Welcome to week 14 of the 2026 NL Central Power Rankings, where the top of the division is starting to separate and the middle is doing everything it can to stay in the hunt.
Milwaukee still sits on top after a 4-2 week that included a sweep of the Reds and then two losses in three games against the Cubs in Milwaukee. The Brewers got power from a few different spots, with William Contreras launching a pair of homers as part of a six-hit week. Jackson Chourio and Brice Turang each piled up seven hits, Sal Frelick chipped in four, and Jake Bauers, Garrett Mitchell, and Gary Sánchez all went deep once.
The pitching staff did plenty of heavy lifting, even if the win column didn’t always show it. Brandon Woodruff delivered 11 2/3 scoreless innings across two starts and struck out 16.
Brandon Sproat went six scoreless with 10 strikeouts, Jacob Misiorowski gave up one run over six innings, Kyle Harrison allowed two runs in five innings, and Shane Drohan logged 4 1/3 scoreless in his outing. In the bullpen, Trevor Megill and Abner Uribe combined for 8 2/3 scoreless innings with seven strikeouts.
Milwaukee now gets the Reds again at home before heading to Arizona to face the Diamondbacks over the weekend.
Chicago made the biggest statement of the week. The Cubs went 6-1, rolling through a four-game sweep of the Mets before taking two of three from the Brewers in Milwaukee.
Dansby Swanson was the loudest bat in the bunch, especially in New York, finishing with seven hits, three homers, and 15 RBIs. Seiya Suzuki added two homers, and Michael Busch, Michael Conforto, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Ian Happ each went yard once.
Nico Hoerner led the club with nine hits, including five doubles.
On the mound, Matthew Boyd returned and worked 4 2/3 scoreless innings with four strikeouts. Colin Rea and David Peterson also posted solid outings, and the bullpen was sharp from top to bottom.
Tyler Ferguson, Caleb Thielbar, Trent Thornton, Vince Velasquez, Jacob Webb, Jordan Wicks, and Bryse Wilson combined for 19 1/3 scoreless innings. The Cubs head back to Wrigley this week for matchups with the Padres and Cardinals.
St. Louis took a step back with a 2-4 week, dropping two of three to both the Diamondbacks and Marlins at home.
The finale against Arizona, originally set for Thursday, was postponed until late July. Offensively, the Cardinals didn’t get much going.
José Fermín and Bryan Torres supplied the only homers of the week, while Lars Nootbaar and JJ Wetherholt tied for the team lead with six hits apiece.
There were still a few bright spots on the pitching side. Michael McGreevy continued to look strong, tossing six scoreless innings with four strikeouts.
Kyle Leahy made two solid starts and finished the week with 11 1/3 innings, one run allowed, and eight strikeouts. Riley O’Brien converted both of his save chances, and JoJo Romero added 3 1/3 scoreless innings over three appearances.
The Cardinals hit the road next, visiting the Braves and Cubs over the holiday weekend.
Pittsburgh kept itself right around .500 with a 3-3 week. The Pirates took two of three from the Mariners, then dropped two of three to the Reds.
Esmerlyn Valdez had the biggest offensive week, going 8-for-15 with three homers, two doubles, and five RBIs. Brandon Lowe and Ryan O’Hearn each hit two homers, and O’Hearn also led the club with 10 hits and nine RBIs.
Nick Gonzales added seven hits, while Jake Mangum and Bryan Reynolds each finished with six.
The pitching staff held up its end, too. Braxton Ashcraft turned in a quality start with one run allowed over six innings and 10 strikeouts, while Bubba Chandler gave up one run in 5 1/3 innings.
Dennis Santana, Yohan Ramírez, Carmen Mlodzinski, Isaac Mattson, and Brandan Bidois combined for 14 2/3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen, striking out 15. Pittsburgh now heads across the state for four games against the Phillies before a trip to D.C. to face the Nationals over the weekend.
Cincinnati went 2-4, taking a sweep at the hands of the Brewers before bouncing back to win two of three in Pittsburgh. Eugenio Suárez, Sal Stewart, Spencer Steer, and Noelvi Marte each homered for the Reds this week, and Stewart also led the offense with seven hits in 25 at-bats. Tyler Stephenson added five hits in just 11 at-bats, good for a .455 batting average, while Jose Trevino went 4-for-8 in a strong week for Cincinnati’s catchers.
Nick Lodolo’s start against Milwaukee was cut short after he was hit by a comebacker, but he still managed four scoreless innings with six strikeouts before exiting. Brock Burke and Tejay Antone anchored the bullpen, combining for seven scoreless innings across eight appearances with eight strikeouts.
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