NL Central Standings Update: Reds, Cubs sizzling while Cardinals still terrible |
The 2023 regular season is now underway, and what an exciting start to the year it has been. Baseball has undergone some rule changes to speed up the game and increase action, but there has been no shortage of storylines in the league and the NL Central this season. Vegas picked the Cardinals as the favorite to win a division featuring a lot of roster movement over winter and spring.
Midway through June in the MLB season, the NL Central is getting very interesting. In just the last week, three separate teams have held possession of first place — and we at CUBSHQ are here to break down the action of the NL Central periodically as the season progresses. Here is our seventh NL Central Update of the year:
The Reds were once again expected to be one of the worst teams in the MLB early on, entirely in another rebuild. Joey Votto is the only recognizable name on a team with 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 is developing into a young ace in baseball. However, the last month has been a different story for Cincy. Elly De La Cruz has burst onto the scene and turned heads, and players like Matt McLain and TJ Friedl have stepped up offensively. Since we last updated, the Reds took two of three from the Red Sox, dropped three of four to the Brewers, took two of three from the Dodgers, and have rattled off eight straight wins over the Cardinals, Royals, and Astros to surge toward the top of the NL Central. UP NEXT: The Reds host the Rockies and the Braves in Cincinnati this week. The Red Sox for three at Fenway and then return home to Great American Ballpark for four with the Brewers. The Reds started the series with the Rockies with a 5-4 win.
Like last season, the Brewers were constructed to prevent runs, not score them. The Brewers are boosted by the excellent pitching staff of Freddy Peralta, Brandon Woodruff, and Corbin Burnes — a three-headed monster that stacks up against anybody in the National League. But just like last season, the Brewers have faced some injuries lately in the pitching staff. 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. Brian Anderson and former Brave catcher William Contreras have been welcome additions thus far. Since we last updated, the Brewers dropped two of three from the Blue Jays, took three of four from the Reds and two of three from the Orioles, and were swept by both the A's and the Brewers before sweeping the Pirates in three games. UP NEXT: This week, the Brewers host the Diamondbacks and are then on the road in Cleveland for three with the Guardians. The Brewers fell to the D-Backs 9-1 on Monday.
The Pirates were widely expected to finish last in this division throughout the last few years, but their progress over the years does not pencil them in as a bottom feeder in this division. Their strong start to the 2023 season had them in first place through almost a month of baseball. Bryan Reynolds is leading things for the Pirates with eight home runs and 40 RBI already, with a stellar .277 batting average. Jack Suwinski's 19 home runs led all rookies last year, and he has 15 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. O'Neil Cruz was expected by many to take a giant leap this season, but he is on the injured list. Mitch Keller and Vince Velasquez have been the Bucs' best starters, and David Bednar is still closing things down in All-Star fashion. Since we last updated, the Bucs have cooled off in a big way, taking two of three from the Giants and sweeping the Cardinals, but then dropped two of three to the A's, took two of three from the Mets, and were then swept by both the Cubs and the Brewers. UP NEXT: This week, the Pirates take on the Cubs at home and then head to Miami for four over the weekend. The Bucs dropped the first game against the Cubs 8-0.
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 Trey Mancini, Eric Hosmer, Cody Bellinger, Tucker Barnhart, Jameson Taillon, Brad Boxberger, and Michael Fulmer over the offseason to improve the team — plus the big ticket item of 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. However, bullpen struggles and the bottom half of the lineup being nonexistent has turned the Cubs fans from excited to panic. The Cubs have even looked to Iowa for some reinforcements as the season comes into swing, like Christopher Morel, who has been a nice boost to the struggling squad. The Cubs had some injuries, but as they've gotten healthy — they've gotten hot. Since we last updated, the Cubs took two of three from the Rays, split four with the Padres, were swept by the Angels, took two of three from the Giants, swept the Pirates, and took two of three from the Orioles. UP NEXT: This week, the Cubs head to Pittsburgh for three. They won game one 8-0. Then the Cubs head to London for a series with the St. Louis Cardinals.Cincinnati Reds 38-35
Milwaukee Brewers 37-35 (0.5 games back)
Pittsburgh Pirates 34-37 (3.0 games back)
Chicago Cubs 34-38 (3.5 games back)
St. Louis Cardinals 30-43 (5.5 games back)
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 much noise in the offseason but acquired former Cub Willson Contreras as their new catcher. However, less than a month into the season, he has already been relieved of his catching duties.
Jordan Walker was their top prospect and was called up to start the season, and he has been a significant boost to the struggling birds.
The Cardinals struggled badly out of the gates, despite the offense being led by NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt's 12 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. Still, even as Arenado approaches 50 RBI and 15 HR, the Cardinals have not been able to go on a run.
Jack Flaherty, Miles Mikolas, and Jordan Montgomery have been the top three on the mound but have faced their fair share of struggles so far. Flaherty is starting to come back into form, though.
Since we last updated, the Cardinals split two with the Royals, were swept by the Pirates, dropped two of three to the Rangers, and the Giants swept the Reds and took two of three from the Mets.
UP NEXT: This week, the Redbirds travel to DC for three with the Nationals and then head to London for a series with the C bs. The Cards won game one 8-6 over the Nats.
Stay tuned all year for updates on the NL Central.
