
College Football Power Rankings: Alabama takes over lead spot
More Videos
Published
9 months agoon
By
adminOn the heels of a weekend that brought more big developments than any other so far this season, the College Football Power Rankings have been shaken up accordingly.
In a game fans won’t forget anytime soon, Alabama and Georgia put on a show that had us on the edge of our seats until the end. It was a matchup between undefeated conference opponents and Alabama ended up walking out of Bryant-Denny Stadium with a 4-0 record.
It’s a season in which true freshmen are making their mark and Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith is showing he’s a real problem for opposing defenses. Smith is three touchdowns shy of a program record and we’re only five weeks into the regular season.
With Oklahoma State and Illinois both losing over the weekend, Boise State and Rutgers join the rankings following Week 5 wins and big performances from Ashton Jeanty for the Broncos and Kyle Monangai for the Scarlet Knights.
Here’s the latest top 25 from our college football experts, who provide their insight on each team’s Week 5 performance.
No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide
Previous ranking: 5
Alabama had owned Georgia with Nick Saban as coach, and now it’s Kalen DeBoer’s time. It was DeBoer’s debut in the rivalry, and this one was wild until the end with Alabama holding on to win 41-34 after leading 28-0 in the first half. A pair of true freshmen came up huge for the Crimson Tide (4-0). Receiver Ryan Williams scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 75-yard catch and spin move to the end zone. And then with Georgia driving to potentially tie the score, cornerback Zabien Brown intercepted Georgia quarterback Carson Beck in the end zone.
DeBoer said afterward there was obviously celebration in the locker room, but added, “We expect to win these games.” He has won a bunch of them, too. He’s 13-2 in his past 15 games against AP nationally ranked teams and has lost only three games as a power conference coach, including his two seasons at Washington. Alabama still has some tough tests remaining, notably Tennessee and LSU on the road. The Tide travel to Vanderbilt this coming weekend. — Chris Low
Previous ranking: 1
This is how good Texas is: The Longhorns, with their backup quarterback, muddled through a sloppy start in their SEC opener against Mississippi State, lost two fumbles, dropped a wide-open touchdown pass and had eight offensive penalties. But they still rolled up 522 yards and won by 22 over the Bulldogs.
It helps, certainly, that Arch Manning is their backup quarterback and could start at most every school in America, throwing for 324 yards, two touchdowns and rushing for 33 more and another TD. But going into a bye week, the Longhorns are 5-0, have played most of their roster during three nonconference wins in which they outscored opponents 159-10, and added a 31-12 road win at Michigan for an exclamation point. — Dave Wilson
No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes
Previous ranking: 4
True freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith again stole the show, this time, with a pair of dazzling one-handed grabs, as the Buckeyes easily dispatched Michigan State 38-7. With five receiving touchdowns already, Smith is only three scores away from breaking Cris Carter’s record set in 1984 for most receiving touchdowns by an Ohio State true freshman in a season. Smith also scored a 19-yard touchdown on a reverse in the second quarter that helped break the game open.
In Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Marvin Harrison Jr., the Buckeyes have had four receivers drafted in the first round in the past three years. Smith-Njigba told ESPN over the summer that Smith could be ready for the NFL by next year. Smith, however, won’t be eligible for the draft until 2027. That is a scary proposition for opposing Big Ten defenses. — Jake Trotter
Previous ranking: 3
While Georgia and Alabama were playing one of the wildest games of the season, Ole Miss was falling to Kentucky and Texas was working a little harder than expected to get past Mississippi State, Tennessee was kicked back on a bye week, basking in the glow of a 4-0 start and a 216-28 scoring margin.
The Vols have been mostly untested, and they’ll be comfortably favored in their next couple of games — a road test at Arkansas and a visit from Florida in Knoxville — before a third Saturday in October visit from Alabama. The Tennessee defense has given up the fewest points and yards per drive in FBS, and the offense has rediscovered its explosiveness. But the tests resume soon enough. — Bill Connelly
Previous ranking: 2
Kirby Smart didn’t mince words. He said he didn’t have his team ready to play Saturday in a 41-34 loss to Alabama. The Bulldogs (3-1) fell behind 28-0 before rallying valiantly and taking the lead in the fourth quarter. That kind of fight should serve Georgia well the rest of the way because the Bulldogs have a grueling schedule. They still have to play at Texas, at Ole Miss and get Tennessee at home. Georgia’s defense was much better in the second half against Alabama and kept the Bulldogs in the game.
Perhaps the most disappointing thing for Georgia is that quarterback Carson Beck has not played particularly well the past two games. He wound up throwing for 439 yards and three touchdowns Saturday but turned the ball over four times. His final pick was in the end zone in the final seconds with Georgia trying to tie the score. The Bulldogs need to get Beck back to playing with the efficiency he displayed last season if they’re going to stay in the playoff race. — Low
Previous ranking: 7
Well, that was close. It would be easy enough to look at Week 5’s narrow escape against Virginia Tech Hokies as a reminder that nothing about this Miami season is guaranteed, and the relatively painless first four weeks were but an hors d’oeuvre to a much tougher conference slate.
On the other hand, it could also be a reminder — if you’re into the whole “vibes” thing — there’s something entirely special about this particular group of Canes, and the magic of Cam Ward‘s shovel pass, Xavier Restrepo‘s catch from his back, to Schrödinger’s replay, which was somehow both right and wrong at once. If nothing else, it was probably some needed adversity for a team that will still face plenty more ahead. — David Hale
Previous ranking: 9
At times it looked as if Oregon was going to blow out UCLA by more than 30 points. And yet, there were still moments during Saturday night’s 34-13 win over the Bruins in which the Ducks seemed to be sleepwalking their way into danger against an inferior opponent. A pick-six thrown by Dillon Gabriel (albeit not his direct fault) gave UCLA life that, though short-lived, again raised some eyebrows about the Ducks’ ability to handle better teams than the ones they’ve faced so far.
