Each week, the California Post will power rank MLB’s 30 teams and check in on one intriguing awards race. Records as of Saturday morning:

1) Brewers (88-54)

Turns out Jacob Misiorowski is human. He gave up a season-high five runs in a season-short four-inning outing at Wrigley Field this week, sending his ERA skyrocketing to … 1.97. In other words, his Cy Young chances are still plenty safe, as are the Brewers’ odds of finishing with the best record in baseball this year. (Last week: 1st)

2) Braves (84-57)

While the Brewers’ best-record odds seem safe, the Braves are nonetheless on their heels. They’ve parlayed their sweep of the Dodgers last week into an 8-2 stretch that has them in the No. 2 seed in the NL playoff race now and still just 3 ½ games back of the Brewers. (Last week: 2nd)

3) Dodgers (84-57)

Shohei Ohtani is hurting. The team was a walk-off Teoscar Hernández double away from getting swept by the Cardinals. And the rotation is suddenly searching for depth amid recent injuries. Then again, the Dodgers have overcome second-half struggles before (like last year) en route to World Series titles and are also just 3 ½ back of the Brewers. (Last week: 3rd)

4) Rays (84-57)

So far, mostly good for trade deadline acquisition Freddy Peralta. After a Coors Field clunker in his Rays debut, he has posted a 3.34 ERA in five starts since, including a six-inning, one-run gem against his former Mets team this week. Makes you wonder why he didn’t look this good in Queens. (Last week: 4th)

5) Yankees (80-61)

Good week for the Yankees. Two series wins, including one over the Red Sox. A spat with Boston broadcaster Will Fleming, in which they got to take the moral high ground and Fleming had to apologize. And more signs of Aaron Judge getting close to a return. (Last week: 5th)

6) Pete Crow-Armstrong (80-62)

Did we write PCA’s name there? We meant the Cubs, but it’s hard not to feel like everything they’re doing right now runs through him, after another week in which he *checks notes* hit six home runs. He’s well on his way to winning an MVP –– and making the Cubs a serious World Series threat. (Last week: 6th)

7) Phillies (79-62)

Remember when some people (or, one person in particular) wondered whether Bryce Harper was still elite? Well, he is having his best season since his 2021 MVP campaign. He reached base in 35 straight games before Friday. And he is doing it all while returning to the outfield. (Last week: 7th)

8) Red Sox (77-65)

Interesting story this week on the pros — and overlooked cons — of Driveline baseball’s influence on the industry, and the Red Sox specifically. Turns out, a simplified approach might’ve been more useful to turning their season around. (Last week: 8th)

9) White Sox (74-67)

It’s crunch time for the White Sox, who look like they’re going to be pushed by the Guardians down the stretch in the AL Central race. They need a few more good weeks to make their October dreams come true. (Last week: 10th)

10) Padres (74-67)

Curse of the new owner? Since the (quite cringey) introduction of Jose E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones, the Padres had dropped seven of nine before walking off the Yankees on Friday. They remain locked in a wild-card dogfight. (Last week: 9th)

11) Dbacks (74-68)

Ketel Marte made his return to the Dbacks this week. But feelings on both sides still appear to be raw. He was booed by the crowd in his first game since his restricted-list stint. He also wore a hat in his postgame scrum that alluded to burning bridges. A messy situation for a team just half-a-game out of the playoffs. (Last week: 11th)

12) Astros (73-69)

Maybe the AL West will have a champion with a winning record after all. The Astros have climbed four games above .500 after a 7-3 burst — which, in their division, means they’ve also built a little bit of a lead, three games clear of the Rangers. No AL West team had been four games over .500 since the Mariners in June. (Last week: 12th)

13) Cardinals (71-71)

Just when it was looking like it would be a two-team race between the Padres and Dbacks for the final NL wild-card spot, the Cardinals won a series against the Dodgers and then an emotionally charged Friday night opener against the Rockies. They are lingering just 3 ½ games back. (Last week: 15th)

14) Guardians (72-70)

Some clarity is finally starting to emerge in the AL wild-card race. And the Guardians are on the right side of the picture, currently multiple games clear of all other wild-card contenders … except one. (Last week: 13th)

15) Blue Jays (71-71)

