Despite an eight-game slide, the Philadelphia Phillies remain in top spot.
a spot they haven't relinquished in the past eight weeks.
There has been a certain stability at the top, with the top six unchanged in the last four rankings, but the jockeying for position begins after that point, with the Tampa Bay Rays and St. Louis Cardinals -- both suddenly within a game of a playoff spot -- climbing to seventh and eighth, respectively.
It's not as if the Rays and Cardinals have done anything more than make the stretch run more interesting, yet, but there is something to be said for their late charges.
Tampa Bay has capitalized on Boston's September collapse (during which they are 6-18) and might have tied the Red Sox for the AL Wild Card if not for a Jacoby Ellsbury home run in the 14th inning of the nightcap of the Red Sox-Yankees doubleheader on Sunday. Needing to make up one game, the Rays face the Yankees while the Red Sox have a seemingly favourable opponent, the Baltimore Orioles. Boston took three of four from Baltimore at Fenway Park last week, so the Rays do appear to face long odds but a month ago they weren't facing any odds to make the playoffs -- it was assumed that the Red Sox were in.
In the National League, St. Louis has been making the most of Atlanta's swoon (9-15 in September) down the stretch, but the Cardinals appear to have the schedule on their side moreso than the Rays. St. Louis takes on Houston, owners of baseball's worst record, while Atlanta hosts Philadelphia, owners of baseball's best record.
The Toronto Blue Jays rank 14th, which has been pretty standard. They've ranked between 11 and 15 for much of the season.
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