Crew remains in first in NL Central with series win over Cubs
Welcome to the 19th week of our NL Central Power Rankings! We’ll release these rankings each week to grade all five teams and place them one through five. As everyone knows with power rankings, these should be taken as gospel and they’re obviously 100% accurate. Without further ado, let’s rank some teams!
1. Milwaukee Brewers (65-44); 4-2 this week; 99.6% chance to make postseason (Baseball Reference)
The Brewers wrapped up July with a series loss to the Marlins before bouncing back to take two of three against the Cubs to hold onto first place for the time being. They routed the Nationals by a final score of 16-9 on Friday night.
Andrew Vaughn went on a heater this week, picking up four homers, two doubles, 12 RBIs, and nine runs across 24 at-bats. William Contreras was almost just as good, picking up a team-high 13 hits, including three homers and a pair of doubles, with five RBIs and nine runs scored. Blake Perkins also homered twice on Friday night as he went 5-for-11 on the week.
There weren’t many standout pitching performances this week for Milwaukee, though Brandon Woodruff turned in another quality start (two earned runs, six strikeouts over six innings), and Aaron Ashby allowed just one run and struck out three across 5 2⁄3 innings over three relief appearances, earning his second save of the year. Nick Mears, Trevor Megill, Jared Koenig, Abner Uribe, and Craig Yoho all had scoreless weeks from the bullpen.
Milwaukee continues the tour of the NL East with a trip to visit the Nationals and Braves before returning home to take on the Mets and Pirates beginning next weekend.
2. Chicago Cubs (64-45); 4-2 this week; 99.5% chance to make postseason
The Cubs took two of three against the White Sox, dropped two of three to the Brewers, and won their series opener with the Orioles at Wrigley on Friday afternoon.
Ian Happ slugged a pair of homers and a double this week, while Pete Crow-Armstrong continues to have a strong season with a team-high eight hits, including six doubles. Nico Hoerner added seven hits, including a homer, to go with a team-high five runs.
Cade Horton allowed no runs in his two starts this week, spanning 11 1⁄3 innings with six strikeouts as he earned a pair of wins. Ben Brown went five frames with just one run allowed, while Brad Keller, Gavin Hollowell, Caleb Thielbar, Daniel Palencia, and new acquisition Andrew Kittredge all had scoreless weeks from the bullpen.
Chicago’s homestand continues with series against the O’s and Reds before they return to the road against the Cardinals and Blue Jays next weekend.
3. Cincinnati Reds (58-53); 4-3 this week; 26.7% chance to make postseason
The Reds swept the Rays, dropped two of three to the Dodgers, and split the first two games of their four-game series with the Braves.
Six different players had a home run apiece this week, with Elly De La Cruz leading the way as he hit .286/.355/.464 with a homer, two doubles, seven RBIs, and a pair of steals. Matt McLain added eight hits of his own, while Noelvi Marte and Will Benson each homered and picked up six hits on the week.
Brady Singer picked up a pair of wins, allowing one run and striking out 18 across 13 1⁄3 innings in his starts this week. Nick Lodolo struck out 11 over 5 1⁄3 innings with two runs allowed in his start, while Andrew Abbott went 11 1⁄3 innings with four runs allowed (three earned) and eight strikeouts. Tony Santillan, Brent Suter, and Luis Mey all had scoreless weeks from the bullpen.
Cincinnati will finish up their series with the Braves later today as they’ll face off in the “MLB Speedway Classic” in Bristol, Tennessee. They’ll then take an NL Central road trip against the Cubs and Pirates beginning Monday.
4. St. Louis Cardinals (55-56); 1-5 this week; 5.7% chance to make postseason
The Cardinals struggled this week, losing the final two games of their four-game series with the Padres before dropping two of three to the Marlins at home earlier this week. They’re now in San Diego taking on the Padres for the second time in a week.
Alec Burleson hit a pair of homers for St. Louis this week, while Masyn Winn led the team with six hits, slashing .353/.389/.471 with a pair of doubles and three RBIs. Jordan Walker added five hits, including a pair of doubles.
Andre Pallante earned the lone win for the Cards, allowing no runs on one hit and one walk with four strikeouts across seven innings. Matt Svanson had a solid week over three relief outings, allowing one run and striking out three across 4 2⁄3 innings, while Kyle Leahy, Riley O’Brien, Gordon Graceffo, JoJo Romero, and Ryan Fernandez all had scoreless weeks.
St. Louis wraps up their road trip in the middle of the week as they’ll visit the Dodgers after finishing up with San Diego on Sunday. They’ll then return home for a nine-game homestand against the Cubs, Rockies, and Yankees.
5. Pittsburgh Pirates (47-63); 5-1 this week; <0.1% chance to make postseason
The Pirates, who have been extremely streaky all season, have won five straight and eight of nine entering Friday’s series opener with the Rockies, a game in which they led 9-0 but ultimately lost 17-16 (wowza).
Oneil Cruz and Andrew McCutchen each slugged a pair of homers this week, while Nick Gonzales and Tommy Pham led the team with nine hits apiece. Gonzales and Liover Peguero also homered.
Paul Skenes worked six scoreless frames with nine strikeouts in a winning effort this week, while Mike Burrows allowed one run and struck out seven across six frames. Isaac Mattson, Carmen Mlodzinski, Kyle Nicolas, and Braxton Ashcraft all had scoreless bullpen weeks.
Pittsburgh wraps up the road trip in Colorado on Sunday as they’ll then head home to take on the Giants and Reds beginning Monday.