As the Major League Baseball season approaches its final weeks, many playoff hopefuls are facing difficulties, leaving several questions unanswered.

Nonetheless, one thing appears definite: for the 24th year in a row, there will be no successive champions.

The Texas Rangers encountered two teams contending for playoff spots last week and suffered significant losses, dropping two of three games at Boston’s Fenway Park and then giving up four leads at home against the Minnesota Twins, ultimately losing three out of four matches. With a record of 57-68, the likelihood of qualifying for the playoffs is now extremely low.

Currently ranked 23rd in YSL News Sports’ power rankings, the Rangers sit at 11th place in the American League, trailing behind even the struggling Toronto Blue Jays, and are a staggering 13 games away from a playoff position. FanGraphs gives them a mere 0.2% chance of making it to the postseason.

This has been a challenging time for manager Bruce Bochy, who previously led the San Francisco Giants to three championships, showing how elusive back-to-back wins can be. Current setbacks are mainly due to injuries in the pitching lineup and unexpected declines in player performance. Following a strong 90-win season and a World Series title last year, the team now faces an uphill battle just to reach .500 by season’s close.

The chances for a repeat championship have all but vanished.

Here’s a look at our latest rankings:

1. Philadelphia Phillies (+2)

• Cristopher Sanchez bounces back with a complete game.

2. New York Yankees (+1)

• Jasson Dominguez makes a return to the majors after nearly a year out, joining as the 27th man for the Little League Classic.

3. Baltimore Orioles (-2)

• Gunnar Henderson is heating up with four home runs in his last five games, compared to just one in his preceding 23.

4. Cleveland Guardians (-)

• Emmanuel Clase has saved four straight games, earning 37 saves with an impressive 0.64 ERA.

5. Los Angeles Dodgers (-)

• Shohei Ohtani is hitting home runs but struggling overall, with seven homers and a .174 batting average this month.

6. Milwaukee Brewers (-)

• They hold an 11-game lead over the Cardinals, the largest margin among division leaders.

7. Minnesota Twins (-)

• They have achieved 33 comeback victories this season.

8. San Diego Padres (-)

• They tied their franchise record by winning eight consecutive series.

9. Kansas City Royals (-)

• Bobby Witt Jr. joins Bo Jackson and Carlos Beltran as the only Royals players with back-to-back 25-25 seasons.

10. Arizona Diamondbacks (-)

• They suffered their first series loss since June in Tampa Bay.

11. Houston Astros (-)

• Justin Verlander is set to make his comeback on Wednesday.

12. Boston Red Sox (-)

• Triston Casas and Tyler O’Neill return, providing the lineup with strength for the first time since April.

13. Atlanta Braves (-)

• A successful 6-1 West Coast road trip steadies their momentum for now.

14. New York Mets (+1)

• They managed a .500 record this past week against Oakland, which just isn’t sufficient against Miami.

15. Seattle Mariners (-1)

• They went from an 10-game lead to four games back in just two months.

16. Tampa Bay Rays (+2)

• Jose Siri was benched for three consecutive games due to hustle concerns.

17. San Francisco Giants (-1)

• They struggled in a critical series against the Braves, scoring just five runs in three losses.

18. St. Louis Cardinals (-1)

• Class AA starter Quinn Mathews leads the minors with 168 strikeouts.

19. Chicago Cubs (-)

• They return to Cleveland for the first time since 2016, and a lot has changed since then.

20. Detroit Tigers (+3)

• They might enjoy playing the spoiler role, as shown when they faced the Mariners and Yankees.

21. Cincinnati Reds (+1)

• Hunter Greene’s sore elbow further dampens their playoff hopes.

22. Pittsburgh Pirates (-2)

• Andrew McCutchen has been placed on the injured list due to knee issues.

23. Texas Rangers (-2)

• Jacob deGrom is set to begin rehabilitation starts.

24. Toronto Blue Jays (-)

• Joey Loperfido hits his first home run after joining the Jays.

25. Washington Nationals (-)

• CJ Abrams ties Elly De La Cruz with five games of three steals since 2023.

26. Oakland Athletics (+1)

• Osvaldo Bido has pitched six scoreless innings in two straight outings.

27. Los Angeles Angels (-1)

• Christian Moore,

28. Miami Marlins (-)