MLB Power Rankings: Here come the Padres, White Sox

Welcome to the third edition of theScore's MLB Power Rankings for the 2020 campaign. Here, our editors rank each team after the first month.

1. Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers lead the league in home runs, own the lowest team ERA, and were the first club to 20 wins. And they did most of that while Cody Bellinger - who's been incredible during the last week - was mired in a slump. It doesn't matter how many games are on the schedule, this team is special.

2. Oakland Athletics

The A's are a legitimate juggernaut. Only one other team ranks among the top four in offensive WAR and pitching WAR, according to FanGraphs, and it's the Dodgers. Though L.A. has the star power, Oakland is doing it with all-around efforts from unlikely candidates such as Robbie Grossman (183 wRC+) and Chris Bassitt (2.97 ERA).

3. New York Yankees

Aaron Judge is set to return from the injured list on Tuesday, which will be a huge positive for a Yankees team that has once again been bitten by the injury bug. New York's next-man-up approach from 2019 continues to work wonders, though, as Clint Frazier has a 1.067 OPS since being recalled, and Luke Voit and Gio Urshela have combined for 15 home runs and 38 RBIs.

4. Minnesota Twins

Affectionately referred to as the Bomba Squad, the first-place Twins have actually been pretty underwhelming at the dish this year, ranking 15th by wRC+. They're still taking care of business, though, thanks to a pretty dominant pitching staff led by rookie Randy Dobnak (1.78 ERA) and new recruit Kenta Maeda (2.27 ERA).

5. Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays have a better pitching staff on the IL (Charlie Morton, Yonny Chirinos, Brendan McKay, Nick Anderson, Jose Alvarado, Chaz Roe, Colin Poche) than some teams have healthy, but the first-place club is still thriving. A large part of that is due to Brandon Lowe, who leads American League position players in WAR and is certainly in the MVP conversation.

6. San Diego Padres

Padres games are becoming must-see TV. Led by Fernando Tatis Jr., a superstar in the making who finds new ways to up his game on a seemingly daily basis, San Diego is winning while also refusing to adhere to baseball's ridiculous unwritten rules. With this past week's seven straight victories, the Padres' plus-28 run differential is second in the National League to only the Dodgers.

7. Chicago White Sox

The White Sox simply can't stop hitting home runs. They've destroyed opposing pitchers over the past eight days, clobbering 28 homers, with Jose Abreu responsible for eight of them (to put the latter into perspective, that's the same number of long balls that each of Manny Machado, Cody Bellinger, and Trevor Story have hit all year). As a result, Chicago actually has a better run differential than the Cleveland Indians.

8. Cleveland Indians

The demotions of Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac have had no effect on the Indians' record, as Cleveland reeled off seven wins in its last nine games. The pitching continues to carry a team that ranks 29th in the majors in batting average and 28th in OPS. Upcoming series against the Twins and St. Louis Cardinals will go a long way in establishing just how good this team is.

9. Atlanta Braves

Max Fried continues to impress, as the left-hander has carried the Braves by posting a sparkling 1.32 ERA without allowing a home run in six starts this season. He's exactly what this team needed to stay afloat in the NL East after a bevy of injuries to key players.

10. Chicago Cubs

The Cubs might be the best team in the NL Central, though that's not exactly the biggest accomplishment. Their plus-4 run differential is by far the worst of any division leader - the Cardinals, who've had their season disrupted by positive COVID-19 tests, actually have a better run differential. Chicago ranks 14th in the majors in wRC+ and 15th in FIP, yet its record doesn't reflect those numbers.

11. Houston Astros

It's easy to forget amid the many injuries and controversies that the Astros are still a very good team. Dusty Baker has navigated the rough waters to keep them in a playoff position and stars such as Jose Altuve have begun to turn things around. He's gone 9-for-22 (.409) with three doubles and no strikeouts since his average dropped to .168 on Aug. 18. Alex Bregman's injury will hurt, though.

12. St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals' season is back on track after a 16-day hiatus. The team has been forced to play 11 games in eight days, which has seemed taxing on both its pitchers and hitters over the small sample, and the rigorous schedule won't subside for the balance of the year.

13. Colorado Rockies

Charlie Blackmon's push for .400 continues, but Nolan Arenado is hitting just .119/.188/.119 without an extra-base knock away from Coors Field. Kyle Freeland and Antonio Senzatela continue to have encouraging starts, though, each owning a sub-3.00 ERA.

14. Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays' season might quickly become about getting to the finish line with a healthy pitching staff. Nate Pearson and Matt Shoemaker are both on the IL and Trent Thornton left Sunday's start with elbow inflammation. A six-game winning streak has Toronto back in the playoff hunt, but it's still an uphill battle for the .500 club.

15. Cincinnati Reds

Trevor Bauer is pitching in a way that makes his 2018 campaign - when he earned Cy Young Award votes - look ho-hum. No qualified starter has a better strikeout rate at 43.6% or ERA at 0.68. And yet, by WAR, he trails teammate Sonny Gray, who owns an impressive 2.21 ERA and 2.67 FIP in 10 more innings. If Luis Castillo can get his 4.44 ERA closer to his 2.05 FIP, the Reds could win the NL Central.

