Stop.<\/p>\n
The Padres are not tied with the Dodgers atop the NL West.<\/p>\n
Not really, not with a 9-4 series win gifting the Dodgers the tiebreaker should the two teams still have identical records as they do after LA\u2019s 8-2 win on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Both teams are 74-57 with 31 games left.<\/p>\n
Yes, the Padres missed an opportunity to fully control their own destiny when they lost a grip on a 2-1 lead on Sunday, but the position they\u2019re in now is still as good as it\u2019s been in quite some time.<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly where we want to be,\u201d the Padres\u2019 Gavin Sheets said. \u201cIt\u2019s a clean slate right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\u00a0\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0 Milwaukee Brewers (81-50, Last week: 1)<\/strong><\/p>\n After injury limited him to 73 games last year, Christian Yelich leads the revitalized Brewers with 26 homers, the first time he\u2019s hit more than 19 since 2019, when he hit 44 and finished second in NL MVP voting with.<\/p>\n 2\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0 Chicago Cubs (76-55, LW: 2)<\/strong><\/p>\n A three-game sweep in Anaheim after taking three of five last week against the Brewers has the Cubs within five games of Milwaukee with about a month of baseball left. And that\u2019s great, but the Cubs are all out of head-to-head matchups to make up ground.<\/p>\n 3\u00a0\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0 Detroit Tigers (78-54, LW: 3)<\/strong><\/p>\n No fluke: After winning his first Cy Young, left-hander Tarik Skubal leads the majors with 5.9 fWAR.<\/p>\n 4\u00a0\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0 Philadelphia Phillies (76-54, LW: 6)<\/strong><\/p>\n The Phillies will have three pitchers pick up Cy Young votes, but only two will be available in October as ace Zack Wheeler is done for the year as he looks to correct thoracic outlet syndrome.<\/p>\n 5\u00a0\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0 Toronto Blue Jays (76-55, LW: 4)<\/strong><\/p>\n The Blue Jays have weathered the storm with Vladimir Guerrero missing most of the week with a hamstring injury, but they need him back in there to hold off the Red Sox and Yankees.<\/p>\n 6 \u00a0\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0 Los Angeles Dodgers (74-57, LW: 5)<\/strong><\/p>\n Can anyone really hate Shohei Ohtani? Not even a heckler riding the Dodgers\u2019 star all weekend at Petco Park could stop himself from smiling after Ohtani came over to high-five him after a homer on Sunday.<\/p>\n 7\u00a0\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0 San Diego Padres (74-57, LW: 7)<\/strong><\/p>\n The so-called good problem to have \u2014 starting Ryan O\u2019Hearn or Gavin Sheets \u2014 has been a lot easier to solve with Jackson Merrill on the injured list, but all eyes will be on that topic when the Padres\u2019 22-year-old center fielder returns from his ankle sprain, perhaps as soon as this weekend.<\/p>\n 8\u00a0\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0 Boston Red Sox (71-60, LW: 9)<\/strong><\/p>\n With 14 wins, a 2.38 ERA and 11.20 strikeouts per nine innings, Garrett Crochet is primed to thwart Tarik Skubal\u2019s AL Cy Young defense.<\/p>\n 9\u00a0\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0 New York Yankees (70-60, LW: 10)<\/strong><\/p>\n Hard to believe Trent Grisham hitting a career-high 25 homers on top of what Aaron Judge does isn\u2019t enough for the Yankees to be running away with the AL East.<\/p>\n 10\u00a0\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0 Houston Astros (72-59, LW: 8)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Waiting for Yordan: With Alvarez still on the injured list, Christian Walker hit three homers in three days to help keep Houston three games ahead of the Mariners in the AL West.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The rest<\/p>\n\n