With just three weeks left in MLB's regular season, races for both playoff spots and major awards are only getting more interesting.

Division titles in the American League East and American League Central remain there for the taking, while the surging New York Mets have dramatically upended the status quo in the National League wild-card race.

A nine-game win streak temporarily allowed the Metropolitans to leapfrog the Atlanta Braves for the No. 3 spot in that race. Both clubs have a real shot at claiming the No. 1 spot, for which the San Diego Padres hold just a two-game advantage.

Meanwhile, Aaron Judge's 12-game homerless streak has made the AL MVP race less of a foregone conclusion. But if he wants it, Bobby Witt Jr. will also have to warm up a bat that has cooled a bit in recent days.

Let's get into all this and more with this week's rendition of B/R's MLB Power Rankings.

Nos. 30-21: The 'Hoping to Play Spoiler' Tier

30. Chicago White Sox (32-112)

29. Miami Marlins (54-89)

28. Colorado Rockies (53-91)

27. Los Angeles Angels (59-84)

26. Washington Nationals (64-79)

25. Oakland Athletics (62-82)

24. Pittsburgh Pirates (67-76)

23. Cincinnati Reds (69-75)

22. Toronto Blue Jays (68-76)

21. Texas Rangers (70-74)

You know you've arrived as a national story when you're the lead news item in Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!

Congrats to the White Sox on that front and, hey, at least they're making their assault on the 1962 Mets interesting.

The misery march also continues for the Marlins and Rockies, who are both staring down 100-loss seasons. The Angels should be safe in this regard, but it's still not ideal that Shohei Ohtani's return is the best thing to have happened at Angel Stadium all year.

The Athletics, on the other hand, can find hope in their 25-21 run through the second half. They're getting a combined .993 OPS from Brent Rooker and Lawrence Butler, who both landed in the top 10 in MLB.com's latest hitter power rankings.

The most notable thing the Pirates did last week was get no-hit by the Cubs on Wednesday. But at least they won that three-game set before splitting a four-gamer with the Nationals, who continue to see good stuff from Dylan Crews. In 12 games, he has three home runs, five stolen bases and six walks.

Did anyone see the Reds' sweep of the Astros coming? A surprise, to be sure, and it won't be their last chance to play spoiler. Save for three against Pittsburgh, Cincinnati's remaining games are all against contenders.

The Blue Jays and Rangers are close in the standings, but trending in different directions. Texas is now 10-3 in its last 13 games, and such things as Jacob deGrom's pending return and Wyatt Langford's walk-off grand slam should have them feeling optimistic about 2025.

Nos. 20-16: The 'Still Sticking Around' Tier

20. Tampa Bay Rays (71-72)

19. San Francisco Giants (71-73)

18. Boston Red Sox (72-71)

17. Seattle Mariners (73-71)

16. Detroit Tigers (73-71)

The Rays have been on a 16-20 slide since July 30, but it's a mistake to think of them as a pushover for teams still in it. The Orioles just found out the hard way in dropping two out of three to them in Baltimore, scoring three runs as they did so.

The Giants are on a 10-15 run in their own right, but kudos to them for getting a big piece of offseason shopping done early. Given his 6.3 WAR, locking up Matt Chapman for $151 million over six years feels like a bargain.

After losing 10 out of their previous 13 games, the Red Sox badly needed their series win against the White Sox. They're still technically alive in the AL wild-card race, and their middle infield defense got a boost when they activated Trevor Story on Saturday.

The Mariners are also still in the AL wild-card race, but they're only 9-7 under Dan Wilson. Losses in four straight to the Angels and A's between Aug. 31 and Sep. 3 didn't help their cause and the same ol' mournful drumbeat goes on with their offense.

The Tigers evened out last week after capping a 15-5 stretch with a series win over Boston, yet they still have some fight. Just ask Parker Meadows, who hit an epic go-ahead grand slam in San Diego on Thursday.

Nos. 15-11: The 'Especially Hopeful Playoff Hopefuls' Tier

15. St. Louis Cardinals (72-71)

14. Chicago Cubs (73-70)

13. Minnesota Twins (76-67)

12. Atlanta Braves (78-65)

11. Kansas City Royals (79-65)

Even after the Mariners crashed the party over the weekend, the Cardinals are 4-1-1 in their last six series, all against contenders. They've been getting consistent pitching during this stretch, not to mention a .343 average from Paul Goldschmidt.