Don’t look now, but the Blue Jays are making a late-season push. They’ve won six of seven games. They have a Cy Young contender in Dylan Cease. And, most importantly, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. might be starting to heat up. (Last week: 18th)

16) Marlins (71-71)

Like the Cardinals, the Marlins are also just 3 ½ games back in the NL wild-card picture. But this week was a big missed opportunity, as they dropped three of four games against the reeling Nationals. (Last week: 14th)

17) Rangers (70-72)

The Rangers’ plan of .500-ing their way to an AL West title has hit a snag, thanks to the Astros. And there’s been little about their play this season to suggest they can do much more than that. (Last week: 16th)

18) Pirates (70-72)

What a painful irony for the Pirates this year. Their usually terrible offense has ranked fifth in scoring — only for their supposedly stout pitching staff to rank 18th in ERA. (Last week: 20th)

19) Orioles (69-73)

Pete Alonso has finally cooled off, with only two hits in his last five games. Uncoincidentally, the Orioles have cooled off as well, dropping four in a row to fade in the AL wild-card race. (Last week: 17th)

20) Twins (67-74)

Will the Twins regret not selling at the deadline, after all? Their playoff chances are on life support, and they have a load of pending free agents that might walk out the door this offseason. (Last week: 21st)

21) Nationals (67-76)

There’s not much left for the Nationals to play for over the rest of the regular season, but at least young star James Wood is back from the injured list. (Last week: 22nd)

22) Reds (67-74)

Congratulations to Eugenio Suarez, who became a U.S. citizen this week — and was celebrated by his teammates with chants of “USA! USA!” in the dugout after hitting a home run in his first game after. They gave him a new walk-up song, too. (Last week: 23rd)

23) Mariners (66-76)

The Mariners are making a late-season push to be the most disappointing team in the majors this year, falling to 10 games under .500 after another dreadful week. (Last week: 19th)

24) Mets (64-77)

Don’t worry, Mets fans. They still have a comfortable lead for most disappointing team honors. (Last week: 25th)

25) Tigers (64-77)

Trading Tarik Skubal was painful enough. This week’s revelation that he also took his clubhouse espresso machine with him only added salt (or maybe one of those synthetic sweetener packets) to the wound. (Last week: 24th)

26) Royals (63-79)

No, the previously red-hot Royals will not run the table the rest of the way, coming back to earth with a .500 week. (Last week: 26th)

27) Giants (58-84)

Tony Vitello is back in his comfort zone, trying to put pressure on young players to up their game. Too bad he couldn’t find a way to do that with his veteran stars earlier in what has become a lost season. (Last week: 27th)

28) Athletics (56-86)

The A’s must have been motivated by falling to last place in these rankings last week. They’ve won three straight games to climb two spots. Somebody find some champagne. (Last week: 30th)

29) Rockies (54-87)

At least the Rockies are still drawing fans, somehow ranking 17th in average home attendance despite another dreadful season. (Last week: 28th)

30) Angels (53-88)

We reach the bottom of these rankings, where we find the biggest winners of the week. The Angels have a new owner in Stan Kroenke and some real reasons for hope in the first time in … a decade? (Last week: 29th)

American League Cy Young

1) Cam Schlittler, Yankees (12-6, 2.04 ERA, 171 ⅔ innings, 210 strikeouts)

Things seem to be lining up for the young Yankees star. He has the edge on Dylan Cease in ERA, starts, innings, quality starts and WHIP. There might be no matching the Dodgers’ starting rotation, but Schlittler-Gerrit Cole-Max Fried have a case.

2) Dylan Cease, Blue Jays (10-5, 2.25 ERA, 156 ⅓ innings, 221 strikeouts)

While the surface-level stats favor Schlittler, Cease has an edge in the #analytics, leading in FIP and tied with Schlittler in WAR. The reason: He is the AL’s strikeout king, with a whopping 35.5% K-rate. Still, a strong final month would go a long way to strengthening his case. 

3) Parker Messick, Guardians (11-8, 2.46 ERA, 161 innings, 161 strikeouts)

The second-year left-hander has been one of the breakout stars in the majors this year. Most impressively, he’s gotten better as the season has gone on, posting a 1.80 ERA in 10 starts since the start of July.