Brewers remain in the middle of the pack as Cubs stay atop rankings
Welcome to the ninth 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. Chicago Cubs (31-20); 5-1 this week; 96.8% chance to make postseason (Baseball Reference)
The Cubs had another nice week as they’re in a stretch against the bottom dwellers of the league. They swept the White Sox last week and took two of three against the Marlins to begin the week. They’re now in Cincinnati for three games against the Reds.
Pete Crow-Armstrong, Seiya Suzuki, Dansby Swanson, and Kyle Tucker all had huge weeks for the Cubs, picking up a combined 35 hits, including six homers, five doubles, and two triples, along with 26 RBIs, 24 runs scored, and eight steals. Talk about a four-headed monster. Nico Hoerner led the team with 10 hits, hitting .417/.481/.583 with four doubles, four RBIs, and eight runs scored.
The pitching staff didn’t look nearly as good, but Cade Horton, Colin Rea, and Jameson Taillon were all solid in their starts, with Taillon’s start the best of those, going seven innings and allowing just one run. Ryan Pressly, out of the closer role for now, went three scoreless over three appearances, while Brad Keller was nearly perfect over 4 2⁄3 innings across four appearances.
After wrapping up their road trip in Cincy this weekend, the Cubs return home to take on the Rockies and Reds this coming week.
2. St. Louis Cardinals (28-23); 3-3 this week; 41.5% chance to make postseason
The Cardinals faced some tough competition, but they managed to go 3-3 against the Royals and Tigers, taking two of three from Kansas City and dropping two of three against Detroit. They wrap up their six-game homestand against the Diamondbacks this weekend.
The St. Louis offensive wasn’t great this week, but there were still a few standouts. Brendan Donovan continues to have a nice season, as he hit .318/.400/.409 this week. Iván Herrera also had seven hits and drove in four runs. Four players picked up a homer each, including Alec Burleson, who hit .385/.467/.692 over 13 at-bats.
Sonny Gray went six scoreless innings in his start, while Miles Mikolas picked up a pair of wins, allowing just one run over 12 innings while striking out eight. Matthew Liberatore got a no-decision, going six innings and allowing one run with five strikeouts. JoJo Romero went 3 1⁄3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen, and Ryan Helsley picked up a pair of saves despite allowing two runs in two innings.
St. Louis hits the road beginning Monday as they’ll return to interleague battles, taking on the Orioles and Rangers to wrap up May.
3. Milwaukee Brewers (25-27); 4-3 this week; 19.8% chance to make postseason
After salvaging the series finale with the Twins on Sunday, the Brewers took two of three against the Orioles to wrap up a 3-3 homestand, and they’re now in Pittsburgh for a four-game series with the Pirates.
Rhys Hoskins continues to rake, as he led the Crew in most statistical categories this week. He hit a pair of homers, two doubles, five singles, and slashed .375/.448/.708 with four RBIs and five runs scored. Christian Yelich slugged a pair of homers on Thursday night but otherwise had a disappointing week, and William Contreras batted .316 and hit the go-ahead homer Friday night, though it wouldn’t stand in Milwaukee’s extra-inning loss.
Freddy Peralta, though not the most efficient, went 9 1⁄3 innings across two starts and allowed three runs (two earned) with eight strikeouts. Logan Henderson got another win, going five scoreless frames this week, while Chad Patrick allowed just one run over 4 2⁄3 innings in his start. Rob Zastryzny and Trevor Megill were the top bullpen arms this week, with neither allowing a run, as Zastryzny spanned 4 1⁄3 innings with six strikeouts and Megill went four innings with three strikeouts, also picking up three saves.
After this quick four-game road trip, the Brewers return for a quick three-game homestand against the Red Sox. They’ll then head back to Pennsylvania to take on the Phillies next weekend.
4. Cincinnati Reds (25-27); 3-3 this week; 3.6% chance to make postseason
The Reds have been the definition of inconsistent the last few weeks, dropping two of three to both the White Sox and Pirates but sweeping the Guardians between those series losses. They’re back home for a quick three-game series with the Cubs this weekend.
Will Benson had a huge week, hitting three homers as he batted .357/.438/1.071 with five hits in 14 at-bats. Austin Hays continues to have a strong bounce-back season, picking up eight hits, which were tied for the most on the team with TJ Friedl and Spencer Steer.
Nick Lodolo, Andrew Abbott, and Nick Martinez all had strong starts, combining to go 17 innings and allowing just two runs. Lodolo also led the pitching staff with seven strikeouts this week. Scott Barlow, Taylor Rogers, and Emilio Pagán all worked scoreless weeks out of the bullpen, with Pagán covering both of his save opportunities.
The Reds return to the road beginning Monday, as they’ll take on the Royals and Cubs to finish up the month.
5. Pittsburgh Pirates (18-34); 3-4 this week; <0.1% chance to make postseason
After a sweep at the hands of the Phillies last weekend, the Pirates bounced back to take two of three against the Reds. Their 3-4 week actually marks the best week they’ve had in a while, which should tell you something. They’re now playing host to the Brewers for four games at PNC Park.
Oneil Cruz has struggled for the last month or so, but he did hit a pair of homers in Friday night’s win over the Brewers. Bryan Reynolds had a nice week with eight hits as he slashed .333/.433/.542 with a homer, two doubles, seven RBIs, and two runs scored. Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit .400/.455/.500 with eight hits, including two doubles.
Paul Skenes remains the team’s ace, making a pair of starts and allowing just two runs over 14 innings (1.29 ERA) while striking out 17, though he picked up a loss and a no-decision in those games. Bailey Falter worked seven scoreless innings in a winning effort this week, and Mitch Keller and Andrew Heaney also had strong starts. Caleb Ferguson was great out of the bullpen, allowing just one baserunner (a walk) while striking out five over four frames.
The Pirates hit the West Coast beginning Monday, as they’re set to take on the Diamondbacks and Padres as we turn the calendar to June.