The defending World Series champion Atlanta Braves have won 11 in a row and enter Monday 5 ½ games behind the New York Mets in the National League East, having shaved five games off their deficit in less than two weeks.
Atlanta has a 2.47 ERA during the 11-game stretch, scoring 74 runs with 22 home runs. Ronald Acuña Jr., Adam Duvall and Austin Riley each had four home runs, while starter Kyle Wright won three of the 11 games.
The Mets went 5-5 on a West Coast trip against the Dodgers, Padres and Angels, and now return home for series against the Brewers, who have lost 10 of 12. Atlanta heads to Washington (23-39) and Chicago (23-36) this week.
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Here’s how USA TODAY Sports’ eight-person panel voted this week:
Rank (movement from last week)
1. New York Yankees (–)
2. New York Mets (+1)
3. Los Angeles Dodgers (-1)
4. San Diego Padres (+1)
5. Houston Astros (-1)
6. Toronto Blue Jays (+1)
7. Atlanta Braves (+5)
8. Tampa Bay Rays (+1)
9. St. Louis Cardinals (-2)
10. San Francisco Giants (–)
11. Minnesota Twins (–)
12. Milwaukee Brewers (-6)
13. Philadelphia Phillies (+3)
14. Boston Red Sox (-1)
15. Cleveland Guardians (+3)
16. Los Angeles Angels (-2)
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After 14-game losing streak, it’s looking like the Angels and Mike Trout will miss playoffs for the eighth straight year.
17. Miami Marlins (+4)
18. Chicago White Sox (-3)
19. Texas Rangers (-2)
20. Seattle Mariners (–)
21. Arizona Diamondbacks (-2)
22. Pittsburgh Pirates (–)
23. Colorado Rockies (+1)
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Outfielder Yonathan Daza is hitting .331 (47-for-142) in 28 games.
24. Baltimore Orioles (-1)
25. Detroit Tigers (+1)
26. Chicago Cubs (-1)
27. Washington Nationals (–)
28. Cincinnati Reds (+1)
29. Kansas City Royals (+1)
30. Oakland Athletics (-2)
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB power rankings: Braves’ winning streak tightens NL East for Mets