Still, their talent on both sides of the ball (over 400 yards on offense while giving up fewer than 200 on defense) remains not just undeniable but enough to carry them through dry spells. That’s more than enough to stay undefeated — for now. — Paolo Uggetti
Previous ranking: 8
The Nittany Lions didn’t play their cleanest game but wore Illinois down in a grinding 21-7 win. Penn State’s standout running back duo of Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton combined for 196 yards and two touchdowns while averaging 5.8 yards per carry. Penalties hampered Penn State, including a block in the back that wiped out what would’ve been a game-clinching touchdown return on an interception.
Sander Sahaydak also missed two 40-yard field goal attempts, and Penn State squandered another scoring opportunity in the red zone, failing to convert on a fourth-and-3. Still, the Nittany Lions controlled the game and are now the only FBS team to begin 4-0 in each of the past four seasons, according to ESPN Research. More importantly, Penn State remains firmly in the thick of the playoff race. — Trotter
Previous ranking: 11
Last we saw of Mizzou, the Tigers were laboring into overtime to get past Vanderbilt. It wasn’t the most top-10 worthy performance in the world, but they got to 4-0 and got to soak in a bye week before a huge trip to Texas A&M this coming Saturday.
Aside from a couple of long-pass glitches, the defense has been mostly awesome, giving up only 12 points per game. But the offense has underachieved, failing to top 27 points in regulation against either of their two power conference opponents so far. Last year, when the Tigers had to raise their game, they very much did so. To live up to top-10 hype and remain in the playoff race, they’ll have to do the same starting this coming Saturday. — Connelly
Previous ranking: 12
The Wolverines recorded a one-score home win for the second straight week, but the team’s outlook doesn’t look quite as promising as it did after beating USC. Michigan again failed to eclipse 100 passing yards, as Alex Orji had 86 — an improvement from 32 against USC — with a touchdown and an interception. But Michigan’s run game wasn’t nearly as potent, even though Kalel Mullings continued to bully his way for 111 yards and two touchdowns.
The Wolverines were outgained in consecutive wins for the first time since 2005, as a Wolverines defense that stoned Minnesota for three quarters really struggled down the stretch, giving up 21 points and 109 yards in the final 14:01. All-American Mason Graham led the defense with two sacks and a quarterback hurry, but Michigan must find a way to balance its offense with Orji or the losses will start coming in October. — Adam Rittenberg
Previous ranking: 14
The Tigers did not get off to as fast a start on offense as their previous two games, but you would never know it if you just looked at the 40-14 final against Stanford. The Cardinal played Clemson much tougher at the outset, before eventually being worn down. Cade Klubnik scored five total touchdowns and now has 16 touchdowns in the past three wins.
The defense gave up an uncharacteristic 236 yards rushing (5.4 yards per carry) but made plays when it mattered, including forcing three turnovers and three fourth-down stops. Next up is a trip to Florida State, where former Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei awaits. Clemson sits 2-0 in the ACC with a schedule that looks more manageable by the week. — Andrea Adelson
Previous ranking: 15
For the second week in a row, the Trojans started off sluggish against a Big Ten opponent, but Lincoln Riley’s team made the second-half adjustments necessary to bounce back from a deficit. While a failed goal-line stand at Michigan cost the Trojans their first loss of the season last week, on Saturday against Wisconsin at home, USC didn’t falter. It erased an 11-point halftime deficit with 28 unanswered points in the second half thanks to a strong passing day from Miller Moss, who found nine different receivers for over 300 yards and three touchdowns.
The Trojans’ new-look defense continued to look the part as it didn’t allow a point over the last two quarters and had a pick-six by linebacker Mason Cobb that sealed the result — the program’s biggest win after trailing by 10 points or more at the half in 25 years. Now four games into the season, it’s clear new defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn has not only revamped the unit, but more importantly, has shown he’s able to make key adjustments during games to shut down opposing offenses with authority. — Uggetti
Previous ranking: 18
Matt Campbell became the winningest coach in Iowa State history Saturday thanks to a 20-0 road victory at Houston, securing the first 4-0 start of Campbell’s nine-season tenure. This was an ugly 3-0 game at halftime, but the Cyclones eventually pulled away with a 240-yard effort from their run game and another excellent effort from Jon Heacock’s defense.
Houston went 1-for-10 on third downs and did not reach the red zone once against a unit that now ranks fourth in FBS in scoring defense at 7.3 points per game. With Baylor and West Virginia up next, a 6-0 start looks entirely possible. — Max Olson
Previous ranking: 16
The Irish saw a bit of everything in their first full month of the season, and came up on the other side still with their CFP hopes probably intact. Notre Dame has clear flaws on offense, especially in the passing game, and was outgained 395-280 in Saturday’s win against Louisville, while running 22 fewer plays than the Cardinals. The Irish are still looking for a convincing offensive performance at home, although quarterback Riley Leonard showed some promise Saturday, completing 17 passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions, and leading Notre Dame with 52 rushing yards and a score.
Coach Marcus Freeman’s main theme afterward was to maintain “an aggressive mentality,” which he displayed by attempting consecutive fourth-down conversions despite a 10-point lead and a struggling offense. Notre Dame overcame several injuries to key defenders against Louisville and gets a well-placed open week to heal up before hosting Stanford on Oct. 12. — Rittenberg
Previous ranking: 6
One of the most explosive offenses in the country, at least against teams with lesser personnel, got a little dose of reality Saturday. Ole Miss, which had scored a total of 220 points in its first four games, was stopped in its tracks in a 20-17 home loss to Kentucky. The Rebels were held to 92 rushing yards and were just 1-of-10 on third down. And on defense, Ole Miss couldn’t get off the field, as Kentucky nearly doubled Ole Miss in time of possession (39:43 to 20:17).
