1. St. Louis Cardinals

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE) 71-40 71-40 1 (-)

Unfailing in their ability to almost never give up runs, the Cardinals tied a divisional-era record Thursday by a posting a 2.63 ERA through their first 108 games. To wit, Carlos Martinez has the worst ERA among their starters since the All-Star break, a comparatively ghastly 3.00 mark through three starts.

2. Pittsburgh Pirates

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE) 65-44 61-48 2 (-)

Perhaps the five-game gap separating the Pirates from their venerable division leader isn't insurmountable. Over the last two weeks, no team in the National League boasts a higher OPS than the Pirates (.817), who capped a three-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday – the only NL club with a higher batting average than Pittsburgh over that span.

3. Kansas City Royals

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE) 66-44 62-48 5 (+2)

A three-game sweep of the Chicago White Sox is precisely what the doctor ordered for the Royals, whose bullpen secured three straight one-run victories to reverse their recent stretch of misfortune. Even after their triumphant weekend, Kansas City's relief corps still owns an abnormally high 4.10 ERA over the last two weeks, allowing six home runs in their last 37 1/3 innings.

4. Los Angeles Dodgers

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE) 62-49 62-49 3 (-1)

Clayton Kershaw's scoreless innings streak getting snapped isn't nearly as upsetting as what his teammates in the bullpen have done of late. Since the calendar turned to August, the Dodgers' relief corps owns a 7.94 ERA in 22 2/3 innings, albeit with a ridiculous .446 batting average on balls in play over that span.

5. Toronto Blue Jays

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE) 61-52 69-44 10 (+5)

Quit fawning over Josh Donaldson and Troy Tulowitzki for a moment and give some credit to Toronto’s pitching staff – now featuring David Price, by the way – which, since the All-Star break, leads the American League in ERA (2.37), homers per nine innings (0.76), and batting average on balls in play (.233). Cool? Resume fawning and entertain the possibility that Toronto may never lose again.

6. Houston Astros

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE) 61-52 65-48 4 (-2)

Carlos Gomez's tenure in Houston hasn't gotten off to the best start, but at least Colby Rasmus is filling in competently for George Springer. Rasmus has started all but three games in right field since the All-Star break, managing a .754 OPS and three homers in 22 games as Springer's replacement.

7. Chicago Cubs

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE) 62-48 57-53 8 (+1)

Even when one of their youngsters struggles, like Kris Bryant is right now, the Cubs have another kid capable of picking up the slack. Since the All-Star break, only 12 players have a higher OPS than Kyle Schwarber (1.048), the 22-year-old whose astounding success has even caused a bit of a roster crunch in Chicago.

8. New York Yankees

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE) 61-49 61-49 6 (-2)

More like Luis "Saviour-ino", amirite? Entrusted with bolstering a scuffling rotation, the 21-year-old fanned seven in his highly anticipated debut Wednesday – an auspicious performance that bodes well for a starting corps with the eighth-worst ERA and fifth-worst FIP in the AL in the last 30 days.

9. San Francisco Giants

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE) 59-52 61-50 7 (-2)

The Giants are probably going to win the World Series this year just to spite everyone for doubting their lineup, one largely bereft of household names, that ranks third in the majors with a 111 wRC+.

10. New York Mets

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE) 59-52 57-54 12 (+2)

When Jon Stewart is devoting precious airtime to the Mets, it's probably time to take them seriously. Between the addition of Yoenis Cespedes and Lucas Duda's ridiculous stretch at the plate, the Mets have fielded the fourth-strongest park-adjusted offense in the majors since the calendar flipped to August, prying the division lead away from the Nationals with a recent six-game winning streak.

11. Los Angeles Angels

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE) 59-51 60-50 9 (-2)

It's pretty remarkable that the only team in the majors to have multiple players with 30 or more home runs is scuffling so hard at the plate. Over the last 30 days, the Angels rank seventh-last in the majors in park-adjusted offense, hitting just .236/.295/.379 during that span.

12. Washington Nationals

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE) 57-53 58-52 11 (-1)

The Nationals' pitching staff wasn't too badly disrupted by Stephen Strasburg's absence, as the club's rotation still leads the majors in strikeout rate (25.7 percent) over the last two weeks. Joe Ross, the rookie right-hander, pitched so well in his stead, in fact, the Nationals decided to keep him in the rotation over Doug Fister.

13. Baltimore Orioles

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE) 56-54 61-49 13 (-)

The Orioles' inability to string together more than two straight wins of late might have something to do with the fact that, since the All-Star break, three of the club's starters – Ubaldo Jimenez, Wei-Yin Chen, and Miguel Gonzalez – each own an ERA upwards of 5.19.

14. Tampa Bay Rays

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE) 56-56 55-57 15 (+1)

The latest in a long line of unheralded prospects to enjoy immediate success with the Rays, Richie Shaffer owns a 1.571 OPS with two home runs in his MLB career after enjoying a highly auspicious first week in the big leagues.

15. Texas Rangers

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE) 55-55 52-58 17 (+2)

Cole Hamels, the three-time All-Star who cost the Rangers a truck full of prospects, hasn't fared so well in Texas thus far, managing a 5.93 ERA while allowing five home runs through his first two starts with his new team. Maybe he's just trying to fit in, though, on a team with a 5.59 ERA (4.97) since the All-Star break.

