Welcome to week 18 of our 2026 NL Central Power Rankings — let’s rank some teams!
1. Milwaukee Brewers (66-39); 4-2 this week; 99.8% chance to make postseason (FanGraphs)
The Brewers continue to set the pace in the division, as they went 4-2 with a pair of series wins against the Mets and Rockies to wrap up a 7-2 homestand.
Cooper Pratt set the pace offensively, as the rookie led the team with nine hits, including the first two homers of his career to go with a double and a pair of steals. He also drove in a team-high six runs. Andrew Vaughn added two homers of his own, while Joey Ortiz, Brice Turang, and Christian Yelich each had one. Rookie Luis Lara also had a big weekend, picking up four hits, including three doubles, and driving in five.
Jacob Misiorowski continues to dominate opposing lineups, as he picked up an incredible 18 strikeouts in just nine innings of work this week, allowing two runs (one earned). Robert Gasser went six frames with two runs allowed, striking out four in a win, while Logan Henderson went five frames and struck out nine with two runs allowed in his outing. Aaron Ashby, Abner Uribe, and Craig Yoho totaled 7 1/3 scoreless innings for the bullpen, striking out nine.
Milwaukee now heads out west, as they’ll visit the Giants and Angels for a pair of three-game series through the weekend.
2. Chicago Cubs (59-46); 3-3 this week; 87.4% chance to make postseason
The Cubs went 3-3 this week, dropping two of three against the Tigers before taking two of three against the Pirates.
Seiya Suzuki led the Cubs with three homers but had just one hit outside of that, batting .160 for the week, while Pete Crow-Armstrong continues to build an MVP case as he led the team with nine hits, including seven extra-base hits (three doubles, two triples, and two homers), slashing .391/.517/.957. Michael Busch added eight hits, including a homer, and Ian Happ and Michael Conforto also homered.
Shota Imanaga and David Peterson both turned in scoreless starts, as Imanaga went six frames with four strikeouts and Peterson went 6 2/3 innings with four strikeouts. Matthew Boyd went seven innings with one run allowed and four strikeouts, and Javier Assad and Gavin Hollowell each earned a save this week. Caleb Thielbar and Jacob Webb combined for 4 1/3 scoreless innings with five strikeouts for the bullpen.
Chicago now heads to St. Louis for a four-game set with the rival Cardinals before returning home to host the Yankees over the weekend.
3. Pittsburgh Pirates (54-52); 2-4 this week; 41.5% chance to make postseason
The Pirates had a rough week, dropping both of their series against the Yankees and Cubs for a 2-4 stretch.
Esmerlyn Valdez picked up two homers this week, while Nick Gonzales led the squad with nine hits, including a homer. Ryan O’Hearn added six hits, including a homer, and Jake Mangum also picked up six hits.
Bubba Chandler and Mitch Keller turned in the best starts of the week for Pittsburgh. Chandler went 6 1/3 innings with no runs and five strikeouts, while Keller went five scoreless frames with six strikeouts. Jared Jones added six innings of one-run ball with five strikeouts. Wilber Dotel, Dennis Santana (who was DFA’d this week), and Gregory Soto totaled seven scoreless innings with seven strikeouts out of the bullpen.
Pittsburgh will stay home to host the D-backs for three games before heading to Cincinnati to take on the Reds for four games over the weekend.
4. St. Louis Cardinals (53-52); 2-5 this week; 19.0% chance to make postseason
The Cardinals had a busy week without much success. They dropped two of three against the lowly Angels in Los Angeles before hosting the D-backs for a makeup game on Thursday, losing 10-6. They then lost two of three to the Reds over the weekend.
Iván Herrera and JJ Wetherholt had the only homers of the week for St. Louis, while Alec Burleson raked his way to 12 hits, including three doubles. Jordan Walker added six hits, and Bryan Torres had three hits in just seven at-bats, driving in three.
Andre Pallante and Hunter Dobbins each picked up a win in their starts this week, with Pallante going seven scoreless with eight strikeouts and Dobbins spanning six scoreless innings with five strikeouts. Dustin May added a quality start with one run allowed over six innings, and Scott Blewett and Ryne Stanek totaled five scoreless innings with five strikeouts for the bullpen.
St. Louis now hosts their rival Cubs for four games before a visit to the Blue Jays for three games over the weekend.
5. Cincinnati Reds (49-55); 4-2 this week; 2.1% chance to make postseason
The Reds went 4-2 this week, as they’re now 6-3 out of the break after taking two of three against both the Mariners and Cardinals.
Elly De La Cruz and Eugenio Suárez both slugged a pair of homers this week, while JJ Bleday, Ke’Bryan Hayes, Sal Stewart, and Nathaniel Lowe added one each. Lowe also led the team with six hits as the only player to bat over .300 this week.
Chase Burns had another strong start, totaling five innings with no runs allowed and six strikeouts. Andrew Abbott made a pair of starts, spanning 12 innings with three runs allowed (two earned) and a team-high 10 strikeouts, while Emilio Pagán led the bullpen with three scoreless innings to pick up a trio of saves.
The Reds head back home to host the Guardians and Pirates over the next week.
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