As we approach the All-Star Break, the Cubs have overtaken the Brewers, followed by the Cardinals; the Pittsburgh Pirates are winning more games than they lose in a week that Neal Huntington has arbitrarily painted as important. The Reds pull in with the five spot in the division.
The National League has mostly held steady over the last month, but with Milwaukee’s slide recently, the door has opened for the Chicago; meanwhile, the other three teams remain a relatively substantial amount of games out of the top spot, even though there’s still time for the Cardinals to catch up.
Chicago Cubs
Actual W/L: 53-38
Pythagorean W/L: 56-35
What’s going right
On the opposite end of the spectrum as the Brewers is the Cubs. Chicago’s wRC+ over the last two weeks with a total of 127, which is third behind the two best offenses in baseball: New York (Yankees) and Boston.
What’s going wrong
By FIP, the Cubs starting rotation is among the worst in baseball. At 4.80, they are sandwiched in 21st place between the Atlanta Braves and the Baltimore Orioles. If there’s a need for the Cubs to fill, perhaps it’s starting pitcher.
Disabled list: Yu Darvish, Drew Smyly, Eddie Butler, Anthony Bass, Brian Duensing, Justin Hancock
Milwaukee Brewers
Actual W/L: 55-41
Pythagorean W/L: 54-40
What’s going right
The Brewers continue to win games at home, going 30-18 so far at Miller Park. Conversely, they’re nearing a .500 record on the road. With that said, this is the way teams make it to the postseason. A major league club wants to win the majority of games at home, while splitting the overall games on the road.
What’s going wrong
Over the last two weeks, the Brewers have had one of the worst wRC+ totals in baseball. Despite ranking fairly well in overall runs scored, Milwaukee’s peripherals are saddling them with a wRC+ of 92, which is 21st in baseball.
Disabled list: Ryan Braun, Zach Davies, Jimmy Nelson, Manny Piña, Brent Suter, Stephen Vogt, Nick Franklin, Matt Albers
St. Louis Cardinals
Actual W/L: 47-46
Pythagorean W/L: 48-44
What’s going right
As a pitching staff since the end of June, the Cardinals have induced some of the softest contact in the league, getting hitters to hit the ball softly 20.7% of the time.
What’s going wrong
As a team, the Cardinals have one of the worst wOBA percentages in the league of late. At .275, they are struggling to get on base more than any of their NL Central counterparts, a number that’s likely contributed to their very average season.
Disabled list: Alex Reyes, Michael Wacha, Adam Wainwright, Tyler O’Neill, Luke Gregerson, Dominic Leone, Tyler Lyons, Ryan Sherriff
Pittsburgh Pirates
Actual W/L: 47-49
Pythagorean W/L: 44-50
What’s going right
In a week that Neal Huntington determined to be more important than any other, the Pirates are actually winning games after failing to do just that so frequently leading up to these eight games. The Pirates are 5-1 this week, and got off on the right foot by taking a series against the Washington Nationals.
What’s going wrong
There’s a lot of confusion about why Austin Meadows is spending so much time on the bench. The concern is that either he needs to be getting major league reps, or he needs to be sent to Triple-A Indianapolis in order to avoid Super 2 status. In a season with ups and downs, and questionable management decisions, this is just another one.
Disabled list: Chad Kuhl, Sean Rodriguez, A.J. Schugel
Cincinnati Reds
Actual W/L: 43-52
Pythagorean W/L: 44-50
What’s going right
If nothing else, this young Reds team is fun. I would suggest that they are considerably more fun than they were supposed to be, and definitely more than how they started the season. Eugenio Suarez will be in Cincinnati for the foreseeable future, as will Joey Votto. There’s still some questions surrounding what will happen with Scooter Gennett. It’s likely he’ll still be traded, but now that the Reds are performing so much better, at the very least the Reds’ FO will have pause in getting rid of Gennett.
What’s going wrong
The bullpen has been greatly struggling lately, and the 19-4 loss to the Cleveland Indians probably didn’t help that much. Over the last two weeks, Cincinnati’s bullpen has produced a 6.91 ERA, which is third to only the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland’s dumpster fire ‘pen.
Disabled list: Homer Bailey, Rookie Davis
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