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The 2018 MLB season is rapidly winding to a close http://www.tigersfanproshop.com/authentic-joe-jimenez-jersey , as we are now just six weeks from the start of the postseason. With 16 teams still sporting a winning record and four division titles and four wild-card spots still very much up for grabs, there's still a lot left to be decided between now and the beginning of the playoffs.For now, just remember that these rankings are fluid. Teams rise and fall based on where they were ranked the previous week. If a team keeps winning, it will keep climbing鈥攊t's as simple as that.Here's where all 30 teams stand heading into the rest of this week's action:Updated Rankings1 Boston Red Sox (88-37)2 New York Yankees (78-46)3 Oakland Athletics (74-50)24 Houston Astros (75-49)15 Chicago Cubs (71-52)16 Cleveland Indians (71-52)17 Arizona Diamondbacks (69-56)28 Colorado Rockies (68-56)79 St. Louis Cardinals (68-57)410 Atlanta Braves (68-55)211 Los Angeles Dodgers (67-58)112 Seattle Mariners (71-54)613 Milwaukee Brewers (69-57)214 Philadelphia Phillies (68-56)215 Tampa Bay Rays (63-61)216 Pittsburgh Pirates (63-62)217 Los Angeles Angels (63-63)218 Minnesota Twins (59-64)419 Texas Rangers (56-70)220 Washington Nationals (62-63)421 San Francisco Giants (61-64)322 New York Mets (54-69)223 Cincinnati Reds (55-69)224 Toronto Blue Jays (55-69)125 San Diego Padres (49-78)526 Chicago White Sox (46-77)227 Miami Marlins (50-76)28 Detroit Tigers (51-74)229 Kansas City Royals (38-86)30 Baltimore Orioles (37-87) Teams That ImpressedJack Flaherty has been dominant for the St. Louis Cardinals this month.Colin E. Braley/Associated PressHere come theColorado Rockies.With an 8-1 record in their last nine games, they've gone from 3.5 games back in the wild-card standings to tied with Philadelphia and Milwaukee for the right to host the Wild Card Game.Trevor Story continues to swing a hot bat with a .310/.333/.634 line in August that includes six more home runs to bring his season total to 26. On the mound, Kyle Freeland sports a 2.13 ERA in four starts this month, and he's quietly been one of the NL's best starters all season, going 11-7 with a 2.96 ERA in 25 starts.TheSt. Louis Cardinalsare the other team charging hard on the NL side.With a 14-4 record and plus-43 run differential in August, they've climbed right back into the race for both a wild-card spot and the NL Central title, and series wins against the Washington Nationals and Milwaukee Brewers this past week only furthered their cause.Young right-hander Jack Flaherty is 3-0 with a 0.95 ERA and 0.84 WHIP in three starts this month, while Jose Martinez is hitting a robust .400/.450/.527 to bring his season batting line to .308/.369/.468 overall.That being said, no team had a better week than theOakland Athletics.By taking two of three against the Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros, they are just one game back in the AL West standings. And they avenged some early-season struggles against the reigning World Series champions.This Oakland team is the real deal, and while it's going to have its hands full catching up to and holding off the Astros, it's in a great position to secure the second wild-card spot and reach the postseason for the first time since 2014.TheCleveland Indians(5-1),Minnesota Twins(5-1) andChicago White Sox(4-2) were the only other teams to win both of their series last week, as for one brief span, the AL Central didn't look quite so feeble. The only logical explanation is that they read this article from Zachary Rymer and were inspired.Teams That DisappointedMariners manager Scott ServaisLindsey Wasson/Getty ImagesTheSeattle Marinerssuffered series losses to the Athletics and Los Angeles Dodgers last week, and in the process, they slipped further out of the wild-card picture.It's essentially a two-horse race between the A's and M's for the second AL wild-card spot, which makes a head-to-head series loss that much more painful. The Mariners have been hanging on by a thread all season, as evidenced by their minus-42 run differential, and last week could be the beginning of the slide.On the NL side, theMilwaukee Brewerscontinued their tumble down the rankings with a weekend series loss to the division-rival Cardinals.That gives the Brew Crew a 6-10 record and minus-31 run differential for the month. They are 3.5 games back in the NL Central race and tied for the wild card.ThePittsburgh Pirates(2-4),Washington Nationals(2-5) andSan Francisco Giants(2-4) all saw their slim playoff hopes take a hit with losing weeks.They now have a combined 19.6 percent chance to secure a postseason berth, according