The final month of the 2022 MLB season has arrived, and with 15 teams still within five games of a postseason spot entering play Monday, there is a lot to be decided.

The American League Central and National League East are still up for grabs, and with the addition of a third wild-card spot in each league, more teams than ever on the periphery of contention still have a shot.

All that adds up to plenty of shuffling in our weekly MLB power rankings.

Just remember, if a team is winning, it will climb. If a team is losing, a slide is inevitable. The beauty of this exercise is that it's a fluid process, and things will continue to change.

Note: Statistics and analysis reflect action through Sunday's games. Records include Monday's results.

Nos. 30-26

30. Pittsburgh Pirates (49-84)

Previous Rank: 29

The Pirates are 3-12 with a minus-47 run differential over their last five series, and they have the worst record in baseball since the All-Star break. Exciting young shortstop Oneil Cruz had a pair of multihit games last week and has been worth 1.1 WAR in 61 games despite hitting just .204 in 242 plate appearances.

29. Oakland Athletics (50-85)

Previous Rank: 28

The A's went 2-4 last week against the Orioles and Nationals on a short East Coast road trip. Catcher Sean Murphy has a 125 OPS+ with 30 doubles, 17 home runs, 59 RBI and 3.4 WAR in 123 games as the biggest bright spot in what has been a largely forgettable year.

28. Washington Nationals (48-87)

Previous Rank: 30

The Nats took two of three from the Mets at Citi Field over the weekend, scoring back-to-back 7-1 victories on Saturday and Sunday. That may be the highlight of the season as they near the finish line. Luis García (10-for-26, 3 2B, 2 HR) and Lane Thomas (8-for-24, 2 2B, 2 HR) continued to look like potential long-term pieces with another strong week.

27. Detroit Tigers (51-84)

Previous Rank: 25

The Tigers will have to finish strong to avoid the eighth 100-loss season in franchise history. They have been one of the biggest disappointments of 2022 after a 77-win campaign and busy offseason. With Jonathan Schoop and Miguel Cabrera on the injured list, September call-ups Spencer Torkelson and Ryan Kreidler should play every day.

26. Cincinnati Reds (53-79)

Previous Rank: 27

The Reds have intriguing young pieces to evaluate over the final month, including outfielder TJ Friedl, who is hitting .404/.458/.808 with five home runs in 59 plate appearances since the All-Star break, and September call-up Spencer Steer, who was acquired from the Twins in the Tyler Mahle deal.

Nos. 25-21

25. Kansas City Royals (55-81)

Previous Rank: 26

The Royals square off against the Guardians, Tigers and Twins for 21 of their final 27 games. With a respectable 26-29 record against AL Central foes, they have a great opportunity to play spoiler in what is still a wide-open division. With a home run Saturday, Bobby Witt Jr. became the 13th rookie in MLB history to join the 20-20 club.

24. Miami Marlins (55-78)

Previous Rank: 22

The Marlins' anemic offense managed just 62 runs over 28 games in August, and the team went 8-20, slipping from the periphery of the National League wild-card race to more than 20 games below .500. Miami essentially needs to tear down the starting lineup and start from scratch, building around Jazz Chisholm Jr.

23. Chicago Cubs (56-78)

Previous Rank: 23

The Cubs were swept by the NL Central rival Cardinals at Busch Stadium over the weekend, and the offense was shut out for the 10th and 11th times. With nine games remaining against the Reds, Chicago will have to earn third place in the division.

22. Colorado Rockies (57-79)

Previous Rank: 24

The Rockies wrapped up a 3-7 road trip over the weekend, and they are just 21-46 away from Coors Field. Prospect Michael Toglia went 6-for-21 with three doubles, one home run and three RBI in his first six games and will spend the final month auditioning for an everyday role.

