Every day, Pinstripe Alley offers updates on what the Yankees’ top American League opponents are up to through the Rivalry Roundup. The AL East is well-trodden ground there, but with the season’s final month upon us, we’re going to take a peek around MLB as a whole and check in with each of the other five divisions. Who’s surprising? Who’s underwhelming? Who’s simply mediocre at the moment? Read on and find out.
First Place: Los Angeles Dodgers (84-65)
Top Position Player: Shohei Ohtani (6.7 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: Yoshinobu Yamamoto (4.6 fWAR)
Despite the enormous expectations, the Dodgers have yet to distance themselves in the NL West, making for what could be an exciting end of the season. They began this month up two games in the division, but started September on about as bad a note as possible. In one game, after Yamamoto took a no-hitter into two outs in the ninth inning, with a three-run lead, the Orioles miraculously walked them off in perhaps the most devastating loss a team could suffer.
This heartbreaker was part of back-to-back walk-off losses, and the final of five straight losses to open the month. In crunch time, the Dodgers were doing everything in their power to lose control of the division The Padres, however, did little to cash in on the opportunity, as the Dodgers followed by winning six-of-seven and will head into the home stretch up 2.5 games.
Shohei Ohtani is still doing his thing, now on the brink of 50 homers once again. Meanwhile, Will Smith, one of the best at his position in baseball, has now landed on the IL, as the Dodgers will desperately need him back for the end of the regular season and beyond. They’ll need everything they can get to fend of the Padres the rest of the way.
Second Place: San Diego Padres (82-68, 2.5 GB)
Top Position Player: Fernando Tatis Jr. (5.6 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: Nick Pivetta (3.9 fWAR)
Speaking of which, the Padres now somehow find themselves in a worse spot than where they were in the beginning of the month. Despite the abysmal early play from first place Los Angeles, the Padres played remarkably similar to open September, losing four straight (three of which also to the O’s). They also similarly rebounded with three straight wins, including a vital walk-off against the Reds, thanks to their best position player in 2025.
The Dads have 12 games remaining, including three against the White Sox, so they’ll need to catch just about every break the rest of the way if they want a crack at the top spot in the West. They do, however, have a firm hold on the second Wild Card spot, with five games of breathing room as they seem primed for an October appearance.
Third Place: San Francisco Giants (75-74, 9 GB)
Top Position Player: Matt Chapman (4.0 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: Logan Webb (4.8 fWAR)
The third-place Giants are effectively out of the West, though they are well within striking range of the final Wild Card berth in the National League. Now a game over .500 and just 1.5 games back of the Mets for the final postseason spot, the Giants are fighting for their lives down the stretch. They ended August and began September with five consecutive wins, with Rafael Devers homering in three of his first four games of the month. They also are still enjoying the return of Matt Chapman, who is maintaining one of the better seasons of his excellent career.
The Giants will close the season with six games at home, concluding with three against the lowly Rockies. They certainly have an uphill battle the rest of the way, but they have plenty to play for in the final weeks of the season. FanGraphs gives San Fran just below a 10% chance of making the postseason.
Fourth Place: Arizona Diamondbacks (75-75, 9.5 GB)
Top Position Player: Geraldo Perdomo (6.3 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: Merrill Kelly (2.3 fWAR, traded to Rangers at deadline, Ryne Nelson with 1.9 is current leader on roster)
The D-Backs find themselves in a situation not all that different from the Giants just above them in the standings. A 7-4 start to the month of September has them with a glimmer of hope remaining headed into the final weeks of the regular season. Despite selling at the deadline, they continue to put together a respectable 2025 campaign. They also have three legitimate stars atop their leaderboards, including a new fWAR leader in Perdomo, who has a 165 wRC+ since the beginning of August.
They have a grueling schedule to wrap up the season, with the Giants, Padres, Phillies, and Dodgers on tap to close things out. Despite this, FanGraphs still gives them a 5.2 percent chance of plying in October, but that obviously still presents quite the challenge, sitting two games out of the Wild Card with several teams to leapfrog.
Last Place: Colorado Rockies (41-109, 43.5 GB)
Top Position Player: Hunter Goodman (3.1 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: Kyle Freeland (2.0 fWAR)
Ah, the Rockies. They need just one more win to surpass the White Sox record-setting bad season last year, which is something. They also have the chance to play important games, finishing the season with series against the Mariners and Giants closing out the season. And hey, Hunter Goodman topped 30 homers! I’ll always have a soft spot for the Purple and Black.
