As the season enters the All-Star break, it's time to keep the big picture in view. The Dodgers seem to have kicked into another gear, but they're still splitting the first-place votes with the Astros, who handily dominate the AL standings. And the reigning world champs will head into the second half outside the ranks of baseball's best and below .500.
But while we have those two dominating teams up front in the rankings, within the top 10 the Red Sox, Indians and Brewers all made slight gains that indicate that they're ready to exploit an unsettled field beyond the top two. All three teams could take charge of their division races and potentially elevate themselves into that exclusive company.
What could keep that from happening? The Red Sox have the Yankees and Rays not too far behind, the Brewers certainly can't pretend the Cubs and Cardinals are done, but the Indians might have the most to worry about after the Royals' rebound carried them another five rungs up in the rankings. The Royals are now all the way up to No. 12 at the break, the single biggest move made by any team this week. The Braves and Marlins gained four spots apiece in the other major upward moves, while the fast-fading Orioles dropped five slots to achieve the biggest decline.
This week's voters are Bradford Doolittle, Eric Karabell, Tim Kurkjian, David Schoenfield and Mark Simon.
Week 13 rankings | Week 12 | Week 11 | Week 10 | Week 9 | Week 8 | Week 7 | Week 6 | Week 5 | Week 4 | Week 3 | Week 2 | Week 1 | Preseason
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
Record: 61-29
Week 13 ranking: No. 1
How hot have the Dodgers been? They've won 26 of their past 30, 17 of their past 20 and nine of their past 10. It isn't unrealistic to start talking about their shot at winning 110 games or more. Do they need anything? Maybe they trade for a first baseman or a left fielder, but when you're this hot, it isn't like you have to upgrade whichever position Cody Bellinger doesn't play. With Adrian Gonzalez due back from the DL, they're better off evaluating what he has left, because next year's $22.4 million commitment makes for a really big cash salad to eat. -- Christina Kahrl, ESPN.com
2. Houston Astros
Record: 60-29
Week 13 ranking: No. 2
Expectations for when Dallas Keuchel will return keep seeming to get pushed back, but the Astros can afford to run out the clock in the dead AL West race and should instead act on what only they can know -- if his neck injury is enough of a concern for them to go shopping for Jose Quintana. But one deal they won't need to make is trading for help at first base; Yuli Gurriel is finally coming into his own, having put up a .981 OPS since June 1. -- Christina Kahrl, ESPN.com
3. Washington Nationals
Record: 52-36
Week 13 ranking: No. 3
OK, so Max Scherzer wasn't going to be invincible forever, and he showed he was human by allowing four runs to the Braves on Friday. But Scherzer still finishes the All-Star break averaging 12.1 strikeouts per nine innings with a WHIP of 0.78. He's the first pitcher to have a WHIP that low and a K/9 that high at the All-Star break (minimum 60 innings). -- Mark Simon, ESPN Stats & Information
4. Boston Red Sox
Record: 50-39
Week 13 ranking: No. 5
The Red Sox continue to expand their lead in the AL East. Their offense has been hot, but it's not your father's Sox who bludgeon opponents with home runs. This offense gets on base and is aggressive on the basepaths. The Sox play great defense, and their starting rotation is anchored by Chris Sale's dominance, but Drew Pomeranz and David Price have both pitched better lately, too. -- Michael Bonzagni, ESPN Stats & Information
5. Arizona Diamondbacks
Record: 53-36
Week 13 ranking: No. 4
The Snakes slither into the break having lost a bit of steam. Fernando Rodney blew consecutive save opportunities to provide a reminder that the D-backs should be shopping for right-handed relief help. A small slump and fewer opportunities to run might have silenced early chatter about Paul Goldschmidt's bids for a Triple Crown or to put up a 30-30 season, but he's nevertheless the NL WAR leader at the break. -- Christina Kahrl, ESPN.com
6. Cleveland Indians
Record: 47-40
Week 13 ranking: No. 7
