Cubs atop first post-break Power Rankings

Our first post-All-Star break MLB Power Rankings are all about the status quo. Not a lot has changed in the last week-and-a-half. The positioning of the top teams hasn’t changed much, and most of them have one general theme in common — quite frankly, no one has been that impressive in July.

Still, short-term issues don’t necessarily cloud long-term expectations, and most of the top teams seem to have the personnel to get through the grind of the season with their postseason chances intact. If there’s one club that may have cause for worry, it’s the Rangers, who have played a little better lately but have lost a ton of ground in the American League West over the last month. If there’s any club that almost has to make a move before the Aug. 1 Trade Deadline, it’s probably Texas.

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Biggest jump: The Cardinals jumped three spots, from 12 to nine. They lost recent series to the Marlins and Dodgers but swept the Padres in a four-game home set in the middle, giving them a 6-4 post All-Star record. They’re still 7 1/2 games back in the National League Central, but only a smidge out of the second Wild Card spot.

Biggest drop: The Blue Jays dropped from seven to 10. That might seem a little harsh, considering they’ve played .500 (4-4) since the last rankings were posted. Toronto is mentioned more in Wild Card conversations, but it should be noted that the Jays are three games behind Baltimore in the AL East and will be hosting the Orioles for a three-game set this weekend.

Power Rankings top five:

1. Cubs

It appears the Cubs are slowly working their way out of what was a dreadful start to July, winning three series since the All-Star break. The prevailing theory about why the Cubs seemingly …

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