MLB power rankings: Red Sox running away from the pack

The good times continue to roll in Beantown. With their 13-inning win over the Phillies on Monday, the Red Sox moved to 24-6 over their last 30 games. The last time they had such a run? 2004, when they continued on to claim a World Series title. Their current six-game lead in the AL East represents a season-best distance in the standings — one that could be lengthened even further after the upcoming weekend’s four-game stint against the Aaron Judge- and Gary Sanchez-less Yankees.

While it would be an exaggeration to say the last week provided a crossroads for the Astros, it certainly tested their mettle. Already without the services of Carlos Correa, they also lost Jose Altuve over the weekend to the first disabled list stint of his career. The bittersweet weekend was capped by suffering their first sweep of the year as well, dropping three to the Texas Rangers.

What should have been an exciting week for the Yanks was anything but. The additions of Zach Britton and J.A. Happ from divisional foes were dampened by a loss that was both as literally and figuratively big as possible. Aaron Judge was hit by a pitch that fractured his wrist, which will cause him to miss at minimum the next three weeks. It came on the heels of the hamstring (and hustle) loss of Gary Sanchez, a pair of subtractions that could significantly impact even the deep firepower stock of the Bombers.

Although the Cubs have pulled away from the pack as much as possible in the even-keel National League, they still have very noticeable issues in their starting staff. The six-run, 51-pitch first inning by Jose Quintana buried the Cubs before their bats could even get started on Saturday in St. Louis. The move to bring Cole Hamels aboard represents one part wishing on reputation but is also a necessary move that hopefully brings a safety net to an unstable situation.

Paying attention yet? The A’s are officially all in, a sign that was made resoundingly clear by the rare decision to become July buyers over sellers. Jeurys Familia joins an already impressive bullpen staff that has had the pressure lowered on it during a 21-8 run since July 25 . Over the last month, Oakland has led the majors in home runs, runs scored and extra-base hits.

L.A. opened the second half in a fittingly showcase fashion, converting Hollywood to "Mannywood" yet again. The Dodgers kicked off their revival effort by acquiring the biggest name on the open market in Manny Machado, and he has already contributed at both of his signature positions, shifting to shortstop briefly last Friday. It is a conversion that gives hope to perhaps a longtime marriage between the superstar and a city that befits his shine.

After a brutal end to the first half, the Brewers snapped back to life over the past few weeks. Winners of five of seven against the Nationals and Giants, they pulled back within arm’s reach of the Cubs in the NL Central. To fortify the push further, they added Joakim Soria to an already formidable bullpen group and Mike Moustakas’ left-handed power stroke to the everyday mix.

When it is all said and done, the most important July addition any team will have made may be Cleveland’s move to land All-Star closer Brad Hand. The versatile lefty cost the club top prospect Francisco Mejia, but his presence provides some breathing room for a troublesome bullpen, the biggest hole in the hopes of the Tribe. Living up to his chameleon-like reputation, Hand notched both a save and a hold in his first week with his new club while allowing just two hits in four innings.

The Diamondbacks have averaged more than six runs a night in their second-half victories so far, and they even crossed the plate 10 times in a losing effort once. What’s more is that finally it is not solely up to Paul Goldschmidt to do the heavy lifting, as six other everyday contributors are hitting .300 or better since the All-Star break.

It's Jerry Dipoto season, as baseball’s master manipulator and trade tinkerer has the chance to really ramp up the pressure amid a tight top half of the AL West and Wild Card race. After extending the Astros’ recent woes via a 2-0 shutout on Monday night, Dipoto brought in Cameron Maybin to patrol the outfield and add depth to his club.

The Rockies’ rebirth of late has made them the National League’s hottest club. Winners of six of their last seven series, highlighted by putting the brakes on the surge of the Oakland A’s via a weekend sweep, the Rockies could be the team to watch in the NL over the final two months of the season.

The Phils have continued to rise in the NL East, taking advantage of their suddenly lackluster surroundings. A major benefit has been how strongly they have held their footing at Citizens Bank Park, where they have an NL-best 34 home victories on the year. A four-game reprieve from the road this week against Miami should set them up well between trips to Boston and Arizona.

The next few weeks will be crucial for Atlanta, which currently is still within grasp of a postseason spot via either an NL East outright win or a Wild Card position, but with the Rockies, Diamondbacks, Brewers and Pirates surging of late, the situation is intensifying. Brian Snitker’s club has not won a series since the bridge of June into July.

Well where did any of this come from? After winning six straight before heading home for the All-Star break, the Bucs picked up right where they left off, winning another five straight to run their season-best win streak to 11 before finally falling to the Indians. They now find themselves surprisingly within the competitive picture again after they were anticipated to be major sellers just three weeks ago, instead bringing in Chris Archer to be their ace at the deadline.

