Welcome to week 14 of our 2026 NL Central Power Rankings — let’s rank some teams!
1. Milwaukee Brewers (50-31); 4-2 this week; 97.0% chance to make postseason (FanGraphs)
The Brewers went 4-2 this week, sweeping the Reds before dropping two of three to the Cubs in Milwaukee over the weekend.
William Contreras slugged a pair of homers as part of a six-hit week for the Brewers, while Jackson Chourio and Brice Turang had seven hits each. Sal Frelick added a four-hit week, and Jake Bauers, Garrett Mitchell, and Gary Sánchez each added a homer.
Brandon Woodruff totaled 11 2/3 scoreless innings over his two starts, striking out 16, though he had no wins to show for it. Brandon Sproat went six scoreless with 10 strikeouts, while Jacob Misiorowski went six innings with one run allowed, and Kyle Harrison went five innings with two runs allowed. Shane Drohan also worked 4 1/3 scoreless innings in his start. Trevor Megill and Abner Uribe both had solid weeks for the bullpen, totaling 8 2/3 scoreless innings with seven strikeouts.
Milwaukee plays host to the Reds for the second matchup between the two teams in as many weeks, and they’ll then head to Arizona to take on the Diamondbacks over the weekend.
2. Chicago Cubs (46-38); 6-1 this week; 66.8% chance to make postseason
The Cubs enjoyed a strong bounce-back week, sweeping the Mets in four games before taking two of three from the Brewers in Milwaukee.
Dansby Swanson had a huge week (primarily in New York), with seven hits, including three homers, driving in 15. Seiya Suzuki added a pair of homers, while Michael Busch, Michael Conforto, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Ian Happ added a homer apiece. Nico Hoerner led the team with nine hits, including five doubles.
Matthew Boyd had a scoreless outing in his return to the mound, tossing 4 2/3 innings with four strikeouts. Colin Rea and David Peterson also turned in solid outings, while Tyler Ferguson, Caleb Thielbar, Trent Thornton, Vince Velasquez, Jacob Webb, Jordan Wicks, and Bryse Wilson combined for 19 1/3 scoreless innings in a strong week for the bullpen.
Chicago now returns to Wrigley, where they’ll host the Padres and Cardinals this week.
3. St. Louis Cardinals (43-38); 2-4 this week; 33.3% chance to make postseason
The Cardinals had a bit of a down week, as they lost two of three to both the D-backs and Marlins in St. Louis, with their finale against the Diamondbacks scheduled for Thursday postponed until late July.
José Fermín and Bryan Torres had the Cards’ only homers this week, while Lars Nootbaar and JJ Wetherholt set the pace with six hits apiece in what was a down week overall for St. Louis offensively.
Michael McGreevy continues to impress, as he went six scoreless innings with four strikeouts in his start this week. Kyle Leahy made a pair of solid starts, totaling 11 1/3 innings with one run allowed and eight strikeouts. Riley O’Brien was a perfect 2-for-2 in save chances, and JoJo Romero added 3 1/3 scoreless innings across three appearances.
The Cardinals now head on the road, as they’ll visit the Braves and Cubs this holiday weekend.
4. Pittsburgh Pirates (42-42); 3-3 this week; 35.5% chance to make postseason
The Pirates continue to stay afloat with .500 baseball, as they took two of three against the Mariners but dropped two of three against the Reds over the weekend.
Esmerlyn Valdez set the pace offensively for Pittsburgh, as he went 8-for-15 with three homers, two doubles, and five RBIs. Brandon Lowe and Ryan O’Hearn added two homers each, with O’Hearn leading the team with 10 hits and nine RBIs. Nick Gonzales added seven hits, while Jake Mangum and Bryan Reynolds had six hits each.
Braxton Ashcraft turned in a quality start, allowing one run over six innings with 10 strikeouts, while Bubba Chandler allowed one run over 5 1/3 innings with four strikeouts. Dennis Santana, Yohan Ramírez, Carmen Mlodzinski, Isaac Mattson, and Brandan Bidois combined for 14 2/3 scoreless innings for the bullpen, striking out 15.
Pittsburgh now heads across the state to face the Phillies for four games this week before they head to D.C. to take on the Nationals over the weekend.
5. Cincinnati Reds (39-43); 2-4 this week; 4.8% chance to make postseason
The Reds were swept at the hands of the Brewers this week, but they bounced back to take two of three in Pittsburgh over the weekend.
Eugenio Suárez, Sal Stewart, Spencer Steer, and Noelvi Marte each homered this week for Cincy, with Stewart also leading the offense with seven hits over 25 at-bats. Tyler Stephenson added five hits in just 11 at-bats (.455 batting average), and Jose Trevino went 4-for-8 in what was a strong week for the Reds’ backstops.
Nick Lodolo had a shortened start as he was hit by a comebacker against the Brewers, but he worked a solid four innings with no runs allowed and six strikeouts before his exit. Brock Burke and Tejay Antone led the bullpen, combining for seven scoreless innings over eight appearances, striking out eight.
Cincinnati ends their road trip in Milwaukee with four games against the Brewers before they return home to host the Orioles this weekend.