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The Rays have the best record, but they've shown weaknesses; meanwhile, the AL West is a complete mess
Aug 17, 2026 at 8:32 am ET • 2 min read
The standings for the American League right now are rough. This is not a good league, to say the least.
The Rays looked head and shoulders above everyone else quite recently. They finished a 9-0 road trip for the first time in franchise history, running their record to 74-46, which at the time put them on pace to win 100 games. That would tie a franchise record (the Rays won 100 games in 2021). Then they came home and got their teeth kicked in for three games by a mediocre Orioles team.
Of course, that Orioles team is now tied for the third and final AL wild-card spot. They are two games under .500 and have rarely looked like an actual good team. They haven't been more than two games above .500 once this season and haven't ended a day at .500 since they were 13-13 after a loss on April 24. They were sellers at the trade deadline.
Speaking of deadline sellers, the Blue Jays are only one game out of a playoff spot. The Tigers are also only one game out of a spot despite trading, well, you know.
And, of course, there's the entire AL West. I was about to say something like, "what a joke," but this isn't funny. It's pitiful. We're truly in danger of witnessing not just a playoff team with a losing record, but a division winner with a sub-.500 mark. It's embarrassing to even be pondering such a thing in the middle of August.
As of today, the AL West leader is the Houston Astros. They were at one time 11 games under .500. They are currently one game over .500. The Rangers just had a pitiful week against weak competition and are three games under .500, but in the 2026 AL West, that's good enough to be two games out. The Mariners should have long since been left for dead this season, but they're only four games out. In the division that is. They are just 2 ½ out of the final wild-card spot despite being seven games under .500.
Do any of these teams have the look and feel of a contender: Twins, Guardians, Rangers, Mariners? No. They do not. And yet, here we are. They are all contenders.
Who is gonna come out of this league? The Rays feel like a decent bet. They're still far above every other AL team. The Yankees getting back fully functional Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton could be dangerous. The White Sox would be really fun, but I don't have much confidence in a playoff run. Then again, this league is wide open. Of course, I can't shake this feeling: Doesn't this feel like a year where something truly stupid happens, such as a team with a losing regular-season record making a pennant run?
Not much would shock me in the American League this season, that's for sure.
Biggest Movers
| 1 |  | I was prepared to drop them after the Brewers were swept in San Diego, but taking three of four in Dodger Stadium was enough to salvage the top spot. | -- | 77-48 |
| 2 |  | The Rays have now lost five of their last six games at home. They were nearly unbeatable in the Trop before that. | -- | 74-49 |
| 3 |  | Chris Sale is 261 career strikeouts from 3,000. At this rate, he might well get there next season. | -- | 74-50 |
| 4 |  | They've lost 10 of their last 15, including dropping series to possible playoff opponents like the Cubs, Diamondbacks and Brewers. | 1 | 74-51 |
| 5 |  | The Dansby Swanson injury is a rough one. He's inconsistent offensively, but his defense is so good that he sits fourth on the team in WAR. | 1 | 72-53 |
| 6 |  | Cam Schlittler is now up to 152 innings. Between the minors and majors last season, including the playoffs, he worked 164 innings. | -- | 69-55 |
| 7 |  | Since July 23, the Padres are an MLB-best 17-5. | 1 | 67-58 |
| 8 |  | The Phillies now have four wins in which they trailed by at least five runs, leading the majors in such a feat. | 2 | 67-58 |
| 9 |  | What a huge series sweep by the White Sox in Detroit. The AL Central lead is now a season-high 5 ½ games. | 2 | 65-58 |
| 10 |  | We get perfect illustrations of the randomness of baseball throughout every season. The latest? The D-backs lost a home series to the Rockies and then took a road series from the Braves. | 1 | 66-59 |
| 11 |  | Talk about their run coming to a screeching halt. The Red Sox went 32-5 for one of the greatest stretches in MLB history and have since gone 2-7. | 4 | 66-58 |
| 12 |  | Sandy Alcantara had a 26-inning scoreless streak broken last time out, but he still has a 0.33 ERA in his last four games. It's 2.45 in his last 14 starts. | 3 | 64-61 |
| 13 |  | Major props to Joshua Báez on possibly the greatest debut in MLB history. Wow. | 3 | 63-61 |
| 14 |  | Believe it or not, Yordan Alvarez is on the verge of a career high in home runs. His previous high was 37 in 2022. He's at 36 right now. | 2 | 63-62 |
| 15 |  | Pete Alonso in his last seven games is 15 for 25 with a double, four home runs, nine RBI and six walks. | 5 | 61-63 |
| 16 |  | Last week, I mentioned that the Rangers had a good opportunity in front of them due to a weak upcoming schedule. They then proceeded to go 2-5 against the Angels and A's. | 3 | 61-64 |
| 17 |  | Props to Brett Callahan for starting his career with a triple. That's incredibly fun. | 3 | 60-64 |
| 18 |  | Dylan Cease has recorded at least 200 strikeouts for the sixth straight season. The only pitchers with longer streaks are Tom Seaver (9), Max Scherzer (8), Chris Sale (7), Roger Clemens (7) and Walter Johnson (7). | 5 | 61-65 |
| 19 |  | That 4.78 team ERA just won't cut it. Well, maybe it will, given the state of the American League this season. It sure shouldn't, though. This bullpen is terrible. | 1 | 60-65 |
| 20 |  | The Guardians only have six games remaining all season against teams currently above .500. Can they take advantage? They haven't done much lately to inspire confidence, having lost 17 of 23. | 1 | 60-65 |
| 21 |  | The most home runs in a season from a Pirates second baseman? It's 26 from Brandon Lowe this season. It was previously Neil Walker's 23 in 2014. | -- | 61-65 |
| 22 |  | The move of CJ Abrams to second base maximizes their future potential with several up-and-comers as options at shortstop, including 2025 No. 1 overall draft pick Eli Willits. | 5 | 60-66 |
| 23 |  | They've won three of four, including taking a series in Houston. Are they back? Something inside my head is screaming "don't fall for it." | 1 | 59-66 |
| 24 |  | With a sweep over the Nationals this weekend, the Mets continue their run of competent play. They've gone 13-7 since July 25. | 1 | 56-69 |
| 25 |  | The Hunter Greene Tommy John surgery is one of the biggest bummers of the season. | 1 | 59-64 |
| 26 |  | Southpaw Noah Cameron started calling his own pitches five games ago now. In those five starts, he has a 1.19 ERA. | -- | 51-74 |
| 27 |  | The Rockies won two straight series on the road. I am shaken to my core. (Yes, that was the first time this happened in this season.) | 2 | 50-74 |
| 28 |  | Landen Roupp leads the NL with 12 losses. Don't worry, though, he has absolutely no chance of setting the franchise record. Amos Rusie lost 34 games for the 1890 Giants. | 1 | 51-73 |
| 29 |  | Reid Detmers has a 1.83 ERA in his last six starts. The Angels are 1-5 in those starts. The one win came Saturday and it was a 1-0 final score. | 1 | 49-76 |
| 30 |  | After winning a series over the weekend, the A's are now just 23-40 at "home." They really need that new, permanent home. | 2 | 49-75 |
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