While the return of S hohei Ohtani to the Halos' lineup has added some much-needed non-Mike Trout production, the Angels continue to barely tread water on the outskirts of the AL Wild Card scene. No team with any semblance of a shot at the postseason needs to find a bat to add to its arsenal more than Anaheim does.

There is a noticeable difference in the way the Cardinals are going about their work these days compared to earlier in the season. A last five minutes of "The Godfather"-style bullpen purge kicked off a weekend of the club taking a scrappy fight to the NL Central-leading Cubs, whom they took two of three from. With Matt Carpenter’s onslaught continuing, Marcell Ozuna finally showing signs of life and ace Carlos Martinez returning from the disabled list on Monday, maybe the best days are still ahead in St. Louis.

The Reds have been baseball’s best-kept secret over the last month, as how good they have truly played has been masked by a record that still shows the scars of their brutal 7-22 start. But they are preparing to make July their second consecutive month with a winning record after taking three of four from the NL East-leading Phillies over the weekend.

Things have degenerated for the Nationals to the point that on Monday night news leaked that Bryce Harper was being made available during the final day of the trade deadline. However, this fire was dowsed by general manager Mike Rizzo on Tuesday morning, along with a statement of continued belief in the Nats’ chances this year. While that singular issue is squashed, it just sent further smoke signals about how far the season has spiraled away from expectations.

An ill-timed stumble out of the second-half starting blocks has put the Giants in a precarious position as the trade deadline arrives. They have fallen behind the pace of their divisional foes and instead could be pivoting to selling off their veteran parts. Andrew McCutchen, Hunter Pence, Joe Panik and a few valuable bullpen pieces could have some value, but the Giants could decide to stay the stubborn course they have foraged already.

Maybe it was taking creative license with his roster or maybe it was an attempt to toss his hat into the growing two-way phenomenon sweeping the game, but Sergio Romo spent an inning at third base last week. In an actual major league game. Give Kevin Cash credit: At least he’s keeping things interesting, and after trading Chris Archer, the Rays have former highly touted prospects Austin Meadows and Tyler Glasnow in their arsenal.

The deconstruction of the Twins is steadily underway, with Eduardo Escobar, Ryan Pressly and Lance Lynn being the first to be thrown overboard from the already capsized Twins ship, followed by Brian Dozier. With a host of other excess weight still to go, they could be the busiest team in unloading weight, even beyond the non-waiver deadline on Tuesday.

After shipping out J.A. Happ and somehow unloading Roberto Osuna as well, the Blue Jays are in position to use the rest of the year to evaluate some long-term prospects already aboard. One guy who is playing his way into the long-term picture is Lourdes Gurriel Jr., who has hit .500 since the All-Star break.

There is not much to be excited about in Arlington these days, but at least there is Adrian Beltre. Despite the franchise cornerstone being in the final year of his contract and vocal about a desire to compete, general manager Jon Daniels has been hesitant about agreeing to move him, citing his unique place in franchise history. The same thoughts did not extend to closer Keone Kela, who was moved to the Pirates on Monday amid a 24-save season.

The Marlins have continued to operate toward the ceiling of their potential this year, staying out of the cellar of the NL East and pulling off a handful of surprising victories. In the past week, they won a series outright over the Rays while splitting back-to-back sets with the Braves and Nationals.

At this point, playing spoiler is all that’s left for this club. Luckily enough, the weekend in Cooperstown provided a brief reprieve and a reminder of better days for Tigers baseball. Alan Trammell and Jack Morris, heroes of the club's last World Series victory in 1984, shared the stage as a part of the Hall of Fame festivities in their honor.

Who has had it worse this summer than the Mets? Their latest string of disasters included losing Noah Syndergaard to hand, foot and mouth disease, followed by Yoenis Cespedes heading out of action again, this time to heel surgery that could cost him the next 10 months. Meanwhile, Jacob deGrom is on pace to post the fewest wins for a potential ERA champion in a non-strike or war-interrupted season in MLB history.

Although many things have gone awry for the Padres in the second half, the most disturbing part has been the bottoming out of Eric Hosmer. In the first year of an eight-year, $144 million deal, he is hitting just .251 with a WAR struggling to stay out of negative-number territory. Over the last 30 days, Hosmer owns a disastrous .187/.221/.242 split line with just five runs batted in.

The next two months will be proving time for many of the young White Sox who have gotten an extended opportunity in their growing experience throughout the year. One place that the club will need to see an improved performance from is the middle infield, where Tim Anderson and Yoan Moncada have combined to hit .166 with 14 strikeouts and four walks in the second half so far.

With Manny Machado, Zach Britton, Jonathan Schoop and Brad Brach all finally gone from their ranks, the O’s rebuild can get underway in an indisputable fashion.

Four months into the summer, K.C. was finally able to string together its first sweep of the season, over the Twins, to start the second half. But still owning a staggering -196 run differential on the year, something that could be extended further with the departure of Mike Moustakas, it is still likely that sweep could stand as a singular happening on the year.