16. Minnesota Twins

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE) 55-56 52-59 14 (-2)

It's amazing, frankly, the Twins kept the pretense of playoff contention alive as long as they did. Half of their players with at least 250 plate appearances this season have created offense at a below-average rate, with some of them (e.g. Kurt Suzuki, Danny Santana) pretty much hurting the club whenever they're in the lineup.

17. Arizona Diamondbacks

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE) 54-56 56-54 19 (+2)

Clad in throwback uniforms, the Diamondbacks notched 15 hits in Sunday's victory over the Cincinnati Reds, a much-needed performance for a club that owns the fifth-worst OPS (.682) in the National League since the calendar turned to August.

18. Detroit Tigers

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE) 54-57 51-60 16 (-2)

It must be encouraging for newly hired GM Al Avila that Daniel Norris and Matt Boyd, two deadline acquisitions with a combined 12 years of team control, have both managed more wins above replacement in Detroit this season than Shane Greene, Buck Farmer, and Kyle Ryan.

19. Chicago White Sox

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE) 51-58 46-63 18 (-1)

Things just weren't meant to be for the White Sox this season, who have started hitting of late but have also watched Chris Sale struggle mightily since the All-Star break. Once a legitimate Cy Young contender, the lanky left-hander owns a 7.61 ERA over his last four starts, allowing seven earned runs in each of his last two outings.

20. Cleveland Indians

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE) 51-59 53-57 21 (+1)

The addition of Chris Johnson could subvert the offensive philosophy in Cleveland, where plate discipline is valued. Since 2012, only seven qualified National League hitters have walked less frequently than Johnson, though taking only his salary allowed the Indians to shed two abhorrent contracts.

21. Seattle Mariners

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE) 52-60 49-63 22 (+1)

The stars refuse to align in Seattle, where the Mariners' pitching staff has been unable to support the club's resurgent offense of late. Over the last month, the club's rotation owns the sixth-worst park-adjusted ERA in the American League amid struggles from Taijuan Walker, Mike Montgomery, and even Felix Hernandez.

22. San Diego Padres

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE) 52-60 49-63 20 (-2)

After watching his team drop each of their last six games, general manager A.J. Preller should probably focus on finding a trade partner for James Shields, who cleared waivers Monday along with his 4.21 FIP and more than $65 million left on his contract.

23. Atlanta Braves

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE) 51-61 48-64 23 (-)

Desperate to get rid of Chris Johnson and the $19 million remaining on his deal, the Braves agreed Friday to take both Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn off the Indians' payroll. For Atlanta, the deal was mostly financial, but it'll also ensure the Braves' clubhouse won't want for "Entourage" references for the next little while.

24. Boston Red Sox

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE) 50-62 49-63 24 (-)

If nothing else, there's a new rookie phenom to gawk at in Boston. A former ninth-round pick, Travis Shaw has endeared himself to most of New England by hitting .306/.350/.500 with a pair of home runs through his first 15 games in the majors.

25. Oakland Athletics

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE) 51-62 61-52 26 (+1)

Billy Beane could probably command a hefty haul if he decides to trade Sonny Gray this winter to further bolster his farm system. The 25-year-old remains under team control for four more years and happens to lead the American League with a 2.06 ERA after recording his third complete game of the season Friday.

26. Cincinnati Reds

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE) 49-60 50-59 25 (-1)

The Reds may soon have to make a difficult decision about Billy Hamilton's future with the team, as the 24-year-old has reached base in only 25 percent of his plate appearances since the All-Star break and owns a .282 on-base percentage since the beginning of 2014.

27. Colorado Rockies

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE) 47-62 48-61 27 (-)

Jonathan Gray, the third overall pick in 2013, lasted only four innings in his MLB debut Tuesday, allowing two earned runs on five hits and two walks in a 10-4 loss to the Mariners. Considering how their starters have fared this season, though, the Rockies promptly anointed him the new staff ace.

28. Milwaukee Brewers

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE) 48-65 50-63 28 (-)

Kyle Lohse's tenure in Milwaukee is poised to end on an ugly note, as the 36-year-old was finally relegated to the bullpen last week after stumbling to a 6.31 ERA through 22 starts. Perhaps, though, Lohse can market himself as a reliever this winter after tossing two scoreless frames Friday in his first relief appearance since 2009.

29. Philadelphia Phillies

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE) 45-67 43-69 30 (+1)

With the future the focus in Philadelphia, it's nice to see the club – which owns a .762 winning percentage since the All-Star break – receiving such strong second-half performances from youngsters like Odubel Herrera (.975 OPS) and Cesar Hernandez (.305 batting average, five stolen bases).

30. Miami Marlins

RECORD PYTHAG RECORD PREVIOUS RANK (CHANGE) 44-68 49-63 29 (-1)

Forbidden to have nice things, the Marlins sent Jose Fernandez back to the disabled list Sunday due to a right bicep strain, and there might not be enough time for him to return this season. At least Giancarlo Stanton's recovery is going slower than expected, though.