21. Texas Rangers (58-76)

Previous Rank: 20

The Rangers' losing streak reached a season-high eight games with a sweep by the Red Sox over the weekend. It's now more clear than ever that there is still a lot of work to be done to build out the roster around Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Nathaniel Lowe and Adolis García, especially by addressing the pitching staff.

Nos. 20-16

20. Los Angeles Angels (59-76)

Previous Rank: 21

The Angels were a respectable 14-15 in August, closing the month by taking two of three from the Yankees on the heels of a three-game sweep of the Blue Jays. That momentum was halted by a series loss to the Astros, but they've been playing solid baseball and will be a tough draw for contenders over the final month.

19. San Francisco Giants (65-68)

Previous Rank: 19

The Giants swept the Phillies over the weekend, but only after losing seven in a row prior, including a sweep by the Padres to begin last week. Third baseman David Villar was among the team's September call-ups after he hit .275/.404/.617 with 27 home runs and 82 RBI in 84 games at Triple-A. He could get an extended look down the stretch.

18. Chicago White Sox (68-67)

Previous Rank: 18

With manager Tony La Russa away from the team indefinitely while he undergoes medical tests, the White Sox went 4-2 last week with bench coach Miguel Cairo steering the ship, including a big series win over the Twins. Chicago has 10 games remaining against the Guardians and Twins, so the AL Central race is far from over.

17. Arizona Diamondbacks (65-69)

Previous Rank: 17

It might be too little, too late, but the D-backs are playing like contenders. They went 16-12 in August and kicked off September by taking three of four from the Brewers. Zac Gallen (9 GS, 7-0, 0.61 ERA, 59.0 IP) and Merrill Kelly (8 GS, 3-0, 1.99 ERA, 54.1 IP) have been the best one-two punch in baseball since the All-Star break.

16. Boston Red Sox (67-69)

Previous Rank: 16

The Red Sox swept a four-game series with the Rangers over the weekend to claw back within one game of the .500 mark, but that still left them eighth in the AL wild-card standings and facing a 7.5-game deficit. Shortstop Xander Bogaerts has 10 multihit performances in his last 11 games, and his .317 average has him neck and neck with Luis Arraez in the AL batting title race.

Nos. 15-11

15. Milwaukee Brewers (71-63)

Previous Rank: 14

The Brewers have been playing roughly .500 baseball since the All-Star break, and losing three of four to the Diamondbacks over the weekend extended their deficit to 8.5 games in the NL Central. They will play eight games in seven days this week before a tough stretch against the Cardinals, Yankees and Mets.

14. Minnesota Twins (68-65)

Previous Rank: 15

The Twins lost three in a row last week, including a 13-0 dismantling by the White Sox on Saturday when Dylan Cease came within one out of a no-hitter, but a win Sunday pulled them even with the Guardians atop the AL Central. Eight of their next 15 games will be head-to-head with Cleveland.

13. Cleveland Guardians (69-64)

Previous Rank: 10

The Guardians' lead in the AL Central evaporated when they lost five in a row to close last week, but they still finished 16-11 with a plus-18 run differential in August. After a six-game road trip against the Royals and Twins this week, they will play 18 of their final 24 games at home.

12. Philadelphia Phillies (73-61)

Previous Rank: 8

With a 1-6 record in their last seven games, the Phillies have gone from comfortably staked to a wild-card spot to clinging to a two-game advantage over the Brewers for the last spot. They will need to make the most of their next nine games, which are against the Marlins and Nationals.

11. Baltimore Orioles (71-64)

Previous Rank: 12

With series wins over the Guardians and Athletics last week, the Orioles remained alive in the AL wild-card race. Their 25-16 record since the All-Star break is tied for second-best in the AL. Top prospect Gunnar Henderson went 6-for-19 with two doubles, one home run and one steal in his first week in the big leagues, starting at second base, third base and shortstop.

Nos. 10-6

10. Toronto Blue Jays (75-59)

Previous Rank: 13

The Blue Jays seized an opportunity to pad their record last week by going 5-1 against the Cubs and Pirates, extending their narrow lead over the Orioles for the third AL wild-card spot. Those two teams still have 10 more head-to-head matchups, including four in Baltimore this week.

