a Game 163. -- Diane Firstman: Value Over Replacement Grit

14 Dodgers

84-75 1

Last Week: 15 Josh Beckett has a 2.93 ERA in seven starts since the Dodgers acquired him from the Red Sox in late August. -- ESPN.com

15 Brewers

81-78 1

Last Week: 14 Milwaukee has somewhere near $60 million committed towards 2013 and pulled together a .500 season while dealing away Zack Greinke. Only the oft-injured and sometimes-ineffective Shaun Marcum departs via free agency. The Brewers should be able to compete -- if they play their cards (roughly $30 million worth) right. -- Jack Moore: Disciples of Uecker

16 Diamondbacks

80-79 1

Last Week: 17 A 3-4 week put the final nail in the Diamondbacks' playoff hopes. Taking two of their final three from the Rockies would ensure their first consecutive winning seasons since 2007/2008. -- Diane Firstman: Value Over Replacement Grit

17 Phillies

80-79 1

Last Week: 16 After Sunday's win against Miami, the Phillies have continued their streak of at least 80 wins every season since Terry Francona was their manager. A .500 record and a positive run differential are now likely, and soon Phillies fans will no longer have to think about a season that was supremely frustrating, even by Philadelphia's standards. -- Michael Baumann: Crashburn Alley

18 Pirates

77-82 --

Last Week: 18 Heartbreak, thy name is the Pittsburgh Pirates. -- Paul Sporer: Pitt Plank

19 Padres

75-84 1

Last Week: 20 The Padres were only five games under .500 two weeks ago, but a 4-8 stretch against the Dodgers, Giants and Diamondbacks dashed any chances of a winning season. Chase Headley leads Ryan Braun by one in the NL RBI race. -- Diane Firstman: Value Over Replacement Grit

20 Mariners

73-86 1

Last Week: 19 With a six-game improvement from 2011 already in hand, the Mariners will end the year hoping to play spoiler against the desperate Angels. While there won't be any attendance records falling at Safeco Field, the remaining fans would undoubtedly love to see the M's knock off the team that bullied the division for most of the past decade. -- Brendan Gawlowski: Pro Ball NW

21 Royals

71-88 --

Last Week: 21 Luke Hochevar had a horrendous September, finishing the month with a 9.56 ERA in six starts. -- ESPN.com

22 Blue Jays

70-89 2

Last Week: 24 A miserable season nears its merciful end. The silver lining in the black cloud of 2012 has been the opportunity to see the kids play. Adeiny Hechavarria has posted a .316/.350/.456 line in September while providing stellar defense at multiple positions. -- Callum Hughson: Mop-Up Duty

23 Mets

73-86 --

Last Week: 23 The Mets will finish the season with three consecutive losing months and fourth place clinched as they head into Miami to face the Marlins, against whom they're 11-4 this season. -- Joe Janish: Mets Today

24 Red Sox

69-90 2

Last Week: 22 The Red Sox have now lost 90 games for the first time since 1966 and stand to have the seventh pick in next year's draft. Bobby Valentine's fate as skipper of the Red Sox will most likely be known by this time next week. -- Evan Brunell: Fire Brand of the AL

25 Marlins

67-92 --

Last Week: 25 The Marlins must win each of their final three games in order to avoid becoming the first Marlins team since 1999 to finsh a season with fewer than 70 victories. -- ESPN.com

26 Twins

66-93 --

Last Week: 26 With three hits on Sunday, Joe Mauer moved within two points of Miguel Cabrera for the AL batting title, giving fans one final thing to cheer for in an ugly season that is mercifully coming to a close. -- Nick Nelson: Twins Daily

27 Indians

67-92 --

Last Week: 27 The Indians kick off their managerial search this week, with Terry Francona and Sandy Alomar Jr. as the top two candidates. The new manager will face a tough task as he'll inherit a team that lost more than 90 games and whose pitching staff was ranked 13th out of 14 AL teams. -- Stephanie Liscio, It's Pronounced Lajaway

28 Rockies

62-97 1

Last Week: 29 After sweeping the Cubs at home, the Rockies were swept in Los Angeles. With 62 wins heading into their final series of the year in Arizona, the Rockies must win one to avoid hitting triple digits in losses. -- Travis Lay: Blake Street Bulletin

29 Cubs

60-99 1

Last Week: 28 The Cubs must sweep the Astros this week in order to avoid becoming the first Cubs team since 1966 to lose 100 games. -- ESPN.com