Welcome to week 9 of our 2026 NL Central Power Rankings — let’s rank some teams!
1. Milwaukee Brewers (30-20); 4-2 this week; 74.6% chance to make postseason (FanGraphs)
The Brewers take over our top spot after a three-game sweep of the Cubs to begin the week. After extending their win streak to four with a series-opening win against the Dodgers on Friday, they dropped the last two games in the series over the weekend.
Jake Bauers, William Contreras, Brice Turang, and Christian Yelich all homered this week, while David Hamilton added a little league homer thanks to an error by Pete Crow-Armstrong. Contreras led the team with 10 hits, followed by Bauers and Jackson Chourio, who had seven each.
Jacob Misiorowski, Kyle Harrison, and Logan Henderson made a trio of scoreless starts for Milwaukee, totaling 18 innings with 26 strikeouts in three wins. Grant Anderson, Trevor Megill, Chad Patrick, Carlos Rodriguez, and Abner Uribe were all scoreless in relief, while Shane Drohan was also solid in cleanup duty, totaling 8 2/3 innings with three runs allowed (two earned) and 12 strikeouts across three relief appearances.
The Brewers now host the Cardinals at home to begin the week before a travel day on Thursday. They’ll head to Houston for the weekend to take on the Astros for three games.
2. St. Louis Cardinals (29-22); 2-3 this week; 31.1% chance to make postseason
The Cardinals went 1-2 as they played host to the Pirates this week before splitting a doubleheader with the Reds on Saturday after Friday night’s game was rained out. They had another rainout on Sunday, giving them just five games this week.
Iván Herrera and Jordan Walker led the offense with a pair of homers each this week, as Walker batted .316/.381/.684 with eight RBIs. Alec Burleson led the squad with eight hits and a .591 OBP, while four others added a homer apiece.
Andre Pallante turned in the best start of the week to pick up a win, going six innings with one run allowed and three strikeouts. Ryan Fernandez, Gordon Graceffo, Matt Pushard, JoJo Romero, George Soriano, and Ryne Stanek all had scoreless weeks for the bullpen, combining for 13 innings with 14 strikeouts.
St. Louis now heads to Milwaukee to take on the Brewers for three games in a series of the top two teams in the division. They then return home to host the Cubs next weekend.
3. Chicago Cubs (29-24); 0-6 this week; 54.3% chance to make postseason
The Cubs remain one of the hottest and coldest teams in baseball, as they’ve now lost eight straight and 12 of their last 14 after rattling off a 10-game win streak to begin May. They were swept by both the Brewers and Astros at Wrigley this week, as they were outscored 34-12 in those games. One more week like this and they could slide even further down the rankings.
Michael Busch, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Dansby Swanson each homered this week, but it was overall a very quiet week for the Cub offense. No player had more than four hits, as Busch led the way with nine total bases via his homer, two doubles, and a single, tacking on four walks for a .400 OBP.
While none of Chicago’s starters had a solid week, the bullpen wasn’t completely terrible. Hoby Milner, Daniel Palencia, Ryan Rolison, Jacob Webb, and Ty Blach (who was promptly DFA’d) combined for 10 scoreless innings and nine strikeouts this week.
Chicago has another big week on deck, as they visit a pair of NL Central foes in the Pirates (four games) and Cardinals (three games) without an off day.
4. Pittsburgh Pirates (27-26); 3-3 this week; 45.2% chance to make postseason
The Pirates took two of three in St. Louis over the Cardinals before dropping two of three in Toronto against the Blue Jays, giving them an even 3-3 road trip.
Spencer Horwitz led the offense with two homers, while Oneil Cruz, Henry Davis, Brandon Lowe, and Esmerlyn Valdez added one each. Lowe led the team with eight hits on the week, while rookie Jhostynxon “The Password” Garcia had five hits over his first 17 career at-bats. Konnor Griffin scored a team-high seven runs, picking up six hits and a pair of steals.
Braxton Ashcraft and Carmen Mlodzinski both turned in solid starts for Pittsburgh this week. Ashcraft went seven innings with one run allowed and nine strikeouts, while Mlodzinski went five scoreless, as both pitchers earned the win. Justin Lawrence and Gregory Soto both tossed a pair of scoreless innings in relief, with Soto collecting the team’s only save and striking out four.
Pittsburgh returns to PNC Park this week, as they’ll host the Cubs for four games before welcoming the Twins to town for three games over the weekend.
5. Cincinnati Reds (27-25); 3-2 this week; 14.3% chance to make postseason
The Reds won two of three in Philadelphia to begin the week before splitting Saturday’s doubleheader with the Cardinals.
Nathaniel Lowe and Sal Stewart each homered twice this week, with Elly De La Cruz adding a homer. Stewart tied with Blake Dunn for the team lead with seven hits on the week, while Lowe led the team with six RBIs.
Chase Burns continues to mow down hitters, with nine strikeouts and one run allowed over six innings in a winning performance this week. Andrew Abbott also earned a win in his start, going 5 1/3 innings with two runs allowed (one earned) with three strikeouts. Tejay Antone, Pierce Johnson, and Sam Moll had scoreless weeks for the ‘pen, with Johnson picking up the team’s other win.
Cincinnati has a quick three-game road trip to New York to face the Mets beginning Monday afternoon. After an off day on Thursday, they return home to host the Braves over the weekend.