9. San Diego Padres (74-62)

Previous Rank: 11

Despite dropping two of three against the Dodgers over the weekend, the Padres wrapped up their latest road trip with a 6-3 record and entered the week with the second NL wild-card spot. Yu Darvish has been a workhorse, completing at least six innings in 23 of his 25 starts, and he tossed seven shutout innings against the Dodgers on Friday.

8. New York Yankees (81-54)

Previous Rank: 7

With a 10-18 record in August and series losses to the Angels and Rays last week, the Yankees are crawling to the finish line. What was a 15.5-game lead in the AL East in early July is just five games. Can they hang on and win the division?

7. Seattle Mariners (76-59)

Previous Rank: 9

The Mariners swept the Tigers and Guardians on the road last week to improve to 14-4 in their last 18 games. Their eight-game homestand against the White Sox, Braves and Padres marks their final contests against teams with winning records.

6. Tampa Bay Rays (75-58)

Previous Rank: 6

The Rays had their best month of the season in August, going 18-9 with a plus-43 run differential. They'll need to keep that momentum going with the second-toughest remaining schedule, according to Tankathon. Third baseman Yandy Díaz is having one of the best under-the-radar seasons with a 142 OPS+ and 3.3 WAR in 119 games.

Nos. 5-1

5. New York Mets (85-50)

Previous Rank: 4

The Mets flexed their muscles with a series win over the Dodgers to begin last week and then promptly lost two of three to the lowly Nationals. They have the easiest remaining schedule with only six games left against clubs with winning records, so expect them to climb.

4. Houston Astros (87-48)

Previous Rank: 5

The Astros have not had a losing streak longer than three games since April. While Justin Verlander suffered a strained calf, the return of Lance McCullers Jr. and arrival of September call-up Hunter Brown will help bridge the gap until he returns. A bullpen that leads the majors with a 2.88 ERA is going to be a big plus in October.

3. Atlanta Braves (84-51)

Previous Rank: 3

The Braves have won five in a row, trimming the Mets' lead in the NL East to just one game. Rookie Spencer Strider set a franchise record with 16 strikeouts Thursday, surpassing John Smoltz's 15-strikeout games in 1992 and 2005 and Warren Spahn's in 1960.

2. St. Louis Cardinals (79-56)

Previous Rank: 2

The Cardinals continued rolling last week with series wins over the Reds and Cubs. Their 29-11 record since the All-Star break trails only the Dodgers' 32-11 for the best record in baseball. The healthy Jack Flaherty could be an X-factor in October.

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (92-42)

Previous Rank: 1

Despite dropping two of three to the Mets, the Dodgers still went 4-3 last week. The gap between them and the field is wide enough that they were in no danger of falling out of the No. 1 spot. They are on pace for 112 wins.

Complete Rankings

Complete Rankings

1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. St. Louis Cardinals
3. Atlanta Braves
4. Houston Astros
5. New York Mets
6. Tampa Bay Rays
7. Seattle Mariners
8. New York Yankees
9. San Diego Padres
10. Toronto Blue Jays
11. Baltimore Orioles
12. Philadelphia Phillies
13. Cleveland Guardians
14. Minnesota Twins
15. Milwaukee Brewers
16. Boston Red Sox
17. Arizona Diamondbacks
18. Chicago White Sox
19. San Francisco Giants
20. Los Angeles Angels
21. Texas Rangers
22. Colorado Rockies
23. Chicago Cubs
24. Miami Marlins
25. Kansas City Royals
26. Cincinnati Reds
27. Detroit Tigers
28. Washington Nationals
29. Oakland Athletics
30. Pittsburgh Pirates

Highlight of the Week: Zac Gallen Extends Scoreless Streak

With seven shutout innings against the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday, Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Zac Gallen extended his scoreless streak to an impressive 41.1 innings.