As damaging a loss as it was for Lane Kiffin and the Rebels (4-1), they still have some chances for resumé-building wins as they now head into the teeth of their schedule, which looked to be one of the more manageable ones in the SEC back in August. Ole Miss goes on the road the next two games, at South Carolina next week and then at LSU on Oct. 12. That will be seven games in seven weeks for the Rebels, and both the Gamecocks and Tigers will be coming off bye weeks. There’s also a home game against Georgia looming on Nov. 9. In other words, the road to the playoff just got a lot more difficult for Ole Miss. — Low
Previous ranking: 20
After jumping out to a 28-7 lead against Baylor, it looked as if the Cougars were on their way to another lopsided Big 12 win, but they were kept out of the end zone in the second half as Baylor cut the deficit to six with 10 minutes left. BYU combined for only two yards over its next three drives, but Baylor wasn’t able to capitalize and the Cougars remain undefeated. With an upcoming bye week, they’ll try to avoid the fate rival Utah suffered over the weekend — a loss at home to Arizona — in an attempt to remain undefeated. The Cougars and Iowa State are the only remaining Big 12 undefeated teams this season. — Kyle Bonagura
Previous ranking: 17
After the season-opening loss to USC, LSU has won four in a row, albeit against teams it should beat, and now the Tigers get a week off before diving into the toughest part of their schedule. LSU (4-1) routed South Alabama 42-10 on Saturday with the Garrett Nussmeier-to-Kyren Lacy connection working well. Nussmeier passed for 409 yards and two touchdowns (also two interceptions), and Lacy had five catches for 107 yards.
LSU had 11 different players catch passes, and the offense rolled up 667 yards. After the bye week, LSU gets Ole Miss at home on Oct. 12 and then road games at Arkansas and Texas A&M before another bye week and then Alabama at home on Nov. 9. If LSU is indeed a playoff team, we should know after that stretch. — Low
Previous ranking: 23
The Wildcats bounced back strong from their first loss of the season with a convincing 42-20 win against Oklahoma State, in a matchup between two of the Big 12’s preseason favorites. Running back DJ Giddens was particularly impressive, running for 187 yards on 15 carries, and quarterback Avery Johnson ran for two scores and threw for three more. With a bye week before back-to-back road games against Colorado and West Virginia, Kansas State should gain more confidence as Johnson gains more experience. — Bonagura
Previous ranking: 22
No first-year coach has brought a more dramatic surge of success and excitement than Indiana’s Curt Cignetti this fall. The Hoosiers are 5-0 for the first time since 1967 — the last time the team shared a Big Ten title — after Saturday’s 42-28 win against Maryland. They also have their highest five-game points total (244) in team history. Even the first signs of shakiness from quarterback Kurtis Rourke couldn’t slow him down or Indiana’s offense, which overcame turnovers on three of its first five drives.
Beginning late in the first half, the Hoosiers scored touchdowns on four consecutive drives as Rourke revved up the big-play passing attack. Elijah Sarratt (128 yards) and Omar Cooper Jr. (78 yards) led the way as Rourke averaged 16.3 yards per completion. Cignetti won’t like four turnovers, but his team still won comfortably thanks to the passing game and a defense that recorded five sacks, two by James Carpenter. — Rittenberg
Previous ranking: 10
It was only a matter of time, it seemed, for the Cam Rising injury saga to catch up with the Utes — and it finally did. With true freshman quarterback Isaac Wilson thrust into another start — this time against a dangerous Arizona team — the Utes were not able to find key conversions when it mattered.
They were 0-for-4 on fourth down, turned three straight red zone trips to open the game into only three points and Wilson tossed two picks in a 23-10 loss to Arizona. With a bye week upcoming, there is some hope Rising will be able to return against Arizona State on Oct. 11, but his availability is firmly in believe-it-when-we-see-it territory. — Bonagura
No. 21 Boise State Broncos
Previous ranking: NR
In what is not a current Pac-12 matchup but will be a future Pac-12 matchup between two teams that are part of the new, seven-team league (for now), the Ashton Jeanty show again took center stage. Jeanty continued his Heisman campaign with a ridiculous performance that nearly matched his record-breaking Week 1 game. On 26 carries, Jeanty totaled 259 yards on the ground and four touchdowns, including a 64-yard score and a 59-yard score on his way to fueling the Broncos’ 45-24 win over undefeated Washington State.
It’s not just the sheer numbers Jeanty is putting together that are impressive (he has 13 touchdowns and is averaging over 10 yards per carry), it’s the way in which he’s doing it. Jeanty has become must-watch TV every time he touches the ball as he’s prone to make defenders miss and rack up yards after contact over and over again. Is he more or less carrying Boise State’s offense? Yes. But right now, that is enough to make the Broncos one of the 20 best teams in the country. — Uggetti
Previous ranking: 24
Brent Venables called it Sooner Magic, and he certainly has a point. How else can you rationally explain what Oklahoma pulled off against Auburn? Down 21-10 early in the fourth quarter of its first SEC road test, the Sooners dug deep and played their best football late, rallying for a 27-21 victory.
New starting quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. sparked the rally with a 60-yard shot to J.J. Hester to set up the first score, and linebacker Kip Lewis made an epic play to flip the game, a 63-yard pick-six with less than 5 minutes left. Oklahoma needed this win in a lot of ways and found a way to get it done. That’s a confidence booster for this squad as it begins preparing for Texas and the Red River Rivalry. — Olson
Previous ranking: 13
After a relatively quiet 3-0 start, Louisville had the chance to make a real splash against Notre Dame and essentially remove the Irish from the CFP picture. Notre Dame provided opportunities, fumbling the opening kickoff and again fumbling near its goal line. But coach Jeff Brohm’s team ultimately couldn’t capitalize, despite spectacular catches from wide receivers Caullin Lacy and Ja’Corey Brooks, solid play from quarterback Tyler Shough and a defense that held Notre Dame to 43 yards in the third quarter.
