The Brewers keep setting the pace in the NL Central, and this week only strengthened that grip. Milwaukee went 4-2, opened by taking two of three from the Mets in New York, then came home and handled the Rangers in another 2-1 series win. That marked the Brewers’ ninth straight home series victory, and they head into a key run of division games with a 85-52 record and a 100.0% postseason chance, according to FanGraphs.
Jackson Chourio was the biggest bat in the lineup, launching three homers as part of a seven-hit week. He drove in seven runs and chipped in a stolen base, while William Contreras, Gary Sánchez, and Brice Turang also went deep. Christian Yelich stayed busy too, piling up seven hits with three doubles.
The pitching staff did its part as well. Shane Drohan, Kyle Harrison, and Logan Henderson all posted strong one-run outings, with Henderson delivering the cleanest line of the group: seven innings, seven strikeouts.
Robert Gasser stepped in after Dustin May was knocked out one pitch into Wednesday’s game and gave Milwaukee exactly what it needed, working 5 1/3 innings with one run allowed and six strikeouts. Out of the bullpen, Aaron Ashby, DL Hall, Antonio Senzatela, and Bryse Wilson combined for 11 2/3 scoreless frames and 13 strikeouts.
Trevor Megill also logged 2 1/3 innings, allowing only the Manfred runner in a walk-off loss to the Mets.
Now the Brewers dive into a stretch that will tell plenty about the division race, with their next 16 games all coming against the Cubs, Reds, and Pirates. It starts with four games at Wrigley against Chicago, then shifts to Cincinnati for three more against the Reds.
Chicago’s week was the opposite story. The Cubs slipped to 2-4, losing two of three in Arizona before coming home and dropping two of three to Cincinnati.
Even so, Pete Crow-Armstrong kept making a loud case for NL MVP. He racked up nine hits, five homers, and a double, driving in eight runs in the process.
Carson Kelly added two homers of his own, and Seiya Suzuki turned in a big week with nine hits, four doubles, a homer, and five RBIs. On the mound, Kevin Gausman picked up both wins from the rotation, giving up five runs over 12 innings with 13 strikeouts. Matthew Boyd worked six innings and allowed one run, Clay Holmes spun seven scoreless frames, and Colin Rea, Ryan Rolison, and Caleb Thielbar combined for 4 2/3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen.
The Cubs now get the Brewers for four games at home before heading to Miami for a three-game weekend series against the Marlins.
St. Louis is sliding further back in the Wild Card chase after another rough week.
The Cardinals went 2-4, dropping two of three at home to both the Orioles and Pirates. The offense did at least show some punch: Joshua Báez, Nathan Church, Jimmy Crooks, Nolan Gorman, Blaze Jordan, and Ramón Urías all homered.
Iván Herrera and Jordan Walker tied for the team lead with six hits apiece, and Bryan Torres was 5-for-6 in limited action.
Quinn Mathews picked up his first MLB win, striking out seven over 5 2/3 innings while allowing one run. Gordon Graceffo also gave St.
Louis quality work across two appearances, one of them a start, totaling five scoreless innings with seven strikeouts. Ryne Stanek and Cade Winquest led the bullpen effort with 4 1/3 scoreless innings and six strikeouts combined.
Next up for the Cardinals is a West Coast trip, with three games each against the Dodgers, Rockies, and Giants over the next week and a half.
Pittsburgh put together one of the more surprising weeks in the division, going 4-2 by taking two of three from both the Padres and Cardinals on the road. Esmerlyn Valdez powered the offense with two homers, while Jared Triolo chipped in eight hits and a homer. Brandon Lowe, Rafael Flores, and Oneil Cruz also homered, and Bryan Reynolds added seven hits.
The pitching was steady enough to back it up. Braxton Ashcraft made two starts and totaled 11 innings with three runs allowed and five strikeouts.
Bubba Chandler worked 5 2/3 innings and allowed two runs, Lake Bachar gave up one run over 3 2/3 innings, and Paul Skenes threw six scoreless innings with four strikeouts. In relief, Noah Murdock, Evan Sisk, Mason Montgomery, and Gregory Soto combined for 10 1/3 scoreless innings and 11 strikeouts, with Montgomery collecting two saves.
The Pirates return home this week to host the Giants and Angels.
Cincinnati managed a .500 week, even if the bigger picture still looks bleak. The Reds lost two of three in San Francisco, then came to Wrigley and won two of three from the Cubs.
Sal Stewart was the offensive star, blasting four homers while posting eight hits, seven RBIs, and six runs scored. Héctor Rodríguez added three homers in a seven-hit week, Tyler Stephenson had eight hits with a pair of homers and a pair of doubles, and Elly De La Cruz led the team with 11 hits, including three doubles.
The pitching staff didn’t offer much to hang its hat on, but Emilio Pagán was effective in relief, making four appearances, allowing one run, and striking out three over four innings while collecting three saves. Brock Burke and Pierce Johnson also combined for three scoreless innings with four strikeouts.
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