to the latest projections from FanGraphs. MVPs of the WeekHitter:Ronald Acuna Jr., Atlanta BravesStats:13-for-28, 2 2B, 4 HR, 9 RBI, 11 R, 3 SBIt was quite the week for Braves rookie phenom Ronald Acuna.The 20-year-old tied a franchise record by homering in five straight games but then had to exit the team's game on Wednesday when he was seemingly intentionally drilled by Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Urena with a fastball to lead off the game.He returned the next day and showed no ill effects of the beaning with a three-hit game on Saturday, and he's been a force for the contending Braves in the second half.As he looks to chase down Juan Soto and Dereck Rodriguez in the NL Rookie of the Year race, Acuna is hitting .366/.430/.789 with eight home runs in 79 plate appearances in August. Pitcher:Jhoulys Chacin http://www.tigersfanproshop.com/authentic-joe-jimenez-jersey , Milwaukee BrewersStats:2 GS, 2-0, 13.0 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 13 KYu Darvish (6/$126M), Jake Arrieta (3/$75M), Alex Cobb (4/$57M), Tyler Chatwood (3/$38M), Mike Minor (3/$28M),Andrew Cashner (2/$16M) and Jason Vargas (2/$16M) all earned more money in free agency than Jhoulys Chacin, who signed a two-year, $15.5 million deal to join the Brewers.Yet, Chacin has been as good or better than all of them:Darvish: 8 GS, 1-3, 4.95 ERA, 1.43 WHIPArrieta:24 GS, 9-8, 3.25 ERA, 1.21 WHIPCobb: 23 GS, 4-15, 5.09 ERA, 1.43 WHIPChatwood: 20 GS, 4-6, 5.22 ERA, 1.81 WHIPMinor: 22 GS, 9-6, 4.61 ERA, 1.16 WHIPCashner: 23 GS, 4-10, 4.71 ERA, 1.49 WHIPVargas: 13 GS, 2-8 Jeimer Candelario Jersey , 8.10 ERA, 1.78 WHIPChacin: 27 GS, 13-4, 3.58 ERA, 1.17 WHIPFinding a frontline starter looked like the biggest need for the Brewers when the offseason began, and failing to land any of the marquee names on the open market seemed like a missed opportunity at the time.Now, after two excellent starts last week of six and seven scoreless innings, it's clear the front office made the right decision.Video Highlights of the WeekLongest Home Run:C.J. Cron, Tampa Bay Rays (464 feet)Despite his defensive shortcomings (-2 DRS) and limited on-base skills (.317 OBP, 6.2 BB%), C.J. Cron has been a consistent source of power for the Rays this season.After three straight seasons with 16 home runs, he's already set a career high with 24 long balls this season while posting a 118 wRC+and driving in a team-high 59 runs.The 28-year-old was acquired in February in a trade with the Angels, and with team control through the 2020 season, he's proved to be a cheap middle-of-the-order solution after the front office traded away Evan Longoria, Steven Souza Jr. and Corey Dickerson during the offseason and opted against re-signing Logan Morrison.His 464-foot blast off Red Sox starter David Price was the longest homer of the season by a Rays hitter this season, and he took on the Green Monster and emerged victorious. Best Defensive Play:Harrison Bader, St. Louis CardinalsHarrison Bader has been a stud in the outfield this season.The 24-year-old rookie has been worth 3.9 WAR, and while he's been solid at the plate with a .285/.354/.453 line that includes 23 extra-base hits and 12 stolen bases, it's his defense that is making him a star.This catch is the perfect example of his excellent mix of speed and instincts, as he turned what looked to be a sure double in the gap into a highlight-reel catch.Bader has racked up an impressive 21 DRS with a 19.5 UZR/150 on the season, and while he's been splitting time in center field for much of the year, a Gold Glove Award could be in his future.Must-See Upcoming MatchupCleveland Indians vs. Boston Red Sox (Monday-Thursday)Corey KluberJamie Sabau/Getty ImagesThe Indians have been streaking of late with a 17-6 record in their last 23 games.However, that run of success has come against a string of non-contenders, and the uber-weak AL Central has not provided much of a test for the Tribe all season.A big test awaits this week, though.The Indians will head to Boston to take on the first-place Red Sox for a four-game series, the first time this season the two teams have squared off.And while they'll miss ace Chris Sale鈥攚ho is on the disabled list with shoulder inflammation鈥攊t will still be a good gauge of where the Indians are as they go up against baseball's best team.For the Red Sox, it's a chance to further solidify their standing as the No. 1 team, and it could wind up being an ALCS preview.All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted. TORONTO (AP) — Jordan Zimmermann was in peak form on opening day.The right-hander took a perfect game into the seventh inning, Christin Stewart hit a two-run homer in the 10th and the Detroit Tigers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 2-0 Thursday.