Louisville had sizable edges in yards, plays and third-down conversions (7-2), but had only one long touchdown drive. Stanquan Clark led a strong defensive effort in the second half. But an inexplicable delay-of-game penalty on fourth-and-1 in the closing seconds sidetracked a potential tying or winning drive for Louisville, one of several moments that will sting Brohm and his players after a missed opportunity in South Bend. — Rittenberg
Previous ranking: 25
How many of these top-25 teams could lose their starting QB and play better without them? The Rebels responded to Matthew Sluka’s sudden departure over an NIL compensation dispute by playing one of their best games yet under coach Barry Odom, a dominant 59-14 win over Fresno State.
New QB Hajj-Malik Williams, a sixth-year senior transfer from Campbell, was excellent through the air (13 of 16 for 182 yards and three TDs) and on the ground (119 rushing yards, one TD) and got a ton of help with UNLV’s defense grabbing four interceptions and its special teams scoring two touchdowns. With the win, UNLV has achieved its first AP Top 25 ranking in program history. If this team can stay on track, the UNLV-Boise State showdown on Oct. 25 will have serious College Football Playoff implications. — Olson
No. 25 Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Previous ranking: NR
Greg Schiano entered the season very confident about his team, and he has been proven right so far. Rutgers is 4-0 for the first time since 2012 and has reflected the brand of football Schiano loves — strong line-of-scrimmage play, bruising defense and a run game led by star Kyle Monangai, who had 132 rushing yards and a touchdown in Friday’s win against Washington, including a highlight-reel 40-yarder when Rutgers was backed up to its own 2-yard line in the third quarter.
Linebacker Dariel Djabome (12 tackles) led a defense that bent but rarely broke, giving up only 2-of-12 third-down conversions and let Washington implode with its own mistakes. Rutgers played clean, efficient football, converting both of its red zone trips into touchdowns and improving to 15-1 since 2020 when not committing a turnover. The Scarlet Knights aren’t a dominant team and will need more from their passing attack as the Big Ten schedule gets tougher, but they’re in position for a very solid season. — Rittenberg
You may like
Sports
Midseason grades for all 30 MLB teams: ‘A’ is for Astros, ‘F’ is for …?
Published
22 mins agoon
July 10, 2025By
admin
-
David SchoenfieldJul 9, 2025, 07:00 AM ET
Close- Covers MLB for ESPN.com
- Former deputy editor of Page 2
- Been with ESPN.com since 1995
We’re past due to hand out some midseason grades, so let’s hand out some midseason grades.
As we pass the 90-game mark in the 2025 MLB season, my team of the first half isn’t the well-rounded Detroit Tigers, who do get our highest grade for owning MLB’s best record, or the explosive Chicago Cubs or Shohei Ohtani‘s Los Angeles Dodgers, but a team most baseball fans love to hate: the Houston Astros. They lost their two best players from last season and their best hitter has been injured — and they’re playing their best baseball since they won the 2022 World Series.
Let’s get to the grades. As always, we’re grading off preseason expectations, factoring in win-loss record and quality of performance, while looking at other positive performances and injuries.
Jump to a team:
AL East: BAL | BOS | NYY | TB | TOR
AL Central: CHW | CLE | DET | KC | MIN
AL West: ATH | HOU | LAA | SEA | TEX
NL East: ATL | MIA | NYM | PHI | WSH
NL Central: CHC | CIN | MIL | PIT | STL
NL West: ARI | COL | LAD | SD | SF
Tarik Skubal is obviously the headline act, but the Tigers are winning with impressive depth across the entire roster.
Javier Baez is putting together a remarkable comeback season after a couple of abysmal years and will become the first player to start an All-Star Game at both shortstop and in the outfield. Former No. 1 overall picks Casey Mize and Spencer Torkelson have put together their own comeback stories, while Riley Greene has matured into one of the game’s top power hitters.
Given their deep well of prospects and contributors at the MLB level, no team is better positioned than the Tigers to add significant help at the trade deadline.
I heard someone refer to them as the Zombie Astros, which feels apropos. Alex Bregman left as a free agent, they traded Kyle Tucker, Yordan Alvarez has been injured and has just three home runs, and the Jose Altuve experiment in left field predictably fizzled.
But here they are, fighting for the best record in the majors and holding a comfortable lead in the AL West. They’re getting star turns from Hunter Brown, Framber Valdez and Jeremy Pena, while the risky decision to start Cam Smith in the majors with very little minor league experience has paid off, as he has now become their cleanup hitter.
If we ignore the COVID-19 season, the Astros look on their way to an eighth straight division title.
This could be at least a half-grade higher based on everything that has gone right: Pete Crow-Armstrong‘s attention-grabbing breakout, Tucker doing everything expected after the big trade, Seiya Suzuki‘s monster power numbers and Matthew Boyd‘s All-Star turn in the rotation. The Cubs are on pace for their most wins since their World Series title season in 2016.
There have been a few hiccups, however, especially in the rotation with Justin Steele‘s season-ending injury and Ben Brown‘s inconsistency, plus rookie third baseman Matt Shaw has scuffled, and the bench has been weak aside from their backup catchers.
Still, this is a powerhouse lineup, and the Cubs will seek to improve their rotation at the deadline.
They just keep winning of late, going from 25-27 and seven games behind the Yankees on May 25 to taking over first place from the slumping Bronx Bombers, a remarkable turnaround over just 36 games. They went 27-9 over a 36-game stretch ending with their eighth win in a row on Sunday.
George Springer‘s recent surge has been fun to watch, a reminder of how good he was at his peak, and Addison Barger has been mashing over the past two months.
Some of the stats don’t add up to the Blue Jays being this good — they’ve barely outscored their opponents — but there might be more offense in the tank from the likes of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and a healthy Anthony Santander, and the bullpen, a soft spot, is the easiest area to upgrade.
Their success is best summed up by the fact that Freddy Peralta is their lone All-Star, but they have a whole bunch of players who have contributed between 1 and 2 WAR.
Brandon Woodruff looked good Sunday in his first start in nearly two years, so that could be a huge boost for the second half.
