Every week, the Pitcher List team will publish an update to our power rankings, highlighting three teams among the different tiers of contention. As always, the full rankings can be found at the bottom of this article, but where’s the fun in that?
The Dodgers are back in the top spot following their stellar week, but it is quite arguable to say that the Brewers look better. The regular-season magic of Milwaukee continues to be unmatched, and now they have five weeks to fine-tune their playoff strategy as they try to get over that hump.
While the top of the NL looks like a clash of titans, the AL continues to be a race to the bottom, where it seems that nobody really wants to play in October. All AL West teams have losing records, while nearly half the league is within three games of a playoff spot. In the middle of that scrum, the Blue Jays have survived the most difficult part of their schedule and could now go on a run, despite their frustrating offense and lack of consistency. Meanwhile, the Tigers have probably exited that boat, as a long losing streak has finally derailed what once looked like a team that could overcome its deficiencies.
Contender
No. 2 Milwaukee Brewers (81-50, +161)
The past week has served as a kind of national love fest for the Brewers, as the baseball world has apparently come around to appreciate just how good they are. Milwaukee suffered a rare sweep in San Diego and immediately followed it up by taking three of four from the Dodgers, winning a series against the Mariners that included a 22-0 thrashing, and then took two of three from Atlanta. Their only loss was a nationally televised game in the Little League Classic, but even then it was fitting that a national audience could witness what the Brewers are doing.
Yes hello we have 22 runs
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) August 19, 2026
The team with the best record in baseball is also the one with the fewest homers, but that dichotomy is easy to understand when you see how this team plays. The Brewers are built to be athletic, take advantage of mistakes, and find any kind of edge they can during games. At the same time, they appear to have the pitching weapons to tilt the scales in October, even if it means having to win a bunch of 2-1 type games. Jacob Misiorowski is certainly the headliner, but the sudden appearance of Logan Henderson has given the team a co-ace that could become the X factor. Henderson has won eight of his 13 starts and owns a 2.60 ERA, and he was reportedly the untouchable piece that held up the potential Tarik Skubal trade to Milwaukee.
Poetically, Henderson beat Skubal when they played against each other in Los Angeles, and the Brewers have found a way to win against any kind of opponent, which bodes well for their October chances. Despite the shared excellence of the Cubs, they are still 5.5 games behind for the NL Central crown, and so Milwaukee can use their final month to set up their rotation for the playoffs and make sure this time a deep run is their legacy. The offensive trio of Jake Bauers, Brice Turang, and Jackson Chourio remains underrated but effective, while the team’s bullpen is a weapon in case their top starters falter. The return of Kyle Harrison could also represent a major boost, as Milwaukee’s mission is clear: translate their regular-season success in October.
The Middle
No. 17 Toronto Blue Jays (64-68, -55 run differential)
The reigning AL champion has been written off several times in 2026, and with cause. They have yet to post their first five-game winning streak, own losing records against the Yankees and Rays, and have seen how most of their roster regressed after the magic of 2025, including the still unbelievable factoid that Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. has not hit a homer at Rogers Centre. While Vladdy still has 15 home games to break the spell, the actual exciting prospect for Toronto fans is seeing the schedule itself. The Blue Jays are starting at a final 30 games without any matchups against winning teams, which sounds too good to be true… except it is true. The odds now give Toronto a 1-in-4 chance of making it back to October baseball, but this season has given us plenty of evidence that it will not be that simple.
The important thing for Toronto was to survive their brutal post-deadline East Coast gauntlet, which they did admirably by going 10-6 against nobody but the Phillies, Red Sox, Rays, and Yankees. The team’s split personality was present throughout this stretch, as Toronto mixed impressive wins with hopeless losses all around. The idea of starting a Cy Young candidate in Dylan Cease shows how dangerous the Blue Jays can be on any given night, but the loss of Kevin Gausman has meant more playing time for question marks like Max Scherzer and José Soriano, which almost guarantee that this roster cannot sustain any long winning streaks.
