National League Central Update: Cubs surging, Cardinals in basement |
We are near the end of July 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 ninth NL Central Update of the year.
The Reds were once again expected to be one of the worst teams in the MLB and were, 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 rookie Matt McLain, Spencer Steer, and Jake Fraley have 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 but have still kept up their lead in the NL Central. The Reds took two of three from the Orioles and Padres. Then the Reds swept the Nationals in four games and dropped two of three to the Brewers before the All-Star break. Then the Reds came out of the all-star break with a five-game losing streak, including a sweep at the hands of the Brewers and a four-game split with the Giants. Then Cincinnati took all three from the Diamondbacks before dropping two of three to the Brewers and taking two of three from the Dodgers. UP NEXT: This week, the Reds travel to Wrigley for a pivotal series with the Cubs and then host the Nationals for three over the weekend.
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. But the most significant boost to the Brewers has been Christian Yelich’s resurgence, as he is slashing similar numbers to his peak. The Brewers also sent Devin Williams and Corbin Burnes to the All-Star game a few weeks ago. Since we last updated, the Brewers took three of four from the Mets, two of three from the Pirates, split four with the Cubs, and two of three from the Reds before the All-Star break. Then the Brewers returned, swept the Reds, and took two of three from the Phillies before splitting four with the Braves. Then the Brewers again took two of three from the Reds before getting swept by Atlanta. UP NEXT: This week, the Brewers are in Washington for three games and then host the Pirates for four games over the weekend.
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, and at times it looked bleak. But a torrid hot streak from Cody Bellinger, 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 Phillies swept the Cubs and dropped two of three from Guardians. But the Cubs turned it around from that point, splitting four with the Brewers and then taking two of three from the Yankees heading into the All-Star break. Then, the Cubs dropped two of three to the Red Sox and have not lost a series since. The Cubs then took two of three from the Nationals, swept a two-game set against the White Sox, and took three of four from the Cardinals twice. UP NEXT: This week, the Cubs host the Cincinnati Reds for a pivotal four-game series and then host the Braves for three games over the weekend.
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 once again leading things for the Pirates, Jack Suwinski’s 19 home runs led 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. 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. The Pirates look to be sellers at this year’s deadline, so we will undoubtedly monitor that, and the Pirates sent Mitch Keller and David Bednar both the All-Star game. Since we last updated, the Bucs swept the Padres, but it went downhill. Then the Pirates dropped two of three to the Brewers, dropped three of four against the Dodgers, and dropped two of three against Arizona before the All-Star break. Then the Pirates were swept by the Giants, dropped two of three to the Guardians and Angels, and took two of three from the Padres and Phillies. UP NEXT: This week, the Pirates take on the Tigers for two this week at home and then travel to take on the Brewers on the road.
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 he has been a significant boost to the struggling birds. The Cardinals struggled severely 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. Still, even as Arenado approaches 80 RBI and 25 HR, the Cardinals have not been able to go on a run. Nolan Gorman has also been solid, but not enough for St. Louis. 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. It has been an abysmal season for St. Louis, and it appears inevitable they will look a lot different after next week’s trade deadline. Nolan Arenado was named to the All-Star game once again. Since we last updated, the Cardinals dropped a two of three to the Astros and then took two of three from the Yankees before dropping three of four to the Marlins and took two of three from the White Sox before the All-Star break. Then the Cardinals took two of three from the Nationals before sweeping the Marlins. But then the Cardinals dropped three of four against the Cubs twice and took two of three from the Diamondbacks to finish up July. UP NEXT: The Redbirds play host to the Twins and the Rockies this week. Stay tuned all year for updates on the NL Central.Cincinnati Reds 58-49
Milwaukee Brewers 57-49 (0.5 games back)
Chicago Cubs 53-52 (4.0 games back)
Pittsburgh Pirates 47-58 (10.0 games back)
St. Louis Cardinals 47-60 (11.0 games back)