I’m curious to see how Jackson Chourio performs as well. While his counting stats — extra-base hits, RBIs — are fine, his triple-slash line remains below last season, especially his OBP. He had a huge second half in 2024 (.310/.363/.552), and if he does that again, the Brewers could find themselves back in the postseason for the seventh time in eight seasons.
The Rays started off slow, with a losing record through the end of April, but then went 33-22 in May and June to claw back into the AL East race — as the Rays usually do, last year being the recent exception.
Two key performers have been All-Star third baseman Junior Caminero, who has a chance to become just the third player to hit 40 home runs in his age-21 season, and All-Star first baseman Jonathan Aranda.
Due to the league wanting the Rays to play more home games early in the season, the July and August slate will be very road-heavy, so we’ll see how the Rays adapt to a difficult two-month stretch, especially since their pitching isn’t quite as deep as it has been in other seasons.
No, they’re not going to be the greatest team of all time. But they might win 100 games — even though Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki, their huge offseason acquisitions, have combined for just two wins in 10 starts.
The lineup, of course, has been terrific, with Ohtani leading the NL in several categories and Will Smith leading the batting race. By wRC+, it’s been the best offense in Dodgers history.
If they can get some combo of Snell, Sasaki and Tyler Glasnow healthy, plus Ohtani eventually ramped up to a bigger workload on the mound, the Dodgers still loom as World Series favorites.
They are on pace for 95 wins, mainly on the strength of Zack Wheeler, Ranger Suarez and Cristopher Sanchez, who are a combined 23-7 with 11.8 WAR. Jesus Luzardo‘s ERA is bloated due to that two-start stretch when he allowed 20 runs, but he has otherwise been solid as well.
But, overall, it hasn’t always been the smoothest of treks. The bullpen has imploded a few times and the offense has lacked power aside from Kyle Schwarber. Bryce Harper is back after missing three weeks, and they need to get his bat going. Look for some bullpen additions at the trade deadline — and perhaps an outfielder as well.
The Cardinals have been a minor surprise — perhaps even to the Cardinals themselves. St. Louis was viewing this as a rebuilding year of sorts — not that the Cardinals ever hit rock bottom and start completely over. They had a hot May, winning 12 of 13 at one point, but the offense has been fading of late, with those three straight shutout losses to Pittsburgh and six shutout losses since June 25.
The starting rotation doesn’t generate a lot of swing and miss, with both Erick Fedde and Miles Mikolas seeing their ERAs starting to climb. Brendan Donovan is the team’s only All-Star rep, and that kind of sums up this team: solid but without any star power. That might foretell a second-half fade.
All-Star starting pitchers Logan Webb and Robbie Ray, plus a dominant bullpen, have led the way, although after starting 12-4, the Giants have basically been a .500 team for close to three months now. Rafael Devers hasn’t yet ignited the offense since coming over from Boston, and the Giants have lost four 1-0 games.
These final three games at home against the Dodgers before the All-Star break will be a crucial series, as Los Angeles has slowly pulled away in the NL West.
This was an “A-plus” through June 12, when the Mets were 45-24 and owned the best record in baseball, even though Juan Soto hadn’t gotten hot. Soto finally got going in June, but the pitching collapsed, and the Mets went through a disastrous 1-10 stretch.
The rotation injuries have piled up, exacerbating the lack of bullpen depth. Recent games have been started by Justin Hagenman (who had a 6.21 ERA in Triple-A), journeyman reliever Chris Devenski, Paul Blackburn (7.71 ERA) and Frankie Montas, who has had to start even though he’s clearly not throwing the ball well. The Mets need to get the rotation healthy, but also could use more offense from Mark Vientos and their catchers (Francisco Alvarez was demoted to Triple-A).
At times it has felt like Cal Raleigh has been a one-man team with his record-breaking first half. But he will be joined on the All-Star squad by starting pitcher Bryan Woo, closer Andres Munoz and center fielder Julio Rodriguez, who made it on the strength of his defense, as his offense has been a disappointment.
The offense has been one of the best in the majors on the road, but the rotation has been nowhere near as effective as the past couple of seasons, with George Kirby, Logan Gilbert and Bryce Miller all missing time with injuries. They just shut out the Pirates three games in a row, so maybe that will get the rotation on a roll.
They’re just out of the wild-card picture while hanging around .500, so we give them a decent grade since that exceeds preseason expectations. It feels like a little bit of a mirage given their run differential — their record in one-run games (good) versus their record in blowout games (not good) — and various holes across the lineup and pitching staff.
But they’ve done two things to keep them in the race. One, they hit a lot of home runs. Two, they’re the only team in the majors to use just five starting pitchers. The rotation hasn’t been stellar, but it’s been stable.
The Padres are probably fortunate to be where they are, given some of their issues. As expected, the offensive depth has been a problem.
Not as expected, Dylan Cease has struggled while Michael King‘s injury after a strong start has left them without last year’s dynamic 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation (although Nick Pivetta has been one of the best signings of the offseason). Yu Darvish just made his season debut Monday, so hopefully he’ll provide a lift.
The Padres haven’t played well against the better teams, including a 2-5 record against the Dodgers, but they did clean up against the Athletics, Rockies and Pirates, going 16-2 against those three teams.
For now, the Reds are stuck in neutral. Leave out 2022, when they lost 100 games, and it’s otherwise been a string of .500-ish seasons: 31-29 in 2020, 83-79 in 2021, 82-80 in 2023, 77-85 in 2024 and now a similar record so far in 2025.
The hope was that Terry Francona would be a difference-maker. Maybe that will play out down the stretch, but the best hope is to get the rotation clicking on all cylinders at the same time. That means Andrew Abbott continuing his breakout performance, plus getting Hunter Greene healthy again and rookie Chase Burns to live up to the hype after a couple of shaky outings following an impressive MLB debut.
Throw in Nick Lodolo and solid Nick Martinez and Brady Singer, and this group can be good enough to pitch the Reds to their first full-season playoff appearance since 2013.
