Time is running out on the baseball season. Who’s rising at the right time and falling at the worst possible moment? It’s all here in our latest MLB power rankings.

First 4

1. (1/7/10/5/8/9/4/5/5/8/7/7/7/12) Red Sox: Sweeping the Yankees is a cherry on top of this turnaround season. At least until the playoffs start.

2. (2/6/5/7/6/2/1/1/3/9/2/3/5/15) A’s: Opposite streaks on either side of 1st and 2nd place spell doom for the losing side. Oakland’s magic number might as well be 0.

3. (10/11/11/13/5/7/9/11/6/13/17/27/12/7) Indians: Sitting pretty on a hot streak with Texas and Tampa Bay playing each other.

4. (5/5/7/9/11/4/2/2/4/3/1/1/1/1) Cardinals: A tie is not out of the question… except here. They need to improve on the road, but being the best team in a division with three playoff teams is worth something.

Middle of the majors 

5. (6/8/8/6/4/6/¾/1/¼/6/6/9) Pirates: The schedule is not in their favor compared to the Cardinals, but they’ll be a factor until the end.

6. (3/9/9/10/12/11/10/9/8/2/3/5/3/2) Reds: Back in the proper order now that they’ve cooled off. All that heat but didn’t really put any on the teams above them.

7. (8/4/2/3/2/5/5/6/9/7/9/10/11/5) Tigers: A steady helping of White Sox, Mariners, Twins and Marlins should have them healthy by the playoffs.

8. (7/2/3/1/3/8/11/12/10/11/5/2/4/4) Braves: Objects in the rear view mirror are further away than they appear. A doubleheader sweep away from first NL East title since 2005. Remember when it was automatic?

9. (4/3/½/1/3/12/13/24/24/23/20/27/25) Dodgers: Staying that hot seemed impossible, but losing 9 of 12 is too much of a swing the other way, even if their place in playoffs is not in danger.

10. (14/10/6/11/9/1/6/7/11/19/18/14/13/17) Rays: Clinched their 6th consecutive winning season. And to think before that one the idea seemed improbable.

11. (13/14/13/8/10/14/21/17/18/17/12/19/26/23) Royals: An important series between the Royals and Indians this late is good for Cleveland, Kansas City … and baseball.

12. (11/12/12/12/13/10/8/10/7/6/6/11/8/13) Orioles: Missed an opportunity with the Yankees at home, but the Red Sox and Tampa Bay give them a shot at the teams directly above.

13. (12/13/14/16/14/13/14/8/13/12/13/9/14/6) Yankees: When the focus turns back to the Mariano Rivera farewell tour, that’s a bad sign for the skidding Yankees.

14. (9/¼/4/7/12/7/3/2/4/8/4/2/3) Rangers: This time their late-season collapse might cost them a wild card spot. And 2 weeks ago we had them No. 1. A 2-12 September will do that.

15. (16/17/20/22/19/18/15/15/15/21/19/17/19/14) Nationals: Still a bust. Washington doesn’t have the benefit of teams collapsing ahead of it like the AL contenders do.

16. (15/15/16/19/17/16/13/16/14/10/11/8/9/10) Diamondbacks: I’m sure beating the Dodgers in the opener felt good, but it’s only prolonging the inevitable when your elimination number is 4.

17. (18/19/23/26/28/27/16/20/21/20/20/16/18/19) Phillies: Playing better under Ryne Sandberg, but an 11-1 surge to .500 is not going to happen.

18. (22/23/25/25/22/26/30/30/17/16/15/18/17/18) Padres: After his one-hitter against the Pirates, Andrew Cashner told MLB Network: “The no-hitter’s coming.”

19. (25/25/27/27/27/28/24/24/20/14/16/12/15/11) Giants: Getting hot just as the Dodgers cooled off. too bad there’s still 17 games between them.

20. (26/22/24/20/26/23/18/19/16/15/14/15/10/8) Rockies: It’d be nice if Colorado didn’t send Todd Helton out in last place.

21. (17/18/17/17/24/19/17/18/12/5/10/13/16/20) Blue Jays: Amazingly, Toronto has not been mathematically eliminated from wild card contention. But it will likely happen today.

22. (19/20/18/18/18/24/22/14/19/23/24/24/23/21) Angels: Only 4 games under .500, would reaching it be considered an accomplishment for that payroll?

23. (23/24/21/21/25/21/23/23/26/28/29/29/25/24) Mets: Jerry Seinfeld in the booth? Yada, yada, yada. And the Mets lost.

24. (20/16/15/14/15/15/20/21/22/18/22/22/22/22) Mariners: For the first time, those first 4 weeks of 22s look pretty good.

25. (24/21/22/24/23/25/25/26/28/27/26/25/28/26) Brewers: Just 5 years ago, the Cubs and Brewers were battling for 1st place. Now the rivalry’s outcome will determine last. 

26. (21/26/19/15/16/20/27/25/23/22/21/21/20/30) Twins: Sinking to the bottom of the AL standings and our power rankings.

Final 4

27. (27/28/26/23/21/17/19/22/25/25/25/23/24/27) Cubs: Some of the moves the Cubs have made looked good. the Edwin Jackson signing (16 losses, most by a Cub since 1999) is not one of them.

28. (28/29/29/28/20/22/26/27/27/30/30/30/30/29) Marlins: On a 3-game skid and losers of 8 of their last 10, the Marlins with find their way to triple digits.

29. (29/27/28/29/30/29/28/29/30/29/28/26/21/16) White Sox: Nothing like a 6-game losing streak to keep the dream of 100 losses alive.

30. (30/30/30/30/29/30/29/28/29/26/27/28/29/28) Astros: At least the future looks bright:  The Tri City Valley Cats and the Quad Cities River Bandits won the New York-Penn League and Midwest League championships, respectively.