The Indians are back in charge of their own fate thanks to a nice blend of old and new strengths. Corey Kluber looks like the AL's ace of aces as he puts up his best year since his Cy season, while the bullpen has an MLB-best 2.84 ERA to help mute questions about the rest of the rotation. But the biggest story has to be the breakout of Jose Ramirez as the majors' premier switch-hitter with a .988 OPS that puts him in MLB's top 10 overall. -- Christina Kahrl, ESPN.com
7. New York Yankees
Record: 45-41
Week 13 ranking: No. 6
The Yankees' bullpen has been a concern, but with rookies such as Clint Frazier producing in the ninth inning and onward, they've still found ways to win. Frazier's walk-off home run Saturday made him the fifth-youngest in Yankees history with a walk-off home run, according to Elias. Only Mickey Mantle (twice), Joe DiMaggio and Melky Cabrera walked off for the team in the Bronx at a younger age. -- Sarah Langs, ESPN Stats & Information
8. Milwaukee Brewers
Record: 50-41
Week 13 ranking: No. 9
The Brewers have held their NL Central lead going into the break, and there's nothing fluky about it. They have the fourth-best run differential in the NL, and their record is exactly what you'd expect based on their run differential. They can mash -- they have six players with at least 10 home runs, tied for most among NL teams. However, they're just 10-11 in one-run games and 3-7 in extra-inning contests. Looking ahead, they have the third-easiest schedule in the second half. -- John Fisher, ESPN Stats & Information
9. Colorado Rockies
Record: 52-39
Week 13 ranking: No. 8
Before Kyle Freeland's no-hit bid ended the first half on an up note, the drop-off from the Rockies' rookies in the rotation was just one reason they've stumbled to 5-13 since boasting the NL's best record 20 days ago. The bullpen is 24th in OPS while putting up a 4.94 ERA since the end of May. And several of the non-Arenados in the lineup have struggled, especially Mark Reynolds and Trevor Story -- both striking out more than 40 percent of the time during the slide. -- Christina Kahrl, ESPN.com
10. Tampa Bay Rays
Record: 47-43
Week 13 ranking: No. 10
Alex Cobb chipped more than three-quarters of a run off his ERA with a nice six-start run before the All-Star break in which he delivered a 2.38 ERA and allowed just two home runs in 41 2/3 innings. With Cobb looking more like his old self and Jacob Faria off to a surprising start, the Rays can throw a pretty formidable trio out there with Chris Archer topping the rotation. That could allow them to hang in wild-card contention all the way down the stretch. -- Mark Simon, ESPN Stats & Information
11. Chicago Cubs
Record: 43-45
Week 13 ranking: 11
Joe Maddon held a team meeting on Thursday before his team suffered an 11-2 bludgeoning at the hands of the NL Central-leading Brewers. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Cubs have the sixth-worst record at the All-Star break in MLB history among teams that won at least 100 games the previous season. -- Paul Hembekides, ESPN Stats & Information
12. Kansas City Royals
Record: 44-43
Week 13 ranking: No. 17
The Royals have the best record in the AL since June 1, and the good news keeps coming. Danny Duffy was excellent against the Mariners in his return from the DL, and Jason Vargas still ranks among the ERA leaders. Everyone is hitting except Alex Gordon and Brandon Moss. Trading for a DH if Moss continues to struggle should be within the Royals' reach, but adding a reliever would also help. -- Michael Bonzagni, ESPN Stats & Information
13. Texas Rangers
Record: 43-45
Week 13 ranking: No. 12
The good news: Texas is one of five teams this season bidding to score the highest percentages of its runs scored on homers in MLB history. Even better news? The offense is heating up, averaging 5.4 runs per game since June 1. So what keeps pulling the Rangers back down around .500? You probably know their bullpen is tied for the MLB lead in blown saves, but the problems in the pen run deeper -- they're second in inherited baserunners allowed to score and rank 26th in OPS allowed. -- Christina Kahrl, ESPN.com
14. Minnesota Twins
Record: 45-43
Week 13 ranking: No. 16
As the Twins prepare to play meaningful games in the AL Central and wild-card races in the second half for the first time in a while, one issue they'll have to fix is their home record. They're 25-15 on the road, the second-best winning percentage on the road in the AL behind the league-leading Astros. Flip that venue to Target Field and the Twins are just 20-28, the worst home record in the AL. The Twins currently have a .417 winning percentage at home; no team in the divisional era (since 1969) has made the playoffs with a winning percentage that low at home in a full season (excluding strike years). In fact, only one team has done it below .500 at all: the 2001 Braves (.494). -- Sarah Langs, ESPN Stats & Information