The Yankees have hit their annual midseason swoon — which has been subject to much intense analysis from their disgruntled fans — and that opening weekend sweep of the Brewers, when the Yankees’ torpedo bats were the big story in baseball, now seems long ago.
Going from seven up to three back in such a short time is a disaster — but not disastrous. Nonetheless, the Yankees will have to do some hard-core self-evaluation heading to the trade deadline.
The offense wasn’t going to be as good as it was in April, when Paul Goldschmidt, Trent Grisham and Ben Rice were all playing over their heads. So, do they need a hitter? Or with Clarke Schmidt now likely joining Gerrit Cole as a Tommy John casualty, do they need a starting pitcher? Or both?
From the book of “things we didn’t expect,” page 547: The Marlins are averaging more runs per game than the Orioles, Padres, Braves and Rangers, to name a few teams. They’re averaging almost as many runs per game as the Mets, and last time we checked, the Marlins weren’t the team to give Soto $765 million.
An eight-game winning streak at the end of June has the Marlins going toe-to-toe with the Braves for third place in the NL East even though the starting rotation has been a mess, with Sandy Alcantara on track to become just the fourth qualified pitcher with an ERA over 7.00.
Heading into the season, I thought that if any team was going to challenge the Dodgers in the NL West, it would be the Diamondbacks. The offense has once again been one of the best in the majors, but the pitching issues have been painful.
After the aggressive move to sign Corbin Burnes, he went down with Tommy John surgery after 11 starts. Meanwhile, Zac Gallen, Eduardo Rodriguez and Brandon Pfaadt each have an ERA on the wrong side of 5.00. Rodriguez was better in June before a shellacking on July 4, while Gallen remains homer-prone, so it’s hard to tell if improvement is on the horizon. Their playoff odds are hovering just under 20%, so there’s a chance, but they need to get red-hot like they did last July and August.
It feels like it has been more soap opera than baseball season in Boston, with the Devers drama finally ending with the shocking trade with the Giants.
If you give added weight that this is the Red Sox, a team that should be operating with the big boys in both budget and aspirations and instead seemed to only want to dump Devers’ contract, then feel free to lower this grade a couple of notches, even if the Red Sox are close in the wild-card standings.
On the field, the heralded rookie trio of Kristian Campbell, Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer hasn’t exactly clicked, with Campbell returning to the minors after posting a .902 OPS in April. A big test will come out of the All-Star break, when they play the Cubs, Phillies, Dodgers, Twins and Astros in a tough 15-game stretch.
After last season’s surprise playoff appearance, it’s been a frustrating 2025 — although I’m not sure this result is necessarily a surprise.
There were concerns about the offense heading into the season and those concerns have proven correct. They were getting no production from their outfield, so they rushed Jac Caglianone to the majors to much hype, but he has struggled and might need a reset back in Triple-A. Even Bobby Witt Jr., as good as he has been (on pace for 7.5 WAR), has seen his OPS drop 140 points.
On the bright side, Kris Bubic emerged as an All-Star starter and Noah Cameron has filled in nicely for the injured Cole Ragans, so maybe they trade a starter for some offense.
Coming off a catastrophic 2024 season, nobody was expecting anything from the White Sox. Indeed, another 121-loss season loomed as a possibility. While they’re on pace to lose 100 again, they’ve at least played more competitive baseball thanks to their pitching.
Rookie starters Shane Smith and Sean Burke have shown promise, while rookie position players Kyle Teel, Edgar Quero and now Colson Montgomery are getting their initial taste of the majors.
There has been the mix of calamity: Luis Robert Jr. has been unproductive and is probably now untradable, and former No. 3 overall pick Andrew Vaughn hit .189 and was traded to the Brewers.
The Twins are one organization that might like a do-over of the past five seasons. It feels like they’ve had the most talent in the division, but all they’ve done is squeeze out one soft division title in 2023. Now, the Tigers have passed them in talent and other factors, such as payroll flexibility.
There’s still time for the Twins to turn things around in 2025, but outside of that wonderful 13-game winning streak, they haven’t played winning baseball.
Overall, it’s been yet another bad season, despite Paul Skenes‘ brilliance. Really, do we talk enough about him? Yes, we do talk about him, but he has a 1.95 ERA through his first 42 career starts. Incredible.
Here’s an amazing thing about baseball. The Pirates are not a good team, but they recently put together one of the best six-game stretches in history. That’s not stretching the description. First, they swept the Mets — a good team — by scores of 9-1, 9-2 and 12-1. Then they swept the Cardinals — a good team — with three shutouts, 7-0, 1-0 and 5-0. They became the first team since at least 1901 to score 43 runs or more and allow four runs or fewer in a six-game stretch. And then they promptly got shut out three games in a row, making them the first to win three straight shutouts and then lose three straight shutouts.
Eighteen of our 28 voters picked them to win the AL West before the season, but it’s looking more and more like the 2023 World Series might be a stone-cold fluke in the middle of a string of losing seasons. That year, nearly everyone in the lineup had a career year at the plate, and the pitching got hot at the right time.
This year’s Rangers, though, have struggled to score runs, and while some have pointed to the offensive environment at Globe Life Field, they’re near the bottom in road OPS as well. It’s been fun seeing Jacob deGrom back at a dominating level, and Nathan Eovaldi should have been an All-Star.
Put it this way: If the Rangers can somehow squeeze into the postseason, you don’t want to face the Rangers in a short series. Indeed, if any team looms as an October upset special, it might be the Rangers.
The Nationals received superlative first-half performances from James Wood and MacKenzie Gore, while CJ Abrams is on the way to his best season. But there remains a lack of overall organizational progress, which finally led to the firings on Sunday of longtime GM Mike Rizzo and longtime manager Dave Martinez. A 7-19 record in June sealed their fate, as the rotation has been bad and the bullpen arguably the worst in baseball.
Until the Nationals figure out how to improve their pitching — or, better yet, find an owner who wants to win — they will be stuck going nowhere.
