The Cubs are making plenty of noise in the National League, and the latest power rankings reflect it. Chicago has climbed to No. 2 in Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter’s rankings after a week that went about as well as a team could ask for.
That surge comes with the Cubs still chasing the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central. Milwaukee has built a five-game cushion in the division, but Chicago has kept itself firmly in the race.
Even if the Cubs don’t reel in the Brewers, they’ve put themselves in strong position for a wild card spot, where they currently sit first. The Arizona Diamondbacks are five and a half games back in second.
Last week gave the Cubs a real boost. They played seven games and came away with a 6-1 record, starting with a sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers in a three-game set. Chicago then took a makeup game from the Toronto Blue Jays before winning two of three against the Kansas City Royals.
Reuter pointed to Pete Crow-Armstrong’s production in particular in explaining the Cubs’ rise.
"The idea that Pete Crow-Armstrong might unseat Shohei Ohtani as NL MVP gets less and less far-fetched with every passing week, especially when PCA's week consists of him going 10-for-29 with two home runs, four steals and 11 runs scored. Kevin Gausman (7.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER) looked the part in his Cubs debut, while Clay Holmes (4 IP, 6 H, 4 ER) shook off the rust in his first MLB appearance since May 15 when he suffered a fractured fibula."
Now Chicago turns to another stretch that could keep this momentum rolling. The Cubs face the Washington Nationals next, and then come a series against the St. Louis Cardinals, a division opponent they can’t afford to take lightly.
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