15. St. Louis Cardinals
Record: 43-45
Week 13 ranking: No. 15
Baseball life isn't always fair, especially when it comes to wins and losses. Adam Wainwright is 10-5 with a 5.20 ERA, but Carlos Martinez is 6-8 with a 3.40 ERA and Mike Leake is 6-7 with a 3.12 ERA. Leake's record should be considerably better. He has six no-decisions or losses in games in which he allowed two earned runs or fewer. Perhaps if his strong run continues, better things will be in store for him and the Cardinals in the second half. -- Mark Simon, ESPN Stats & Information
16. Los Angeles Angels
Record: 45-47
Week 13 ranking: No. 13
The All-Star break comes at an ideal time for the limping Angels, losers of seven of their past 10 as they anticipate getting Mike Trout back. Remarkably, Trout enters the break ranked eighth in the AL in WAR despite missing 45 games. Trout's return isn't the only key to the Angels' second half -- how quickly and how well Matt Shoemaker, Tyler Skaggs and Garrett Richards return will determine whether the Angels need to trade for starting pitching to stay in the race or start talking about next year. -- Paul Hembekides, ESPN Stats & Information
17. Seattle Mariners
Record: 43-47
Week 13 ranking: No. 14
Just when you thought patience was going to pay off for general manager Jerry Dipoto as the Mariners clawed their way back into contention, their current 4-10 tumble pushed them down toward the back of the AL's wild-card pack. Beyond the injury-wracked rotation, Kyle Seager's slump might be cause for concern. Since the calendar flipped to June, pitchers are giving him a heavier diet of off-speed stuff, leading to a lot of weak contact (and a .231 BABIP) for a guy who feasts on fastballs. -- Christina Kahrl, ESPN.com
18. Toronto Blue Jays
Record: 41-47
Week 13 ranking: No. 18
The Blue Jays have just 41 wins at the break, their fewest since 2004, when they had 39. That 2004 team went 67-94, its worst record since 1996. That's also the season John Gibbons took over -- the first time around. While the pitching has struggled, the Blue Jays' latest woe is their recent outage on offense -- they're one of three teams scoring fewer than four runs per game since June 1, joining the Padres and Phillies. -- Sarah Langs, ESPN Stats & Information
19. Atlanta Braves
Record: 42-45
Week 13 ranking: No. 23
Since taking two of three from the Nationals in the middle of June, the Braves have been one of the best teams in baseball. Matt Adams continues to mash the ball since coming over from the Cardinals, and as a team, they've been coming up big with runners in scoring position. And Freddie Freeman has added some punch since coming off the DL, with a hit in all six games (and half have been for extra bases). But they have a tough schedule after the break, playing the D-backs (in two series), Cubs and Dodgers. -- John Fisher, ESPN Stats & Information
20. Pittsburgh Pirates
Record: 42-47
Week 13 ranking: No. 22
Kudos to Sunday Night Baseball's Aaron Boone, who predicted on the May 28 Mets-Pirates telecast that Andrew McCutchen was about to have a major breakthrough. The problem is that the Pirates haven't gone there with him, going just 19-20 since. To be determined at the deadline: Do they trade McCutchen for what would likely be the best prospect package a team could get, or do they hang on and exercise his $14.75 million team option with the intent of going for the brass ring in 2018? -- Mark Simon, ESPN Stats & Information
21. Miami Marlins
Record: 41-46
Week 13 ranking: No. 25
The Marlins have had a good week heading into the All-Star break, averaging more than six runs per game. Giancarlo Stanton is mashing -- only once in his career has he had more home runs before the break than this year's 26. And at 26 years old, Marcell Ozuna is having the breakout season many expected. He's already tied his career high in home runs for a season and made his second All-Star team. And with the second-easiest schedule in the second half, they have a shot at their first winning season since 2009. -- John Fisher, ESPN Stats & Information
22. New York Mets
Record: 39-47
Week 13 ranking: No. 21
