Welcome to Week 15 of the 2026 NL Central Power Rankings, and the top of the division is starting to separate itself in a hurry.
Milwaukee keeps sitting in the driver’s seat at 55-33, and the Brewers backed it up with another strong week, going 5-2 while taking three of four from the Reds and then two of three in Arizona against the Diamondbacks. Jackson Chourio and Garrett Mitchell each launched a pair of homers, and Mitchell piled up 10 hits to tie Brice Turang for the team lead.
Mitchell’s week was loud: .526/.571/1.105 with three doubles, a triple, and five RBIs. Joey Ortiz, Jake Bauers, Christian Yelich, and Turang also went deep.
The pitching had plenty of punch, too. Jacob Misiorowski’s line against Cincinnati was a weird one - five runs allowed, but only one earned, across five innings with 10 strikeouts.
Brandon Sproat logged two solid starts on paper, covering 9 1/3 innings and giving up three runs with 11 strikeouts. The bullpen handled the rest, with no reliever allowing more than one earned run.
Aaron Ashby picked up two wins to stretch his league lead to 12, Chad Patrick threw 6 1/3 scoreless innings over three appearances, and Trevor Megill converted all three save chances. Milwaukee now gets a brutal stretch of eight games in seven days, starting with a rare five-game set against the Cardinals before heading to Pittsburgh for three.
St. Louis is the team that moved up behind them.
The Cardinals are 47-40 after a 4-2 week that included series wins over two contenders, taking two of three in Atlanta and then two of three from the Cubs at Wrigley. That head-to-head result is enough to bump them ahead of Chicago here, especially with St.
Louis now 4-2 against the Cubs this season.
The Cardinals got plenty of thump from Nathan Church, who hit three homers, and Jordan Walker kept rolling with two homers, two doubles, and a team-high nine RBIs. Five more players added one homer apiece, and JJ Wetherholt led the club with eight hits in 25 at-bats.
On the mound, Kyle Leahy and Andre Pallante both earned wins with scoreless outings. Leahy worked five innings with six strikeouts, while Pallante went 5 2/3 with two strikeouts.
Michael McGreevy gave them six innings and two runs with three strikeouts, and Matthew Liberatore posted 10 innings over two starts with four earned runs and 12 strikeouts. The bullpen also did its part, with Ryne Stanek, Riley O’Brien, and Ryan Fernandez combining for 7 2/3 scoreless innings and six strikeouts.
St. Louis closes the first half at home against the Brewers and Braves, with eight games coming in the next seven days.
Chicago sits third at 50-40 after a week that was equal parts explosive and ugly. The Cubs blasted the Padres in a three-game sweep capped by a 23-3 win on Wednesday, then turned around and dropped two of three to the Cardinals, including Friday’s 17-1 loss in the opener.
Dansby Swanson stayed scorching for the second straight week, finishing with nine hits, three homers, a double, and 11 RBIs. Michael Busch, Michael Conforto, and Pete Crow-Armstrong each hit two homers, while Seiya Suzuki and Alex Bregman also left the yard.
Shota Imanaga had the strongest week among the starters, making two outings and allowing four runs over 11 innings with 12 strikeouts. In the bullpen, Jacob Webb, Jordan Wicks, and Ryan Rolison each recorded a save, and Webb, Caleb Thielbar, and Gavin Hollowell all finished with scoreless weeks. Chicago heads out on the road for the rest of the first half, with trips to Baltimore and Cincinnati after an off day Monday.
Pittsburgh is hanging around at 46-45 after a 4-3 week against the Phillies and Nationals. The Pirates split four with Philadelphia and then won two of three in Washington over the holiday weekend.
Bryan Reynolds and Endy Rodríguez each homered twice, while Reynolds also finished with eight hits. Nick Gonzales led the club with 13 hits and hit .481/.533/.667 with a homer and two doubles.
Esmerlyn Valdez added 11 hits, including a homer, and three more Pirates also homered once.
The rotation had some solid names in Bubba Chandler, Paul Skenes, and Braxton Ashcraft, but the bullpen was the real story. Jared Jones had the best start of the week, going four innings and allowing one run with six strikeouts.
Then six relievers - Tyler Callihan, Carmen Mlodzinski, Mason Montgomery, Yohan Ramírez, Cam Sanders, and Evan Sisk - teamed up for 13 2/3 scoreless innings and 17 strikeouts. Pittsburgh gets Monday off before finishing the first half at home with three-game series against the Braves and Brewers.
Cincinnati rounds out the division at 41-48 after another rough stretch. The Reds could only salvage the series finales against the Brewers and Orioles, leaving them with a 2-5 week and seven games under .500.
Sal Stewart was the bright spot on offense, slugging .571 with two homers, three doubles, and seven hits. Elly De La Cruz returned from injury and led the team with nine hits, including a homer, while Jose Trevino went 6-for-11 with a homer and a .545 average.
Three other Reds also homered. On the mound, Nick Lodolo delivered two solid outings, covering 11 innings with one run allowed and eight strikeouts.
Chase Burns tossed six quality innings, allowing two runs with four strikeouts in a win over Jacob Misiorowski and the Brewers. Caleb Ferguson and Pierce Johnson both posted scoreless weeks out of the bullpen.
In Other News...
Caleb Durbin Is Suddenly Forcing Brewers Fans To Rethink Everything
Caleb Durbin looked like a rough fit early in the season, the kind of player who could get lost in the shuffle after a trade and leave a front office hoping the rest of the deal carries the load. Through May 23, his bat was buried deep enough in the numbers that it was fair to wonder whether the Brewers had seen the best of him already, especially with third base still a spot where production matters and patience can run thin.
Since June 10, though, Durbin has started to look like a completely different player. He has piled up seven home runs in that stretch and paired the surge at the plate with strong work at third base, turning what once looked like a frustrating early return into one of the more interesting developments on the roster. The bigger question now is whether this is a hot streak or the moment he finally settles in as the player Milwaukee thought it was getting. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Suddenly Face A Bigger Infield Decision Than Anyone Expected
David Hamiltons exit against the Cardinals turned what looked like a routine infield shuffle into a more complicated roster question for Milwaukee. Pat Murphy said the left hamstring tightness could take some time to heal, leaving the Brewers to sort out how they want to cover the spot while Hamilton is out and the rest of the infield keeps moving around.
One name already in the mix is Jett Williams, the clubs No. 5 prospect, who has yet to make his major league debut but has been productive at Triple-A this season. The Brewers have also been using Joey Ortiz at third base with Cooper Pratt at shortstop, so any move would have to fit into a lineup card that is already changing shape as they wait on Hamiltons recovery. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Suddenly Look Linked To A Proven Late-Inning Difference Maker
With the trade deadline approaching, Milwaukees bullpen situation has started to draw more attention, and the search for late-inning help has naturally pushed the Brewers toward the relief market. Boston left-hander Aroldis Chapman has emerged as a name to watch because he has been effective this season, pairing a 2.36 ERA with a high strikeout rate while working in a late-game role for the Red Sox.
For a Brewers club dealing with multiple bullpen injuries, that kind of track record makes obvious sense on paper. Chapman has also piled up 18 saves in 26.2 innings, which only adds to the appeal if Milwaukee decides it needs another arm it can trust in the final innings, though how aggressive the front office wants to be still leaves plenty of room for the deadline to shape the answer. [Read more 🡒]