That fell apart in a hurry. Sunday’s loss was Cleveland’s 10th in a row, a stretch that remarkably included five shutouts. Indeed, the Guardians have now been shut out 11 times; the franchise record in the post-dead-ball-era (since 1920) is 20 shutouts in 1968.
There’s nothing worse than watching a team that can’t score runs, so that tells you how exciting the Guardians have been. Last year, the Guardians hit exceptionally well with runners in scoring position, keeping afloat what was otherwise a mediocre offense. That hasn’t happened in 2025 (trading Josh Naylor didn’t help either). Throw in some predictable regression from the bullpen, and this season looks lost.
We can’t give this a complete failing grade due to the emergence of All-Star shortstop Jacob Wilson (the Athletics’ first All-Star starter since Josh Donaldson in 2014) and slugging first baseman Nick Kurtz, who have a chance to finish 1-2 in the Rookie of the Year voting. Plus, we have Denzel Clarke‘s circus catches in center field.
But otherwise? Ugh. The Sacramento gamble already looks like a disaster, three months into a three-year stay. The team is drawing well below Sutter Health Park’s 14,000-seat capacity, with many recent games drawing under 10,000 fans. Luis Severino bashed the small crowds and the lack of air-conditioning.
The A’s had a groundbreaking ceremony for their new park in Vegas, renting heavy construction equipment as background props. Maybe they should have spent that money on more pitching help.
Based on preseason expectations, the Braves have clearly been the biggest disappointment in the National League — fighting the Orioles for most disappointing overall.
What’s gone wrong? They haven’t scored runs, as the offense continues its remarkable fade from a record-setting performance just two seasons ago. The collapses of Michael Harris II and Ozzie Albies lead the way, with lack of production at shortstop and left field playing a big role as well. Closer Raisel Iglesias has struggled, and the team is 11-22 in one-run games. Spencer Strider hasn’t yet reached his pre-injury level and Reynaldo Lopez made just one start before going down.
The Braves haven’t missed the playoffs since 2017, but that run is clearly in jeopardy.
The Orioles have a similar record to the Braves but have played much worse, including losses of 24-2, 19-5, 15-3 and two separate 9-0 shutouts.
They will spend the trade deadline dealing away as many of their impending free agents as possible, and then do a lot of soul-searching heading into the offseason. After making the playoffs in 2023 and 2024, will this season just be a blip? While the pitching struggles aren’t necessarily a big surprise, what has happened to the offense? Are some of their young players prospects or suspects?
After two months of Cleveland Spiders-level baseball, it would be easy to make fun of the Rockies. Especially since they recently announced Walker Monfort — son of the owner — was promoted to executive VP and will replace outgoing president and COO Greg Feasel.
On the other hand, the Rockies are doing something right: They just drew 121,000 for a three-game series against the White Sox.
Sports
Ramirez, Brown out of ASG; McKinstry among subs
Published
22 mins agoon
July 10, 2025By
admin
-
ESPN News Services
Jul 9, 2025, 05:52 PM ET
The Detroit Tigers have the best record in the majors. Now they are tied for having the most All-Stars, too.
Zach McKinstry was picked Wednesday to replace Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena, who has been dealing with a rib injury. The infielder-outfielder will join Detroit second baseman Gleyber Torres and outfielders Javier Baez and Riley Greene — all AL starters — and staff ace Tarik Skubal, who also is among the candidates to start the All-Star Game on Tuesday night in Atlanta.
The five All-Stars for Detroit is tied for the most with the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, who have DH Shohei Ohtani, catcher Will Smith and first baseman Freddie Freeman starting for the NL along with pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Clayton Kershaw.
Yamamoto is scheduled to start Sunday for Los Angeles, so Cincinnati Reds left-hander Andrew Abbott has been picked to replace him.
Meanwhile, Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes was chosen for the AL team in place of starting third baseman Jose Ramírez, the seven-time All-Star who wants to spend the week rehabbing an Achilles injury; Twins right-hander Joe Ryan was selected as the replacement for Astros pitcher Hunter Brown; and Brewers closer Trevor Megill was added to the NL team in place of teammate Freddy Peralta, their scheduled starter for Sunday’s game.
The shuffling of replacements gives the Astros four All-Stars in Paredes, Peña, Brown and pitcher Josh Hader. The Brewers have two in Megill and Peralta. And the Twins have two with Ryan joining two-time All-Star outfielder Byron Buxton.
“This was the goal in the offseason,” said Megill, who struck out Freeman, Andy Pages and Tommy Edman in order in the 10th inning to secure the Brewers’ 3-2 win over the Dodgers on Wednesday. “Just worked my butt off for it, and here we are.”
Ramírez was hit by a pitch in a game against Toronto on June 26 and has struggled at the plate since. The seven-time All-Star was still hitting .299 with 16 homers, 44 RBIs and 24 stolen bases through 87 games for the Guardians.
“Everybody wants to go to the All-Star Game and especially for the support from the fans,” Ramírez said. “But I feel the best thing for the team is to be able to be resting (those) days and be able to contribute to the team in the second half.”
McKinstry, Paredes, Megill and Ryan make six total replacements and 71 players between the two All-Star teams. The other substitution was Rays third baseman Junior Caminero for Boston‘s Alex Bregman, who has been dealing with a strained right quadriceps.
The Tigers have been one of the surprise stories of the first half of the season. After going 86-76 and tying for second in the AL Central last season, they were 59-34 through Tuesday — the best record in the majors.
Along with playing every infield position besides catcher, and both corner outfield spots, McKinstry entered Wednesday hitting .283 with seven homers and 27 RBIs. The 30-year-old needs just three more homers and nine RBIs to set career highs.
Peña, who is hitting a career-best .322 with 11 homers and 40 RBIs in 82 games for the Astros, has been out since June 28 with a fractured rib. He had hoped to return by the All-Star break, but he has not been cleared to resume baseball activity.
Paredes, his teammate, is headed to his second straight All-Star Game in his first season in Houston. He’s hitting a career-best .255 with 19 homers and 49 RBIs for the Astros, who lead the AL West.