16. Washington Nationals

The Nationals' chances of securing back-to-back World Series titles took a major hit over the weekend with Stephen Strasburg set to undergo season-ending hand surgery. With Max Scherzer and Patrick Corbin already having relatively underwhelming campaigns, Washington might not be able to overcome an offense that's accrued more WAR than only the Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Texas Rangers.

17. New York Mets

The Mets' offense is carrying the load for a pitching staff that has been slightly underwhelming. Michael Conforto is sporting a .928 OPS with four homers, Dominic Smith is putting up career-best numbers (.403 OBP, 21 RBIs), and Pete Alonso has hit three homers and posted a 1.263 OPS over his last seven games. New York is expected to return on Tuesday after two positive COVID-19 tests.

18. Miami Marlins

The Marlins have cooled off after a scorching-hot start, but they're finally getting back some players who were affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. Miami's front office reportedly expects to buy at the trade deadline, hoping to improve a bullpen that ranks 19th in ERA and 22nd in WHIP.

19. Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies' bullpen woes weren't immediately cured by the acquisitions of Brandon Workman, Heath Hembree, and David Hale, as the former blew a save in his first outing with the team. The offense is great, but the pitching - particularly in relief - has been so porous that it might spell doom for Joe Girardi's team no matter how many homers Bryce Harper and Co. hit.

20. San Francisco Giants

Mike Yastrzemski is a big reason why the Giants are shockingly sitting in a playoff spot. He's emerged as one of the NL's best hitters and could join his legendary grandfather, Carl Yastrzemski, as an MVP if he keeps this up. As a team, the rebuilding Giants are playing with house money, and they could still manage to sneak into October. Also, dare we remind you that it's an even year?

21. Arizona Diamondbacks

The D-Backs have stumbled to the NL West basement amid poor production from key bats Ketel Marte (one home run in 113 at-bats) and Eduardo Escobar (.566 OPS). The former has been especially disappointing following his breakout 2019 season. On the bright side, the team's other Marte, Starling, has been productive (.855 OPS) during his first year in Arizona.

22. Milwaukee Brewers

Frustrations are starting to boil over in Milwaukee after the team was swept by the lowly Pirates over the weekend. August has been rough for the Brew Crew, who have only won a single series this month and have been outscored by 22 runs. After a 12-day road trip, the club returns to Miller Park on Monday, where it's 2-6 on the season.

23. Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles have lost six of eight since a hot start, though they're still in the midst of playoff contention. Anthony Santander has been one of the league's biggest surprises, sitting third in the majors in both RBIs and doubles, and eighth in slugging. A seven-game stretch against the Rays and Blue Jays should help determine whether Baltimore buys or sells at the trade deadline.

24. Los Angeles Angels

There's arguably no team in a worse position than the Angels. Mike Trout is mashing, Anthony Rendon is one of the best position players in baseball, and David Fletcher, Brian Goodwin, and Tommy La Stella have turned into irreplaceable role players. Dylan Bundy also seems to have turned a corner in his career, and yet, they're 9-20. General manager Billy Eppler will likely try to buy at the deadline this year, but it could already be too little, too late.

25. Kansas City Royals

Most were focusing this year on young pitchers Brady Singer and Kris Bubic, but it's been Brad Keller - who's yet to allow a single run - leading the team's youth movement on the mound. While Singer and Bubic continue to adjust to major-league hitting, Keller is a welcome distraction for the last-place team.

26. Boston Red Sox

Chaim Bloom got the trade deadline started by shipping out Workman and Hembree for some much-needed younger and controllable arms. The Red Sox own the second-worst win percentage and run differential in the majors, so expect the front office to be open for business during the next week. J.D. Martinez, Jackie Bradley Jr., Kevin Pillar, Mitch Moreland, Martin Perez, and Matt Barnes could all be among those who are dealt.

27. Detroit Tigers

Top prospects Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal, and Isaac Paredes all arrived last week, which was a nice moment for a team that is otherwise scuffling. Detroit has lost 10 of 12, though it was finally able to snap a 20-game losing streak to the Indians.

28. Texas Rangers

To sum up the Rangers' season: In the midst of what's now an eight-game losing streak, Jesse Chavez entered Saturday's contests in relief while wearing his spring training jersey.

29. Seattle Mariners

Kyle Lewis has been a bright spot for the Mariners. The 2016 No. 11 overall pick is pushing hard for Rookie of the Year honors, as he leads the AL in hits and OBP while also playing stellar defense in center field. The same can't be said for another once-promising player, as slugger Daniel Vogelbach was traded to the Blue Jays for cash considerations just one year after hitting 30 home runs and making the All-Star team.

30. Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates are coming off their first series win after sweeping the Brewers, and the progression of starters Trevor Williams and Chad Kuhl has also been encouraging. Williams owns a 2.81 ERA over three starts this month, while Kuhl has a 0.91 WHIP and .167 opponent average across 15 1/3 innings in August. Both pitchers are under team control through 2022 and could be dangled at the trade deadline.