“One of those days where everything was working and the command was really good,” Zimmermann said.Zimmermann, who pitched a no-hitter for Washington on the final day of the 2014 season, came close to bookending it — Hall of Famer Bob Feller threw the only no-hitter on opening day, for Cleveland in 1940.This bid ended when Teoscar Hernandez reached on a two-out infield single. Hernandez grounded a 1-2 pitch to the shortstop side of second base. Josh Harrison made a sliding play, but his throw to first was late and wide.“It was really a good pitch http://www.tigersfanproshop.com/authentic-joe-jimenez-jersey ,” Zimmermann said. “It was off the plate and down and he just hit a grounder where they weren’t.”That was the only hit Zimmermann allowed in seven sparkling innings. He struck out four and threw only 70 pitches.“He was in control of the plate, just getting enough of the corners,” Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire said. “He did a really nice job of changing speeds, adjusting and using all of his pitches very well.”Blue Jays rookie manager Charlie Montoyo called Zimmermann’s performance “outstanding.”“He was pitching in and out, keeping our hitters off balance,” Montoyo said.According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Zimmermann’s 6 2/3 innings marked the longest bid for a perfect game on opening day since April 16, 1940, when Lefty Grove threw seven perfect innings for the Boston Red Sox against the Washington Senators.“He was in the zone,” Stewart said.Niko Goodrum doubled off Blue Jays right-hander Daniel Hudson (0-1) to begin the 10th, and Stewart homered to right field on an 0-2 pitch.“That one got too much of the plate and he killed it,” Gardenhire said.Victor Alcantara (1-0) pitched one inning for the win and Shane Greene finished for a save as Detroit won its opener for the seventh time in eight seasons.The Blue Jays lost their eighth consecutive home opener — tying the third-longest streak in baseball history. Pittsburgh dropped eight straight from 1994-2001, and the Washington Senators did it from 1963-70.The Brooklyn Dodgers lost a major league-worst 11 straight home openers from 1903-13, and Oakland lost 10 in a row from 2005-14.Blue Jays right-hander Marcus Stroman walked Harrison, the first batter of the game, on four pitches but didn’t allow a hit until a two-out single by Nicholas Castellanos in the sixth. Stroman yielded two hits and walked four in seven scoreless innings.YESTERYEARZimmermann pitched a no-hitter against Miami on Sept. 28, 2014, the first in Nationals history. Outfielder Steven Souza Jr. made a dramatic, diving catch for the final out, retiring Christian Yelich. Souza, who had just entered the game as a defensive replacement, used his bare hand to squeeze the ball in his mitt as he fell.Feller threw his opening day no-hitter against the Chicago White Sox on the same day Grove took a run at that perfect game: April 16, 1940. The Indians won 1-0.MIGGY’S RETURNPlaying for the first time since June 2018 after missing the second half of last season because of a biceps injury, Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera went hitless in four at-bats. He struck out once and grounded into a double play.FAN A LOTThree Blue Jays pitchers combined to strike out seven straight Detroit batters in the late innings, a streak that began when Stroman fanned Grayson Greiner for the final out of the seventh. Right-handers Joe Biagini and Ken Giles came on and struck out the side in the eighth and ninth, respectively.TRAINER’S ROOMTigers: OF JaCoby Jones (strained left shoulder) is expected to miss at least the first two weeks of the season. … RHP Drew Verhagen (right shoulder) is on the 10-day injured list.Blue Jays: Toronto recalled 1B Rowdy Tellez from Triple-A to take the place of DH Kendrys Morales, who was traded to Oakland on Wednesday. … Several Blue Jays began the season on the 10-day injured list, including LHP Ryan Borucki (left elbow), RHP Ryan Tepera (right elbow), RHP Clay Buchholz (right flexor strain), RHP David Phelps (elbow surgery) and OF Jonathan Davis (right ankle). OF Dalton Pompey is on the seven-day concussion list. RHP Bud Norris (right forearm) was not healthy in time for opening day. … The Blue Jays selected the contract of RHP Javy Guerra from the minors.UP NEXTTigers: LHP Matthew Boyd went 1-1 with a 5.00 ERA in five spring training starts, striking out 20 batters in 18 innings.Blue Jays: RHP Matt Shoemaker makes his first start with Toronto after signing as a free agent. He had no record and a 5.00 ERA in five spring outings.