TOP OF THE ORDER
Zach Helfand ranks the 30 teams. Last week’s ranking in parentheses, statistics are through Friday:
1. ST. LOUIS: Cardinals are experimenting with iPads in dugout so players can do hacking, er, scouting, from bench. (1)
2. TORONTO: Yankees’ Brian Cashman said noise at Rogers Centre was like a “WWE crowd.” The playoffs should be fun. (2)
3. PITTSBURGH: Three postseason appearances in a row. Next up? Actually winning a postseason series. (6)
4. CHICAGO CUBS: Cubs brought zoo animals to the ballpark, including a flamingo to a news conference. (5)
5. NEW YORK METS: In the clubhouse, Juan Uribe was heard shouting “I love America. America makes me rich.”. (3)
6. DODGERS: Can a top-heavy rotation and a shaky bullpen win the World Series? (4)
7. KANSAS CITY: Royals won their division for the first time in 30 years. (7)
8. TEXAS: Rangers have won roughly two out of every three games since the trade deadline. (8)
9. NEW YORK YANKEES: Yogi Berra’s record of 10 World Series championships may never be broken. (9)
10. ANGELS: This is David Freese’s time of year. He ensured the Angels stayed alive against the Houston Astros. (10)
11. MINNESOTA: Twins haven’t played better than .500 in any full month except May, but they made it count at 20-7. (12)
12. HOUSTON: Will the band keep playing as the Astros ship sinks? (11)
13. SAN FRANCISCO: Kudos to the Giants and Oakland Athletics, who started Tim Hudson and Barry Zito on Saturday. (16)
14. TAMPA BAY: Rays are second in the American League in earned-run average but last in runs scored. (14)
15. BALTIMORE: Manny Machado has 30 home runs and plays excellent defense. And is only 23. (18)
16. WASHINGTON: At this point, the Nationals’ approval rating in Washington should be lower than that of Congress. (15)
17. CLEVELAND: Rookie Francisco Lindor, 21, will probably will finish with an average above .300. (13)
18. SEATTLE: Mariners may be the AL West’s biggest disappointment. (17)
19. ARIZONA: Paul Goldschmidt has hit eight home runs against the Dodgers this season. (21)
20. BOSTON: Hey, new GM Mike Hazen, the last two Red Sox GMs won World Series titles. (20) 21. CHICAGO WHITE SOX: Easy to forget that Chris Sale is only 26. He’s four away from 1,000 strikeouts. (19)
22. SAN DIEGO: A baby was born at Petco Park on Thursday evening. Congratulations to the mother and padre. (22)
23. DETROIT: Miguel Cabrera may finish with fewer than 20 home runs for the first time since short rookie season. (23)
24. OAKLAND: Possibly the best worst team the AL has had in a while. (28)
25. MIAMI: In the first year of a 13-year contract, Giancarlo Stanton will play a lot less than 100 games. (24)
26. CINCINNATI: Aroldis Chapman has more than 100 strikeouts for the fourth consecutive season. (26)
27. ATLANTA: Braves won two series in a row for the first time since early July. (29)
28. COLORADO: Carlos Gonzalez hit 10 home runs in the first three months. Since then? Nearly triple that. (27)
29. MILWAUKEE: Seven Brewers players are older than new GM, 30-year-old David Stearns. (23)
30. PHILADELPHIA: Manager Pete Mackanin will drop the “interim” tag. He’s extended through next season. (30)