Rivals compete for positions in Power Rankings

Although the top-five teams stayed the same this week, there was some confusion between two division rivals.

As the Mets and Braves continue to battle for the top spots in the National League East, they’ve traded places again in the latest installment of our Power Rankings. In the AL wildcard race, too, there was a lot of movement among the teams fighting for places.

Here’s a closer look at this week’s full Power Ladder.

Biggest jump: The Brewers failed in their attempt to beat the Yankees on Sunday, but they still made up some ground in last week’s NL Wild Card race — and jumped three places from 16th to 13th this week. After separating two games in St. Louis, Milwaukee won the first two against the Yanks before losing a three-run lead on Sunday.

Biggest drop: No team dropped more than two places this week, but the group that fell two places included a trio of AL postseason hopes — the Rays (from No. 6 to No. 8), the Mariners (from No. 7 to #9). ) and the White Sox (from No. 13 to No. 15).

1) Dodgers (101-44, last week: 1)
It took the Dodgers just 144 games to reach 100 wins, becoming the fastest team to hit triple figures since the 2001 Mariners. Offensively, they continue to lead the majors in team OPS and runs scored, while their pitching staff has the lowest ERA in the major leagues. As if they needed more help, Clayton Kershaw has been looking good since returning from the IL, posting a 1.50 18-inning ERA in three starts in September.

2) Astros (96-51, last week: 2)
Houston has won seven of its last eight games as the Astros close in on winning their fifth AL West title in the last six seasons. Their starting rotation has an AL-best 3.04 ERA this season – and they received a crucial boost this week with the return of Justin Verlander. The AL favorite Cy Young returned after a three-week absence and immediately put on a dominant performance against the A’s, beating nine batters in five unsuccessful innings.

3) Mets (93-55, last week: 4)
It’s been a week of ups and downs for the Mets, beginning with being swept along in a three-game series against the Cubs before bouncing back with a four-game win over the Pirates. Jacob deGrom continues to shine, hitting 13 batters in just five innings against the Pirates on Sunday. The Mets are also expected to get three pitchers back — Max Scherzer, Tylor Megill and Drew Smith — from the IL to start this week. That should help them maintain their one-game lead in the NL East.

4) Braves (91-55, last week: 3)
Despite beating rival Phillies over the weekend, it proved a bittersweet streak with the loss of Ozzie Albies. One night after returning from a three-month absence with a broken left foot, Albies broke his right little finger on Saturday and slipped down to second base. He’ll miss the rest of the regular season and probably won’t return for the postseason, although Atlanta hasn’t ruled that out. Despite playing so much time without Albies, the Braves still have an MLB-best 68-28 record since early June, thanks in part to excellent play by rising young stars Spencer Strider and Michael Harris II. Still, they look up to the top-ranked Mets.

5. Cardinals (87-61, last week: 5)
The Cardinals have an eight-game lead over the Brewers in the NL Central, but they will complete a series of postseason tests during their upcoming eight-game road trip. St. Louis opens a three-game set against the Padres — a potential NL Wild Card Series opponent — in San Diego on Tuesday before taking on the MLB-leading Dodgers for three games in LA. That trip ends with a two-game set against the Brewers — a series where the Cardinals could potentially win the division if all goes well.

The rest of the field of 30:

Voters: Alyson Footer, Anthony Castrovince, Paul Casella, Mark Feinsand, Nathalie Alonso, Mike Petriello, Sarah Langs, Andrew Simon, David Venn, Brett Blueweiss