Elsewhere in the NL Central, the Cubs' combined no-hitter was arguably the highlight of last week. They nonetheless took back-to-back blows to the chin with series losses against the Pirates and Yankees, thus deflating their balloon in the wake of a 16-6 run.

Speaking of stalling contenders, neither the Twins nor the Royals are taking the opening that the Guardians have given them in the AL Central.

Minnesota has lost 14 out of 20. And while Kansas City is directly responsible for the last three of those by way of a three-game sweep over the weekend, its triumph came on the heels of a seven-game skid between Aug. 28 and Sep. 3. Albeit with two homers, Bobby Witt Jr. is batting .184 in his last 10 games.

Then again, at least the Twins and Royals still have wild-card spots firmly in hand. The same can't be said of the Braves. Though they did well in winning both of their series last week, they're still tied with the Mets in the race for the NL's third wild card.

Chris Sale remains something else, though. After two more dominant outings last week, that makes it 24 out of 27 starts in which he's allowed no more than two earned runs.

Nos. 10-9

10. New York Mets (78-65)

Previous Rank: 12

Last Week: 3-0 vs. BOS, 2-1 vs. CIN

Here come the Mets? Nah. Here are the Mets. Though their nine-game win streak ended vs. the Reds on Sunday, they're well on their way to making September their fourth straight month with a winning record.

The pitching has come on strong in the second half, yet it's still the offense that could make the Mets a threat if they reach the postseason. They're the only NL team with three hitters with at least 24 homers, with Mark Vientos getting his latest in style.

9. Houston Astros (77-66)

Previous Rank: 9

Last Week: 0-3 @ CIN, 2-1 vs. ARI

Getting swept by the Reds wasn't what the Astros had in mind after they entered last week on a five-game win streak. But when it comes down to it, this team still co-leads MLB with 44 wins dating back to June 19.

And now the Astros (finally) have Kyle Tucker back after activating him off the IL on Friday. He'll likely need some time to find his stroke again after missing three months, but don't forget that he was, arguably, a top-five hitter at the time he fractured his shin in June.

Nos. 8-7

8. Cleveland Guardians (81-61)

Previous Rank: 8

Last Week: 2-1 @ KCR, 1-2 @ LAD

The Guardians were teetering on the edge for a second, falling into a tie for first place in the AL Central with the Royals on Aug. 27. Yet they're 6-4 since then, pushing their lead back up to 2.5 games.

Otherwise, how about a hand for Matthew Boyd? He only seemed to fall further and further off the radar after a mildly impressive breakout in the late 2010s, but he's recently been a godsend with a 2.20 ERA in five starts for Cleveland.

7. Arizona Diamondbacks (80-64)

Previous Rank: 6

Last Week: 2-1 @ SFG, 12 @ HOU

After winning six in a row between Aug. 19 and 25, the Diamondbacks reached a season high of 19 games over .500. Since then, they've been just 5-8, which has put them in a more precarious position in the NL wild-card race.

Yet the Snakes have been keeping and indeed should keep the runs coming. They've outscored the next-best team in the NL (the Dodgers) by 69 runs, and now they have Ketel Marte back off the injured list.

Nos. 6-5

6. San Diego Padres (81-64)

Previous Rank: 7

Last Week: 2-1 vs. DET, 1-2 vs. SFG

It's been a minute since the Padres went on that 19-3 run, but their series loss to the Giants over the weekend was their first since dropping two out of three to the Rockies between Aug. 16 and 18.

Like the Astros, the Friars are becoming whole again at just the right time. Last week, they activated both Yu Darvish and Fernando Tatis Jr., the latter of whom quickly celebrated with a walk-off on Wednesday.

5. Baltimore Orioles (82-62)

Previous Rank: 5

Last Week: 2-1 vs. CHW, 1-2 vs. TBR

There's no such thing as a guaranteed sweep, but the 2024 Orioles playing the 2024 White Sox at home comes pretty close. It was disappointing, then, that the O's let the Pale Hose actually win a game at Camden Yards.

As the Orioles are now 27-31 in their last 58 games, it's only by the grace of the Yankees' own struggles that they haven't accrued a significant deficit in the AL East.

The showdown between the two clubs in New York between Sep. 24 and 26 figures to be huge.

