National League Central Update: Cubs and Cardinals struggling |
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 so far this season.
Vegas picked the Cardinals as the favorite to win a division that featured a lot of roster movement over winter and through Spring. However, as has been the trend over the last few seasons, the NL Central is not cramped with competitiveness the way some of the other divisions have proven to be. At the very least, this division is loaded with talent throughout. We are now through Memorial Day in the MLB season, but as the weather has heated up, the teams in the NL Central have not — we at CUBSHQ are here to break down the action of the NL Central periodically as the season progresses. Here is our sixth 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 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. Plus, Brian Anderson and former Brave catcher William Contreras have been welcome additions thus far. Since we last updated, the Brewers took two of three from the Astros and dropped three of four against the Giants. UP NEXT: This week, the Brewers are on the road in Toronto for three with the Bluejays and then visiting the Reds for four.
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 has them in first place through almost a month of baseball. Bryan Reynolds is once again leading things for the Pirates with 7 home runs and 33 RBI already to go along with a stellar .284 batting average. Jack Suwinski’s 19 home runs lead all rookies last year, and has 11 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. Since we last updated, the Bucs have cooled off, dropping two of three to the Rangers and Mariners.
The Reds are once again expected to be one of the worst teams in the MLB 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 is developing into a young ace. Offensively it has been a mixed bag thus far. Since we last updated, the Reds split four games with the Cardinals and then swept the Cubs over the weekend. UP NEXT: This week, the Reds visit the Red Sox for three at Fenway and then return home to Great American Ballpark for four with the Brewers.
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 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. Marcus Stroman and Justin Steele have been as good as any two starters in baseball, Patrick Wisdom is tied for near the MLB lead in home runs, Nico Hoerner is near the MLB lead in steals, and the Cubs have three qualified players hitting close to .300 and have been very fun to watch so far. 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 Matt Mervis and Christopher Morel — both who have been a nice boost to the struggling squad, especially Morel, who already has nine home runs. Since we last updated, the Cubs took two of three from the Mets and were then swept by the Reds last weekend. UP NEXT: This week, the Cubs finish their home stand against the MLB’s best Rays and then travel to San Diego for four with the Padres. The Cubs took game one from the Rays 1-0, with a one-hitter from Marcus Stroman.
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 has already been relieved of his catching duties. Jordan Walker was their top prospect and was called up to start the season, and has been an absolute stud for them early on. The Cardinals struggled badly out of the gates, despite the offense being led by NL MVP Paul Goldschmidt’s seven homers and plus .300 average. The Cardinals are still below .500 by a healthy margin, but they are the only team in the division that you could confidently say is playing good baseball in May — and the return of Adam Wainwright to the rotation and perennial All-Star Nolan Arenado looking like himself again certainly helps. On the mound, Jack Flaherty, Miles Mikolas, and Jordan Montgomery have been the top three - 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 have struggled again after finally piecing together some wins, this time, splitting four games with the Reds and then dropping two of three against the Guardians over the weekend. UP NEXT: This week, the Redbirds host the Royals for two and then head to Pittsburgh for three with the Pirates over the weekend. Stay tuned all year for updates on the NL Central.Milwaukee Brewers 28-25
Pittsburgh Pirates 26-27 (2.0 games back)
UP NEXT:
This week, the Pirates take on the Giants in San Fran before returning home to host the Cardinals this weekend. The Pirates dropped game one of the series with the Giants.
Cincinnati Reds 24-29 (4.0 games back)
Chicago Cubs 23-30 (5.0 games back)
St. Louis Cardinals 24-32 (5.5 games back)
