In a complete contrast to the last slide, this group is full of teams going in the right direction -- well, almost all of them.
| Rank | Team | nERD | Record | Playoff Odds | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Pittsburgh Pirates | -0.37 | 11-14 | 12.6% | +8 |
| 19 | Los Angeles Angels | -0.30 | 14-13 | 11.8% | +5 |
| 18 | Seattle Mariners | -0.23 | 11-15 | 29.2% | +3 |
| 17 | Chicago White Sox | -0.21 | 13-11 | 13.7% | +3 |
| 16 | St. Louis Cardinals | -0.07 | 12-13 | 50.4% | +7 |
| 15 | Milwaukee Brewers | -0.06 | 14-13 | 9.6% | 0 |
| 14 | Atlanta Braves | 0.06 | 10-14 | 11.8% | +12 |
| 13 | Philadelphia Phillies | 0.26 | 12-12 | 7.6% | +3 |
| 12 | Boston Red Sox | 0.28 | 13-12 | 78.3% | 0 |
| 11 | Chicago Cubs | 0.33 | 13-12 | 88.9% | -6 |
Biggest Rise: Pittsburgh Pirates
Not a whole lot actually changed for the Pittsburgh Pirates this week -- their record went from 8-11 to 11-14, while their playoff odds only marginally increased from 10.4% to 12.6%. However, they did improve their nERD from -0.93 to what you see above, which helped make this leap possible.
They can thank the performance of their starting rotation during this time. Over 34 1/3 innings, their 1.3 fWAR and 2.18 FIP are tied for the second-best, while their 2.10 rotation ERA during this time is the best.
Biggest Drop: Chicago Cubs
It's safe to assume that just about nobody expected the Chicago Cubs to be outside the top 10 this late into the season. And like the Pirates, the source of it all is their starting rotation -- just on the opposite end of the spectrum. Their -0.1 fWAR is tied for the second-worst mark in baseball over the last seven days, which is also accompanied by a 7.06 rotation ERA and 5.69 FIP.
Of their five starters, only Kyle Hendricks made it through the week with an ERA below 6.00 and a FIP below 5.77.