“My main focus is to work hard for the team and be able to give the most I can for the team,” Paredes said, “but as you can see now with the results that I’m getting … those results allow me to get to the All-Star Game, so it feels good.”
Megill earned his first career All-Star selection by going 2-2 with a 2.41 ERA, 21 saves and 43 strikeouts in 33⅔ innings.
The 29-year-old Ryan, whose name has surfaced in plenty of trade talk recently, was one of the biggest snubs when the initial All-Star Game rosters were announced. The right-hander is 8-4 with a career-best 2.76 ERA across 18 starts, and he’s struck out 116 against just 21 walks over 104 1/3 innings for the Twins.
“The last couple years, I’ve had really good numbers at voting, then I’ve kind of scuttled the last two outings or so. I can see why optically it might not look as good,” Ryan said. “But putting it together, it was kind of a shock not to be in (this year).
“At the same time, there’s so many good pitchers in the league right now. You’ve just got to hang with them and if you don’t like it, play better. That was kind of the mindset I was trying to shift into, but to get the news and be excited to go, it makes everything kind of go away and you just think about the future and going forward.”
The Associated Press and FIeld Level Media contributed to this report.
Sports
Yankees DFA LeMahieu after ‘hard conversations’
Published
22 mins agoon
July 10, 2025By
admin
-
Jorge CastilloJul 9, 2025, 04:54 PM ET
Close- ESPN baseball reporter. Covered the Washington Wizards from 2014 to 2016 and the Washington Nationals from 2016 to 2018 for The Washington Post before covering the Los Angeles Dodgers and MLB for the Los Angeles Times from 2018 to 2024.
NEW YORK — The Yankees designated two-time batting champion DJ LeMahieu for assignment Wednesday, presumably ending the infielder’s seven-year tenure with the organization despite being owed $22 million through next season.
“Tough decisions,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. “In the end, it ultimately comes down to how this roster sits and what’s best. You want to provide your manager with enough chess moves to deal with on a day-in and day-out basis in-game.”
Manager Aaron Boone explained that the move resulted from “an evolving conversation” in recent days that included multiple meetings with LeMahieu, a respected veteran in the Yankees’ clubhouse.
It comes a day after Boone announced that Jazz Chisholm Jr. would shift back to playing second base every day from third base, bumping LeMahieu from the team’s everyday second baseman to a bench role. Boone acknowledged LeMahieu took the demotion “not necessarily great” but emphasized that LeMahieu did not ask for his release.
“It’s been a tough couple of days,” Boone said. “Some hard conversations. And then ultimately coming to this decision, conclusion, obviously not easy for [who’s] been a great player. He’s done a lot of great things for this organization. So, difficult, but at the end [we] feel like this is the right thing to do at this time.”
LeMahieu, who turns 37 on Sunday, batted .266 with a .674 OPS in 45 games this season after starting the season on the injured list with a strained calf. He has been better since June 1, hitting .310 with a .754 OPS in 96 plate appearances as the Yankees’ primary second baseman, but Cashman ultimately decided the production wasn’t enough to offset his defensive liabilities.
The Yankees signed LeMahieu to a six-year, $90 million contract before the 2021 season — fresh off LeMahieu hitting .364 during the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign to become the first player to win a batting title in both leagues in the modern era — envisioning him as an everyday utility player bouncing between infield positions.
LeMahieu made 36 of his 55 starts last season at third base before going on the injured list in early September with a right hip impingement for the remainder of the year. That injury, according to Cashman, inhibited LeMahieu’s ability to play third base, and led to LeMahieu informing him that he couldn’t physically handle playing the position anymore.
“He was always just sharing that the recovery was really difficult,” Cashman said. “The physical toll on him to tee up at that position was a problem and so therefore that position is a problem.”
The limitation was cemented during spring training when LeMahieu strained his left calf in his first Grapefruit League game playing third base, forcing the Yankees to conclude that LeMahieu was no longer an option at the position. He only played second base in his nine rehab games before making his season debut May 13 as a second baseman with Chisholm on the injured list with an oblique strain.
Three weeks later, Chisholm, who started the season as the team’s everyday second baseman, came off the injured list to play third base despite LeMahieu’s range at second base being glaringly limited. Chisholm, who feels most comfortable at second base, accepted the assignment and returned to third base, a position he picked up last season after the Yankees acquired him from the Miami Marlins at the trade deadline through the World Series.
The calculus changed Sunday when Chisholm, with the Yankees in the midst of a six-game losing streak, told reporters that he hurt his shoulder making a throw from third base three weeks earlier and the injury impacted his throwing. Two days later, Chisholm, who had made three throwing errors in his final four starts at third base, was the Yankees’ starting second baseman again.
With Chisholm, an All-Star this season, stationed at second base, former MVPs Paul Goldschmidt and Cody Bellinger entrenched at first base and Giancarlo Stanton occupying the DH spot, playing time would have been sparse for LeMahieu.
Factoring in that the Yankees’ options at third base behind Oswald Peraza, who is also the team’s backup shortstop, would have been catcher J.C. Escarra, Cashman determined that LeMahieu’s presence hampered the team’s flexibility to an extent that would have handcuffed Boone’s in-game decision-making. Infielder Jorbit Vivas, a light-hitting versatile defender, was called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to replace LeMahieu on the roster.
“I wouldn’t say he’s unwilling to still make the attempt and maybe spell over there,” Cashman said of LeMahieu. “But it was something that he was without sharing that was steering clear of to the extent he could.
“Because, again, like anything else, he’s got a lot of pride. He’s a great player. He wants to contribute to the team. He loves this team. He loves this organization. But he felt that was an avenue that was no longer a realistic avenue and that kind of ties our hands a little bit more moving forward.”
Trending
-
Sports3 years ago
‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year ago
Story injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years ago
Game 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years ago
MLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years ago
Japan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Sports2 years ago
Button battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Environment2 years ago
Game-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike