Bears News: NL Central Standings Update: Three team race to the finish |
We are now near the middle of August in the MLB season, and the NL Central is getting very interesting. In just the last two weeks, two separate teams have held possession of first place, and one is on their heels — and we at CUBS HQ are here to break down the action of the NL Central periodically as the season progresses. Here is our 10th NL Central Update of the year.
Similar to last season, the Brewers were constructed to prevent runs, not really score them. The Brewers are boosted by an excellent pitching staff of Freddy Peralta, Brandon Woodruff, and Corbin Burnes — a three-headed monster that stacks up against anybody in the National League — and they’re finally getting healthy. Despite not having a potent offensive attack, the Brewers have been able to string together some nice wins in the early going. Offensively, Milwaukee has been led by Rowdy Tellez and Willy Adames, similar to last season. Plus, Brian Anderson and former Brave catcher William Contreras have been welcome additions thus far. But the biggest boost to the Brewers has been Christian Yelich’s resurgence, as he is slashing similar numbers to his peak. The Brewers sent Devin Williams and Corbin Burnes to the All-Star game a few weeks ago as well. Since we last updated, the Brewers dropped two of three from the Nationals, split four with the Pirates, took two of three from the Rockies, and swept the White Sox. UP NEXT: This week, the Brewers are in LA for three games with the Dodgers and then head to Texas for a weekend set with the Rangers.
The Cubs finished in third place in the NL Central last year and made it a point of focus over the offseason to make drastic improvements to the team — which also fit baseball’s new rules. The Cubs may have let Willson Contreras go, but they committed to long-term contract extensions with Nico Hoerner and Ian Happ, both of whom enjoyed breakout campaigns in 2022. Plus, the Cubs acquired Cody Bellinger and Dansby Swanson to be the team’s starting shortstop for the next seven years. In the early going, the moves looked like they had paid off. But since it has been rocky waters. The Cubs are still near the lead in the National League in runs per game and are top five in the MLB in both batting average and starters ERA. The bullpen has been up and down as well, and at times, it certainly looked bleak. But a torrid hot streak from Cody Bellinger and excellent pitching performances and everything appeared to click. The Cubs had some injuries, but as they’ve gotten healthy — they’ve gotten hot and look to have avoided potentially selling at the trade deadline. The Cubs also sent three players to the All-Star game, Marcus Stroman, Justin Steele, and Dansby Swanson. Since we last updated, the Cubs took three of four from the then-first-place Reds and took two of three from the NL-leading Atlanta Braves. Then the Cubs dropped two of three against the Mets and took two of three from the Bluejays in Toronto. UP NEXT: This week, the Cubs host both the White Sox and the Royals at Wrigley.
The Reds were once again expected to be one of the worst teams in the MLB and were early on. Fully in another rebuild. Joey Votto is the only really recognizable name on a team that had players like Luis Castillo, Sonny Gray, Nicholas Castellanos, Jesse Winker and Eugenio Suarez. The Reds claim to fame has been flame-thrower Hunter Greene, who was developing into a young ace in baseball before his injury. However the last few months have been a different story for Cincy. Elly De La Cruz has burst onto the scene and turned heads, and players like rookie Matt McLain and players like Spencer Steer and Jake Fraley have really stepped up offensively. The Reds rattled off 12 consecutive victories to soar into first place. The Reds also sent closer Alexis Diaz to the All-Star game. Since we last updated, the Reds have cooled off a bit. The Reds dropped there of four against the Cubs, were swept by the Nationals, dropped two of three against Miami, and took two of three from Pittsburgh. UP NEXT: This week, the Reds host the Blue Jays for three and then spend the weekend in LA taking on the Angels.
The Pirates were widely expected to finish last in this division over the course of the last few years, but the progress they have made over the years does not pencil them in as a bottom feeder in this division. In fact, their strong start to the 2023 season had them in first place through almost a month of baseball. Bryan Reynolds is once again leading things for the Pirates, and Jack Suwinski’s 19 home runs lead all rookies last year, and he has 21 dingers on the season thus far. Andrew McCutchen has also seen some success in his return to Pittsburgh and has been a strong producer in the lineup so far. O’Neil Cruz was expected by many to take a big leap this season, but he is on the injured list. Mitch Keller and Vince Velasquez have been the Bucs' best starters so far, and David Bednar is still closing things down in All-Star fashion. The Pirates were slight sellers at this year’s deadline. The Pirates sent Mitch Keller and David Bednar both the All-Star game. Since we last updated, the Bucs split two games with the Tigers and four games with the Brewers. Then Pittsburgh dropped two of three against the Braves and Reds. UP NEXT: This week the Pirates take on the Mets in New York and then head to Minnesota for a series with the Twins over the weekend.
The St. Louis Cardinals are the reigning NL Central Division Champions, but for the first time since I was born, this will be the first season that the Cardinals do not have Albert Pujols or Yadier Molina on the roster. The St. Louis Cardinals did not make a ton of noise in the offseason but did acquire former Cub Willson Contreras to be their new catcher — however, less than a month into the season, he had been relieved of his catching duties. Jordan Walker was their top prospect and was called up to start the season, and has been a great boost to the struggling birds. The Cardinals struggled badly out of the gates, despite the offense being led by NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt’s 18 homers and near .300 average. The return of Adam Wainwright to the rotation and perennial All-Star Nolan Arenado looking like himself again certainly helps, but even as Arenado approaches 80 RBI and 25 HR, the Cardinals have not been able to go on a run. Nolan Gorman has been solid as well, but not enough for St. Louis. Nolan Arenado was named to the All-Star game once again. The Cardinals traded away Jack Flaherty, Jordan Hicks, Jordan Montgomery, and Paul Dejong at the trade deadline as they try to reload. Since we last updated, the Cardinals dropped two of three to the Twins and Rockies before taking two of three from the Rays and splitting a series with the Royals. UP NEXT: This week, the Redbirds play host to both the A’s and the Mets. Stay tuned for the rest of the season for updates on the NL Central.Milwaukee Brewers 65-54
Chicago Cubs 61-57 (3.5 games back)
Cincinnati Reds 62-58 (3.5 games back)
Pittsburgh Pirates 53-65 (11.5 games back)
St. Louis Cardinals 52-66 (12.5 games back)