Who would have ever imagined that Mets pitchers would have an ERA near 5.00 at the All-Star break? One of the few pitchers trending the right way is free-agent-to-be Addison Reed, who has converted nine straight save chances and has an ERA of 1.06 in his past 15 appearances. That's needed because Reed's success could help the Mets replenish their farm system during a trade-deadline-week fire sale. -- Mark Simon, ESPN Stats & Information
23. Detroit Tigers
Record: 39-48
Week 12 ranking: No. 20
The Tigers are mired in a 11-20 run during which they've been among the worst teams in the league in runs scored and ERA, which is pretty much a formula for failure. Miguel Cabrera, Ian Kinsler and Victor Martinez have all seen their OPS drop more than 100 points from last year. If not for watching Michael Fulmer pitch every fifth day, Tigers fans wouldn't have much to look forward to. -- Michael Bonzagni, ESPN Stats & Information
24. Baltimore Orioles
Record: 42-46
Week 13 ranking: No. 19
The Orioles at the break this season are a very different team than last year. They're 42-46, fourth in the American League East. At the break last year, they were 51-36, the third-best team in the AL and the division leaders in the East. One big individual change? Mark Trumbo. He had an MLB-leading 28 home runs in the first half last season; he has just 14 this season. -- Sarah Langs, ESPN Stats & Information
25. Chicago White Sox
Record: 38-49
Week 13 ranking: No. 24
As the weather -- and the trade rumors -- start heating up, Todd Frazier has done his best to carry the White Sox lineup, posting a .923 OPS since June 1. A free agent at the end of this season, Frazier remains a key bargaining chip for the rebuilding White Sox to dangle at the deadline for needy contenders, along with closer David Robertson and starter Jose Quintana. -- Paul Hembekides, ESPN Stats & Information
26. Cincinnati Reds
Record: 39-49
Week 13 ranking: No. 26
Joey Votto enters the All-Star break with a 1.058 OPS, the third-highest mark in Reds history (trailing just Tony Perez in 1970 and Eric Davis in 1987). Cincinnati continues to build toward the future, as it signed its first-round pick Hunter Greene to a contract that includes a $7.23 million signing bonus (the highest in the bonus-pool draft era). -- Paul Hembekides, ESPN Stats & Information
27. Oakland Athletics
Record: 39-50
Week 13 ranking: No. 27
Despite a rough first half and with many of the team's thirtysomething rental veterans on the block, there are some positives. Promising rookies Franklin Barreto, Matt Chapman, Chad Pinder and Matt Olson all got initial trials in the lineup. But the best news is Sean Manaea's development into a high-end starter. In his past nine turns, Manaea has a 2.90 ERA and seven quality starts, allowing just five homers in 59 IP. Via FanGraphs' pitch value, his fastball ranks second only to Chris Sale's among MLB lefties. -- Christina Kahrl, ESPN.com
28. San Francisco Giants
Record: 34-56
Week 13 ranking: No. 28
The second half last season is when the downturn began for the Giants, and they're not in a good spot headed into the break this year. They were the best team at the break last year; this year, only the Phillies are worse. The Giants' 56 losses are their most before the break in franchise history. Making matters worse, team MVP Buster Posey is hitting .154 in July after hitting .341 in the first three months of the season. -- Sarah Langs, ESPN Stats & Information
29. San Diego Padres
Record: 38-50
Week 13 ranking: No. 29
The Padres have one of the worst offenses in baseball, but their pitchers have been much better lately. They're top-five in the NL in ERA and WHIP over the past four weeks, led by Jhoulys Chacin. Reliever Brad Hand is San Diego's lone All-Star; he's foremost among their trade chips ready to help contending teams at the deadline. -- Michael Bonzagni, ESPN Stats & Information
30. Philadelphia Phillies
Record: 29-58
Week 13 ranking: No. 30
The Phillies are still struggling to score, and the only NL teams with a worse bullpen are the Nationals and Mets. As a result, they haven't won three straight games in more than a month. But there have been some encouraging signs. Maikel Franco has homered three times this month after hitting only four homers in June. And Aaron Nola tied career highs when he went eight innings with nine strikeouts on Saturday; he has a 2.61 ERA in seven starts since the beginning of June. -- John Fisher, ESPN Stats & Information