Nos. 4-3

4. Milwaukee Brewers (82-61)

Previous Rank: 3

Last Week: 1-2 vs. STL, 1-2 vs. COL

Last week cooled the Brewers off somewhat after a stretch in which they won 13 out of 17. Even still, they retain the biggest advantage (9.0 games) of the six division leaders in MLB.

He's not going to win the NL MVP, but the fact that Willy Adames is even in the race is a huge win on the eve of his free agency. And he's only getting hotter with eight home runs and 16 driven in over his last 14 games.

3. New York Yankees (82-61)

Previous Rank: 4

Last Week: 1-2 @ TEX, 2-1 vs. CHC

Speaking of the Yankees, their series win over the Cubs was a breath of fresh air after losses in three straight series and 10 out of 17 games. They should be thrilled to have Clarke Schmidt back, as he had a 2.52 ERA when he went on the IL back in May.

And yet, not all is well. Nestor Cortes doesn't much appreciate being in the bullpen, which also needs a new closer after Clay Holmes' latest meltdown. And whereas he once waltzed to 60, Aaron Judge has been stuck on 51 homers since Aug. 25.

Nos. 2-1

2. Philadelphia Phillies (85-58)

Previous Rank: 2

Last Week: 2-0 @ TOR, 2-2 @ MIA

The funk phunk the Phillies were in for much of July and August is little more than a bad memory right now. They're firmly on a World Series march again, with wins in 11 out of their last 15 games.

With a 1.60 ERA in his last seven starts, Zack Wheeler is doing his darndest to challenge Chris Sale for the NL Cy Young Award. Kyle Schwarber otherwise had himself a week, notably going deep five times and driving in 10 within a four-game span.

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (86-57)

Previous Rank: 1

Last Week: 1-0 vs. ARI, 1-1 @ LAA, 2-1 vs. CLE

The Dodgers rotation continues to be cursed, as Gavin Stone became their latest starter to land on the IL last week. Mercifully, though, Yoshinobu Yamamoto is due back this week and Tyler Glasnow was able to throw off a mound on Saturday.

In the meantime, the Dodgers' up-and-down week shouldn't obscure the fact that they're 30-16 in the second half and 20-8 in their last 28 games. According to FanGraphs, they also have the easiest remaining schedule of any team in MLB.

As for the Shohei Ohtani 50-50 watch, he's at 46 home runs and 46 stolen bases after adding two homers and three steals last week. Him getting there seems all but certain.

Complete Rankings

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

AL Award Rankings

AL MVP

1. Aaron Judge, NYY
2. Bobby Witt Jr., KC
3. Juan Soto, NYY
4. Gunnar Henderson, BAL
5. José Ramírez, CLE
6. Yordan Alvarez, HOU
7. Jarren Duran, BOS
8. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., TOR
9. Brent Rooker, OAK
10. Tarik Skubal, DET

AL Cy Young

1. Tarik Skubal, DET
2. Seth Lugo, KCR
3. Logan Gilbert, SEA
4. Corbin Burnes, BAL
5. Emmanuel Clase, CLE

AL Rookie of the Year

1. Colton Cowser, BAL
2. Luis Gil, NYY
3. Austin Wells, NYY

NL Award Rankings

NL MVP

1. Shohei Ohtani, LAD
2. Francisco Lindor, NYM
3. Elly De La Cruz, CIN
4. Bryce Harper, PHI
5. Willy Adames, MIL
6. Ketel Marte, ARI
7. Marcell Ozuna, ATL
8. Freddie Freeman, LAD
9. Mookie Betts, LAD
10. Jackson Merrill, SDP

NL Cy Young

1. Chris Sale, ATL
2. Zack Wheeler, PHI
3. Hunter Greene, CIN
4. Paul Skenes, PIT
5. Dylan Cease, SDP

NL Rookie of the Year

1. Paul Skenes, PIT
2. Jackson Merrill, SDP
3. Jackson Chourio, MIL

What to Watch for This Week

Key Series for the 1st Half of the Week

• Kansas City Royals at New York Yankees
• Baltimore Orioles at Boston Red Sox
• Chicago Cubs at Los Angeles Dodgers
• San Diego Padres at Seattle Mariners

Key Series for the 2nd Half of the Week

• Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees
• Baltimore Orioles at Detroit Tigers
• New York Mets at Philadelphia Phillies
• Los Angeles Dodgers at Atlanta Braves
• Milwaukee Brewers at Arizona Diamondbacks

Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.