Welcome to week 25 of the 2026 NL Central Power Rankings, and the race at the top is basically over. Milwaukee has punched its ticket, Chicago is still hanging around in the Wild Card picture, and the rest of the division is trying to finish with something to show for it.
The Brewers sit in the driver’s seat after a 5-1 week that included a sweep of the Cubs and two wins in three games over the Reds. Milwaukee is now 93-57, has already locked up a postseason berth, and needs just two more wins to clinch the NL Central.
William Contreras was the main engine for the offense, launching three homers and driving in 12 runs. Jake Bauers, Jackson Chourio, Garrett Mitchell, and Brice Turang each added two homers, while Chourio finished with a team-best 13 hits, including three doubles.
The pitching was just as steady. Robert Gasser, Logan Henderson, Jacob Misiorowski, and Dustin May combined for 27 innings across five starts, with Gasser making two of them.
That group gave up only three earned runs and struck out 31. Garrett Stallings also chipped in three shutout innings to earn a save in Milwaukee’s 20-0 rout of Cincinnati, and JoJo Romero, Chad Patrick, and DL Hall all turned in scoreless work as well.
Now the Brewers head out for their final road trip of the season, with stops in Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Philadelphia.
Chicago is still in the mix for the top NL Wild Card spot after going 2-4 on the week and moving to 83-67. The Cubs opened by getting swept by Milwaukee, then recovered enough to take two of three from Pittsburgh at Wrigley Field.
Pedro Ramírez led the offense with two homers and two doubles, while Alex Bregman paced the club with eight hits, including a homer and three doubles. Michael Busch, Miguel Amaya, and Pete Crow-Armstrong also went deep.
On the mound, Shota Imanaga delivered Chicago’s only quality start of the week, working six innings and allowing two runs while striking out four. David Peterson gave the Cubs 4 1/3 innings with one run allowed and four strikeouts, and the bullpen handled the rest with 11 1/3 scoreless innings.
Javier Assad, Aaron Civale, Colin Rea, Ryan Rolison, and Trent Thornton all contributed to that stretch, and the group combined for 11 strikeouts. The Cubs now get the Braves at home before heading to Cincinnati for three games.
Pittsburgh spent the entire week in Chicago and came away with a 4-2 record, sweeping the White Sox before dropping two of three to the Cubs. At 75-75, the Pirates are on pace to finish at or above .500 for the first time since 2018.
Oneil Cruz, Rafael Flores, Ryan O’Hearn, Bryan Reynolds, and Esmerlyn Valdez all homered, with Cruz leading the way on offense with nine hits and five RBIs. Flores added eight hits of his own.
The rotation got a lift from Jared Jones, who threw seven scoreless innings and allowed just one hit and two walks while striking out eight. Lake Bachar continued in an opener role with 1 2/3 scoreless innings, and Paul Skenes worked seven innings while giving up two runs and striking out four.
Mason Montgomery handled the late innings well, collecting three saves over three scoreless frames. Pittsburgh now comes home for its final homestand, with the Brewers, Royals, and Cardinals all coming to town.
St. Louis went 2-4 and dropped to 74-76 after a week that started with a sweep at the hands of the Giants in San Francisco before the Cardinals took two of three from the White Sox at home.
Leo Bernal led the club with two homers in a six-hit week, adding a double and driving in seven. Alec Burleson supplied the only other homer, and he also doubled twice and drove in six.
Joshua Báez and Nathan Church each chipped in three doubles.
Michael McGreevy made two solid starts, covering 12 2/3 innings with four runs allowed, three earned, and 10 strikeouts. Quinn Mathews went six innings with two runs allowed and four strikeouts, Andre Pallante worked five innings with one run allowed and four strikeouts, and Kyle Leahy logged three scoreless innings with four strikeouts.
Luis Gastelum, Gordon Graceffo, and Ryne Stanek combined for 11 scoreless innings out of the bullpen, striking out 11. The Cardinals finish their last homestand of the year with the Giants and Nationals visiting for three games each.
Cincinnati had another rough stretch, going 1-5 after being swept by the Dodgers in Los Angeles and losing two of three to Milwaukee, though they did salvage Sunday’s finale. The Reds are now 70-79 and out of postseason contention.
Elly De La Cruz and Eugenio Suárez each hit three homers this week, and De La Cruz added three doubles as part of a nine-hit showing. Juan Brito also went deep, while Sal Stewart collected seven hits, all of them singles.
Chase Burns was one of the few bright spots for Cincinnati’s pitching staff, making two starts and totaling six innings with two runs allowed and 10 strikeouts. Tejay Antone, Brock Burke, and Emilio Pagán combined for six scoreless innings out of the bullpen, striking out four.
In Other News...
Brewers Fans Had One Immediate Concern After Garrett Mitchells Early Exit
Garrett Mitchells early exit in the Brewers game against the Reds sent a ripple through the fan base almost immediately, but Pat Murphy said the center fielder was pulled as a precaution after his blood sugar got too high. Mitchell, who has Type 1 diabetes and wears an insulin pump during games, left after going 0-for-2 with a walk, and the explanation was enough to calm the first wave of concern around his availability.
For Milwaukee, the episode was a reminder of how carefully Mitchells situation has to be monitored even on a routine night in the middle of the schedule. Murphy also weighed in on the bullpen and the teams recent stretch of games, but the larger focus after Mitchells departure was simply making sure this was a health issue being managed the right way, not a setback that would linger. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Suddenly Have A Luis Lara Decision That Wont Go Away
Luis Laras extended look while Sal Frelick was sidelined gave the Brewers a better read on what he can offer, and it was more than just a placeholder run. Over 125 plate appearances, Lara hit .259/.328/.375, enough to keep him in the conversation as a useful piece even after Frelick returned. Since then, his role has shifted into something more platoon-based, with the Brewers splitting his chances nearly evenly against right- and left-handed pitchers in a way that is a little unusual for a switch-hitter.
Lara has still managed to keep his on-base percentage at .333 lately, helped along by coaching decisions and the defensive value he brings to the roster. The larger takeaway is that Milwaukee keeps leaning into a merit-based approach with both Lara and Frelick, which is good process but also leaves a tricky question hanging over how much runway Lara is really going to keep getting as the roster gets healthier and the games matter more. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Trade Is Already Raising Questions About Their Catching Bet
The Brewers catching picture has shifted again after their deal with Cleveland brought Bo Naylor into the organization, a move that immediately invited scrutiny because of what Milwaukee gave up to get him. Craig Yoho and Blake Perkins went to the Guardians, with Codi Heuer later flipped to Baltimore for cash, and the early returns have only sharpened the debate around whether the Brewers made the right bet at a position that has been hard to settle.
Yoho has been productive for Cleveland, which has only added to the sense that the Guardians came out ahead in the short term. Naylor, meanwhile, has logged only limited major league time in Milwaukee but has shown enough promise in Triple-A to keep the long view alive, leaving the Brewers to wait and see whether the trade starts looking different as his role grows. [Read more 🡒]