The Braves moved ahead of the Dodgers to No. 1 in ’s Week 7 MLB Power Rankings after taking two of three games at Dodger Stadium, a jump that came with back-to-back 7-2 wins in Los Angeles. The Dodgers fell to No. 2 as Atlanta kept rolling through a week that also included a strong return from Spencer Strider.
Strider allowed one hit in six scoreless innings in his second start back from the injured list, a sharp reminder of how quickly the Braves can tilt a series when their pitching is on point. Matt Olson, meanwhile, led the National League in runs, doubles, RBIs, total bases, OPS and OPS+ heading into Wednesday’s action, giving Atlanta the kind of production that has made its offense look relentless.
The ranking shift was driven by what happened on the field in Los Angeles. The Braves did not just win a series; they took control of it, and the Dodgers had little margin to answer after their top bats went cold for stretches. Shohei Ohtani went 11 games without a home run before homering on Tuesday night, but he was 4-for-36 with zero home runs in his first 10 games in May, and the Dodgers scored three runs or less on seven occasions during that span.
That slump matters because it came during a month when Los Angeles needed its offense to steady the club’s place at the top of the sport. Instead, the Dodgers score line has been too thin too often, while Atlanta has kept stacking quality innings and timely power. The result is a reset at the top of the rankings and a reminder that the gap between the best teams can change fast when one lineup cools and another keeps pressing.
The Braves’ climb is only part of the week’s movement. The Cubs reeled off their second 10-game winning streak of 2026, making them the 11th team in the divisional era since 1969 to post two winning streaks of at least 10 games in the same season. The Cardinals also pushed into the top 10 after series against the Dodgers and Pirates and a split of a four-game set with the Padres, giving the rankings a wider shakeup than the top two spots alone.
For the Dodgers, the question is not whether they remain dangerous. It is whether they can turn a few loud nights back into a sustained run before the NL race hardens around them. For now, the Braves have the No. 1 spot, the hotter offense and the cleaner recent head-to-head result, and that is enough to change the conversation.
