Power Rankings: New team storms into top 5

Though the first half of the season has seen plenty of change up and down our weekly Power Rankings, things mostly remained the same atop the rankings heading into the final week of games before the All-Star break.

While some first-place teams are starting to pull away, other divisions are tightening up -- and the Wild Card races in both leagues figure to remain close well into the second half.

With all that in mind, here’s a look at the final set of first-half Power Rankings -- including one newcomer into the top 5.

Biggest jump: The Mariners continued their up-and-down season, jumping four spots to No. 13. They’ve won eight straight games -- their longest winning streak since 2017 -- and have a couple of favorable matchups heading into the All-Star break. They close out the first half with a two-game set against the last-place Nationals before heading to Arlington for a four-game series against the Rangers.

Biggest drop: The Cardinals fell out of the top 10, dropping four spots to No. 14, following a tough week against the NL East. They dropped three out of four against the Braves before losing two of three to the Phillies, all while being shut out in three of those five losses. Overall, St. Louis scored just 11 runs in its seven games this week.

Power Rankings Top 5

1) Yankees (61-25; last week: 1)
DraftKings World Series odds: 4-1
The Yankees are running away with the AL East, opening up the largest division lead in the Majors at 14 games. They also have by far the best run differential in the big leagues (+177). Offensively, New York leads the Majors in home runs, OPS and runs scored, while its pitching staff ranks second in team ERA.

2) Astros (56-29; 2)
DraftKings World Series odds: 5-1
The Astros have opened up a 12-game lead in the AL West, which figures to come in handy with AL MVP candidate Yordan Alvarez sidelined until at least the All-Star break. Houston placed the AL MVP candidate on the IL on Sunday due to right hand inflammation -- an injury that first surfaced on June 18. The Astros are hopeful that Alvarez will be ready to go coming out of the All-Star break, plus they still have a pitching staff that ranks first in bullpen ERA (2.63) and second in starters’ ERA (3.15).

3) Dodgers (56-29; 3)
DraftKings World Series odds: 4-1
The Dodgers are starting to create some separation the NL West, rattling off a perfect week that included a three-game sweep of the Rockies and a four-game sweep of the Cubs. Los Angeles’ seven-game winning streak has helped the club open up an eight-game lead over the second-place Padres and 12 1/2 games over the third-place Giants. The Dodgers remain one of the most well-balanced teams in the big leagues, with the offense leading the NL in runs per game (5.0) and the pitching staff posting an MLB-best 2.96 ERA -- including a 2.72 ERA for the starting rotation.

4) Mets (53-33; 4)
DraftKings World Series odds: 7.5-1
Though the Mets’ lead in the NL East has shrunk considerably over the past month, they still hold the second-best record in the NL -- and they’re on pace to win 101 games. There’s plenty more to be excited about in Queens at the moment. New York is sending four players -- Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, Starling Marte and Edwin Díaz -- to next week’s All-Star Game, Max Scherzer returned from the IL with an 11-strikeout gem on Tuesday and Jacob deGrom has looked good in a pair of rehab outings.

5) Braves (52-35; 6)
DraftKings World Series odds: 8.5-1
The Braves were 10 1/2 games out of first place in the NL East entering June, but they have cut that deficit to just 1 1/2 games entering Monday. Atlanta has the best record in the Majors during that span, going 29-8 after starting the season just 23-27. It's been an all-around team effort during this impressive run, with the Braves ranking second in the Majors in both team ERA (3.03) and runs per game (5.7).

The rest of the field of 30

6) Padres (5)
7) Brewers (8)
8) Red Sox (7)
9) Blue Jays (9)
10) Twins (12)
11) Rays (11)
12) Phillies (14)
13) Mariners (17)
14) Cardinals (10)
15) Guardians (13)
16) Giants (15)
17) White Sox (16)
18) Orioles (21)
19) Marlins (18)
20) Rangers (19)
21) Angels (20)
22) Rockies (23)
23) D-backs (22)
24) Tigers (26)
25) Pirates (25)
26) Cubs (24)
27) Reds (27)
28) Royals (28)
29) Nationals (29)
30) A's (30)