Elsewhere in the NL, the West division race is heating up. The San Diego Padres took a one-game lead, only to get swept on the road against the Los Angeles Dodgers, who now lead by two games. In the East, the New York Mets finally snapped their seven-game losing streak on Tuesday, but still trail the Philadelphia Phillies by five game.

In the American League, the Toronto Blue Jays hold the best record at 73-52, narrowly edging the 73-53 Detroit Tigers. Toronto had a strong week, with series wins over the Cubs and Rangers to increased their division lead to five games over the Boston Red Sox, who went 3-3 last week against the Houston Astros and Miami Marlins. Detroit secured road series wins over the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins to maintain an 8.5-game lead in the Central.

The closest division race of all may come down to the AL West, where Houston leads the Seattle Mariners by 1.5 games. Seattle went 2-4 on a road trip against the Mets and Baltimore Orioles, while the Astros 3-3 against the Orioles and Red Sox.

Here are the Fastball On SI MLB power rankings for Aug. 18.

(This poll takes into account votes from four Fastball On SI MLB writers: Tom Brew, Brady Farkas, Jack Ankony and Teren Kowatsch . First-place votes are worth 30 points, and last-place votes are worth one point. Ties broken by highest vote or votes, followed by overall win percentage, then head-to-head record. Total points and first-place votes in parentheses.)

1. Milwaukee Brewers 120 (4)
2. Toronto Blue Jays (115)
3. Los Angeles Dodgers (114)
4. Philadelphia Phillies (106)
5. Detroit Tigers (104)
6. San Diego Padres (99)
7. Chicago Cubs (98)
8. Boston Red Sox (89)
9. Seattle Mariners (87)
10. Houston Astros (84)
11. New York Mets (80)
12. New York Yankees (80)
13. Cincinnati Reds (70)
14. Cleveland Guardians (66)
15. Kansas City Royals (65)
16. Texas Rangers (62)
17. San Francisco Giants (51)
18. Tampa Bay Rays (51)
19. St. Louis Cardinals (49)
20. Miami Marlins (44)
21. Los Angeles Angels (42)
22. Arizona Diamondbacks (38)
23. Minnesota Twins (31)
24. Baltimore Orioles (28)
25. Atlanta Braves (27)
26. Athletics (21)
27. Pittsburgh Pirates (16)
28. Washington Nationals (11)
29. Chicago White Sox (9)
30. Colorado Rockies (4)

The Toronto Blue Jays celebrate a win over the Texas Rangers at the Rogers Centre. / Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

Here’s how each writer voted.

Tom Brew

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

Comments: The Milwaukee Brewers continue to amaze me. That 14-game winning streak was really impressive. So is the fact they are now 34 games over .500.  There is no doubt they are the best team in baseball, a full 6.5 better than the Toronto Blue Jays. I continue to be fooled by the San Diego Padres. Just when I thought they were the best team in the National League, they get swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers. They were my most disappointing team last week, with the Cardinals and Giants right there too.

The Yankees are starting to play well again, but I still don’t know what to make of them. They come to Tampa for two games with the Rays on Tuesday and Wednesday and they could eliminate the Rays for good with a pair of wins.

Detroit Tigers designated hitter Kerry Carpenter (30) celebrates against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. / Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

Jack Ankony

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

Comments: The Blue Jays had an impressive week, with series wins at home against the Cubs and Rangers. As a result, Toronto jumped the Dodgers –– who were swept by the Angels but bounced back with a series sweep of the Padres –– and the Phillies, who went 3-4 on a road trip against the Reds and Nationals. Even though Milwaukee has dominated the regular season, I have reservations about their ceiling given their early playoff flameouts in recent years. There’s not much separating teams No. 6 through No. 12 either, so it’s feeling like a wide-open postseason could be in store.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola (27) throws against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. / Brad Mills-Imagn Images

Brady Farkas

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

Comments: The Brewers just keep finding a way to win games, but do they have the starting pitching to make a deep playoff run? The AL wild card race is crowded, but the Mariners are getting Bryce Miller back this week, how does that impact their pitching? And the Red Sox and Yankees matchup at the end of the week looms large on all playoff fronts.

Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson (7) and outfielder Ian Happ (8) celebrate after beating the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field. / Melissa Tamez-Imagn Images

Teren Kowatsch

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

Comments: There’s less than 40 games left in the season, and the only certainties in baseball seem to be the Milwaukee Brewers and Detroit Tigers. The Brewers had a 14-game win streak snapped Sunday, but still lead the National League Central by eight games, and the Tigers lead the American League Central by 8.5 games.Every other division is separated by five games or less. The top two respective teams in both West divisions are within two games of each other. The Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners were two of the hottest teams post-trade deadline, and are tied for the top AL Wild Card spot, but have slowed down recently. There might still be time for a Cinderella run or two before the end of September.

Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts (50) rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium. / Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images