Here's a look at the six starts that account for that streak:

Aug. 8 vs. PIT: W, 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K
Aug. 13 at COL: W, 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K
Aug. 18 at SF: W, 7.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 12 K
Aug. 24 at KC: ND, 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 6 K
Aug. 30 vs. PHI: W, 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K
Sept. 4 vs. MIL: W, 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K

During that span, he has lowered his ERA from 3.31 to 2.42, and he is now the NL leader in WHIP (0.92) and opponents' batting average (.186).

His streak stands as the eighth-longest of the live ball era, which began in 1920, according to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. With three more outs, he'll pass Brandon Webb for the longest streak in franchise history.

"He goes out there and executes at a very high level and throws up seven more zeros," manager Torey Lovullo told reporters Sunday. "He spoils us, but it's because he's working his butt off, because he's executing. It's because of the four days in between starts that he is studying, working to make good things happen. It's not by accident that he's on this tremendous run."

Team of the Week

C Cal Raleigh, SEA
(5-for-15, 4 HR, 9 RBI)

1B Ty France, SEA
(9-for-26, 2 2B, 3 HR, 7 RBI)

2B Tommy Edman, STL
(11-for-25, 5 2B, 3 HR, 7 RBI)

3B Austin Riley, ATL
(7-for-23, 2B, 4 HR, 5 RBI, 3 BB)

SS Xander Bogaerts, BOS
(15-for-28, 5 2B, HR, 9 RBI, 3 BB, SB)

OF Aaron Judge, NYY
(9-for-20, 2B, 4 HR, 6 RBI, 5 BB, 2 IBB, SB)

OF Joc Pederson, SF
(8-for-17, 3 HR, 13 RBI)

OF Michael Harris II, ATL
(10-for-22, 2 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, SB)

DH Shohei Ohtani, LAA
(6-for-20, 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI)

SP Zac Gallen, ARI
(2 GS, 2 W, 14.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 14 K)

SP Dylan Cease, CWS
(1 GS, W, 9.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K)

SP Spencer Strider, ATL
(1 GS, W, 8.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 16 K)

SP Corey Kluber, TB
(1 GS, W, 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K)

SP Merrill Kelly, ARI
(1 GS, W, 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K)

RP Jordan Romano, TOR
(4 G, 3/3 SV, 4.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K)

Award Rankings

AL MVP

1. Aaron Judge, NYY
2. Shohei Ohtani, LAA
3. José Ramírez, CLE
4. Yordan Alvarez, HOU
5. José Abreu, CWS
6. Jose Altuve, HOU
7. Xander Bogaerts, BOS
8. Justin Verlander, HOU
9. Julio Rodríguez, SEA
10. Andrés Giménez, CLE

NL MVP

1. Paul Goldschmidt, STL
2. Mookie Betts, LAD
3. Nolan Arenado, STL
4. Manny Machado, SD
5. Freddie Freeman, LAD
6. Austin Riley, ATL
7. Pete Alonso, NYM
8. Trea Turner, LAD
9. Edwin Díaz, NYM
10. Dansby Swanson, ATL

AL Cy Young

1. Justin Verlander, HOU
2. Dylan Cease, CWS
3. Shane McClanahan, TB
4. Alek Manoah, TOR
5. Shohei Ohtani, LAA

NL Cy Young

1. Sandy Alcantara, MIA
2. Julio Urías, LAD
3. Zac Gallen, ARI
4. Tony Gonsolin, LAD
5. Max Scherzer, NYM

AL Rookie of the Year

1. Julio Rodríguez, SEA
2. Adley Rutschman, BAL
3. Steven Kwan, CLE

NL Rookie of the Year

1. Spencer Strider, ATL
2. Michael Harris II, ATL
3. Brendan Donovan, STL

Stats courtesy of MLB.com and Baseball Reference unless otherwise noted.