ST. PETERSBURG — The Tampa Bay Rays climbed two spots to No. 2 in MLB’s weekly Power Rankings after a dominant stretch that pushed their American League East lead to 4 1/2 games over the New York Yankees.
The Rays came within a whisker of taking a 6 1/2-game divisional cushion before Yankees slugger Aaron Judge ended a five-game Tampa Bay win streak with a walk-off home run Sunday. That five-game run marked the Rays’ fourth separate five-game win streak this season, a consistency that vaulted them past the Los Angeles Dodgers, who dropped from No. 2 to No. 3.
The Atlanta Braves held the top spot for the second consecutive week, carrying a nine-game division lead and an MLB-high 18 comeback victories. The Braves have only three games scheduled against NL East opponents before July 4 weekend.
The Yankees, who remained at No. 5, drew their biggest headlines from right-hander Gerrit Cole’s season debut — his first start since Game 5 of the 2024 World Series. Cole threw six shutout innings and allowed just two hits. “It was a long road, and yet at some point tonight, it was almost like I’d never left,” Cole said. “It felt really, really good to be out there.”
The Dodgers slipped one spot despite a 38-inning scoreless streak from their bullpen, led by Kyle Hurt with five innings across five appearances and Jack Dreyer with two innings in two appearances. The Milwaukee Brewers rose to No. 4 after winning 12 of 14 games before the Dodgers outscored them 16-4 over two games.
The Rays and Yankees will not meet again until July 6, giving Tampa Bay six weeks to build on its division lead before the next head-to-head clash.