NL Central Standings Update: Cubs 6.5 games back of Brewers |
Here is our second NL Central update of the year.
Milwaukee has started strongly to open up the 2022 campaign. Like last season, the Brewers are 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. Pair that with a bullpen with Josh Hader is a tough team to beat. Early on, Willy Adames and Rowdy Tellez have led the Brewers offensively. Since we last updated, the Brewers took all three from the Pirates and then took two of three from the Cubs. This week, the Brewers also opened up their series with the Reds with a win. UP NEXT: This week, the Brewers finish hosting the Reds and then travel to Atlanta for three over the weekend.
The St. Louis Cardinals did not make a ton of noise in the offseason, but their 17-game winning streak in September gave them the confidence to have a strong season in 2022. Reuniting Albert Pujols with Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina for one more year mixed with the talent that Arenado, Goldschmidt, Carlson, and O’Neil have given the Cardinals a very potent lineup. Since we last updated, the Cardinals lost two of three to the Mets, split a four-game series with the Diamondbacks, and have split the first two games against the Royals this week. UP NEXT: This week, the Cardinals finish their series with the Royals in St. Louis and then visit the Giants over the weekend in San Francisco.
The Pirates were widely expected to finish last in this division throughout the previous few years, but the progress they have made over the years does not pencil them in as a bottom feeder in this division. So far, the team is around .500 with solid contributions around the field. Bryan Reynolds, Ke’Bryan Hayes, and Daniel Vogelbach have led things for a Pirates lineup scoring more runs than before. Last week, the Brewers swept the Pirates and then lost two of three to the Padres over the weekend. UP NEXT: This week, the Pirates have a doubleheader with the Tigers on Wednesday before heading to Cincinnati for three games.
It was an up and down season for the Chicago Cubs last year, after losing over ten players at the trading deadline and building toward the future. The rebuild is far from over, but the Cubs are now transitioning to a new team, with Marcus Stroman and Nick Madrigal as the main newcomers to go along with the early favorite for rookie of the year: Seiya Suzuki. The Cubs look much different, riding an offense that leans on contact to scoring near the most runs in the MLB thus far. The Cubs have lost two of three to the Braves, two of three to the Brewers, and lost the first game of a midweek series with the White Sox since we last updated. UP NEXT: The Cubs will finish their series with their crosstown rival White Sox before hosting the Los Angeles Dodgers over the weekend.
The Reds have been the MLB’s worst team early on. After nearly making the playoffs and having multiple breakout seasons offensively, the Reds have said goodbye to Nicholas Castellanos, Sonny Gray, Jesse Winker, and Eugenio Suarez, and their lineup has struggled mightily early on. The Reds have not won since we last updated, dropping every game to the Padres and Rockies the previous week — and the first game of their three-game series with the Brewers. UP NEXT: This week, the Reds finish their series with the Brewers before hosting the Pirates over the weekend. Stay tuned all year for updates on the NL Central.Milwaukee Brewers 16-8
St. Louis Cardinals 14-10 (2 games back)
Pittsburgh Pirates 9-14 (6.5 games back)
Chicago Cubs 9-14 (6.5 games back)
Cincinnati Reds 3-20 (12.5 games back)