The Toronto Blue Jays playing their best baseball of the year against actual good teams (7 straight series wins) and then having a meltdown in the last 30 games would legitimately break me
— Johnny (@JohnnyGiunta_) August 24, 2026
Toronto’s high-leverage bullpen has shifted to one of the best in the AL, even as Tyler Rogers finally gave up a homer and Louis Varland could show some signs of fatigue down the stretch. John Schneider’s constant need to reinvent his roster and strategy could be the defining point of his career as manager, especially in a season where the expectations were at an all-time high for the Blue Jays. However, the biggest task is ahead of him and his team, as it looks that somewhere around 84 wins should be enough to secure the final wild card spot in the AL. A 20-10 record sounds reasonable enough, but the misleading part of the deal is that other similar teams will also be fighting for their playoff lives.
At this juncture, the Blue Jays will need their stars to get their act together and make this push. Cease has been awesome as the team’s clear MVP, and Alejandro Kirk has returned from the IL in solid fashion, but the likes of Vladdy, George Springer, and Ernie Clement can still salvage their season with a good closing month. Considering their experience in 2025 and the unfinished business for this franchise, Toronto in the playoffs could become one of the sport’s most interesting stories in the final month. It is not a given, but they have the chance to run the table.
Wait ‘Til 2027
No. 24 Detroit Tigers (61-70, +70 run differential)
On August 13, the Tigers secured a key series win against the Guardians, and the vibes were at a season-high. Detroit was only one game back of .500 and it seemed that they could pull off having their cake and eating it, too. Despite waving the white flag and trading away two top members of their rotation, the Tigers looked capable of taking advantage of the weak state of the AL towards a playoff spot, essentially doing the opposite of what they did in 2025. Instead, a home sweep to the White Sox became the bad omen of things to come, as Detroit has fallen into a 1-9 hole that appears to finally squash any and all postseason hopes. As management and the front office will have a full offseason to analyze what could have been better, we can start to marvel at the statistical anomaly this team has represented.
The Detroit Tigers have lost their 6th game straight.
They are 1-9 in their last 10 games. pic.twitter.com/yYBqaLtPgB
— 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔇𝔢𝔱𝔯𝔬𝔦𝔱 𝔗𝔦𝔪𝔢𝔰 📰 (@the_det_times) August 25, 2026
Detroit’s +70 run differential sticks out like a sore thumb given the sorry state of the AL’s playoff race, as it is only one of five teams in the league with a positive number. The underlying stats suggest that the Tigers should be closer to a 70-win team, which would represent at least a comfortable hold on a wild card. Trying to understand how this team has failed to make the most of their talent comes down to terrible sequencing, a lack of clutch results, and suspect managing when things get tough. The Tigers have been dominant in blowout games (22-11) but have given it all back in one-run games (12-22). Their 21 comeback wins are nothing special, but it is important to note that Detroit’s largest comeback in 2026 is only three runs, which means that any kind of setback has been bound to represent defeat.
The team’s current skid has shown all these flaws at the worst time, as five of the team’s losses in their six-game streak have been by three or fewer runs, including late leads blown. The final nail in the coffin could have been Thursday’s defeat snatched from the jaws of victory, as closer Kenley Jansen allowed two solo homers to turn a one-run win into a one-run loss. That was followed by a shocking sweep in Kansas City and a loss to the Rays to open the new week. While losing to Tampa Bay is normal at this point, the timing is tough considering this week also includes a series against the Dodgers. In a race where almost every team is one good streak away from having a chance, the Tigers have played themselves almost out of it.
The good news for the Tigers is that they should be okay for a quick retool in 2027, lockout permitting. Kevin McGonigle has almost locked AL Rookie of the Year and should be a centerpiece for years to come, while Dillon Dingler is a stud behind the plate. Troy Melton looks like a legitimate ace, and the pieces received in the Tarik Skubal trade are a nice consolation prize after losing him. In any post-season review, it will be essential to understand how this roster can be optimized, regardless of any positive regression that could come their way. The lack of a dominant team in the AL Central provides a good starting point for the Tigers, as they will have to shake off the huge what if of 2026.
