1. Red Sox (1): Eric Gagne hasn’t had the dramatic impact that many forecast. Getting him right for October is one of Terry Francona’s priorities.
2. Yankees (2): Rookie pitcher Ian Kennedy gladly will postpone a scheduled Oct. 6 wedding if the Yankees win the wild card and Joe Torre puts him on the playoff roster.
3. Angels (3): Mike Scioscia’s team is running away with the AL West. An upcoming stretch of nine games against teams that are 20 games or more below .500 won’t hurt.
4. Indians (4): They are an impressive 39-21 within the top-heavy Central Division.
5. Mets (5): It’s hard to believe Tom Glavine even talks about retiring with the way he is pitching.
6. Alex Rodriguez’s MVP campaign (NR): The first Yankee with 50-plus homers since Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle in the historic 1961 season. The only way he doesn’t win the MVP is if he and the Yankees collapse.
7. Diamondbacks (7): Closer Jose Valverde has been a consistent key. Arizona is 9-1 in the 10 games he has pitched against the Padres and Dodgers.
8. Padres (6): Greg Maddux is on a vintage run. He hasn’t issued a walk in any of his last eight starts, with a streak of 54 1/3 walk-free innings overall.
9. Phillies (8): Injuries to Cole Hamels and Shane Victorino sent Charlie Manuel’s team reeling. Can they really afford to lose Aaron Rowand to free agency? Don’t be surprised if he gets a big offer before the filing period begins.
10. Cubs (10): They need to win at least two of three in Houston to set up the weekend series in St. Louis. And winning Monday against the Cardinals wouldn’t hurt either.
11. Tigers (12): Jim Leyland declared his team to be toast when it slipped 7 1/2 games behind Cleveland. But the Tigers quickly cut the deficit to five games through Saturday. They’re not dead yet.
12. Blue Jays (11): It has to get really old being in the same division as the Yankees and Red Sox.
13. Braves (14): The Mark Teixeira trade is the latest example of how stretch-run trades favor the teams selling talent, not those acquiring it.
14. Rockies (13): The loss of Aaron Cook could wind up as a fatal blow, but Colorado remains one good week away from being in the thick of the NL West race.
15. Cardinals (16): Monday would have been a much-needed day of rest, but because of the Aug. 19 rainout at Wrigley Field the Cardinals must play in Chicago en route from Arizona to Cincinnati. Thirty-five games in the last 34 days of the season is an unprecedented test.
16. Brewers (19): The return of Ben Sheets did seem to provide a lift for the Brew Crew, which follows the Cubs into Pittsburgh on Monday.
17. Dodgers (18): In winning three of four at Wrigley Field, Los Angeles showed why it should be among the early favorites in 2008.
18. Twins (15): That ugly loss at U.S. Cellular Field on Friday night could cause the bottom to drop out.
19. Mariners (9): How quickly a season can turn. The question is whether the franchise remembers this as a good year because Ichiro Suzuki re-signed or a bad one because of the slide that started in late August.
20. Cincinnati (17): Ken Griffey Jr. needs to get real hot real soon if he’s going to get his 600th homer before the season is over. He’s at 593.
21. Athletics (20): Mike Piazza wants to play again in 2008, but it’s unclear if Billy Beane will gamble on his health.
22. Rangers (24): They have gotten big dividends from their stretch-run acquisitions, especially left-hander Kason Gabbard and outfielder David Murphy.
23. Royals (21): Luke Hochevar was recalled in September but isn’t likely to get much work after throwing 152 innings between Double A and Triple A.
24. Astros (22): The Cubs must be living right. For the second time in a month, they will miss Houston ace Roy Oswalt, who worked Sunday at Shea Stadium.
25. Giants (23): Does Barry Bonds’ diminished playing time of late signal ownership’s willingness to cut the cord at the end of the season?
26. Nationals (25): Dmitri Young’s tailspin has corresponded with the end of the Nats’ overachieving ways.
27. Magglio Ordonez’s MVP chances (NR): It’s been a tremendous season for the former White Sox, who might have an MVP case if Detroit goes to the playoffs and the Yankees don’t, but that doesn’t appear likely.
28. Devil Rays (28): Tampa Bay, enjoying a rare good month, is no longer a lock for the No. 1 pick in the draft.
29. Pirates (26): Former White Sox GM Dan Evans is in the picture to replace GM Dave Littlefield, who got his walking papers last week.
30. Orioles (27): Third baseman Scott Moore, acquired from the Cubs in the Steve Trachsel trade, delivered a grand slam off Daisuke Matsuzaka but otherwise hasn’t taken advantage of a chance to establish himself.
31. Marlins (29): Joe Girardi must enjoy watching a season spiral out of control after he was fired following Florida’s successful 2006 season.
32. White Sox (30): Mark Buehrle has been Mr. Consistency for a bad team — a 3.04 ERA in the first half, a 3.95 ERA in the second half. His re-signing remains the highlight of an otherwise awful season. Jim Thome’s march on 500 HRs is coming before only the most loyal of fans.
