Every day, Pinstripe Alley offers updates on what the Yankees’ top American League opponents are up to through the Rivalry Roundup. The AL East is well-trodden ground there, but with the season’s final month upon us, we’re going to take a peek around MLB as a whole and check in with each of the other five divisions. Who’s surprising? Who’s underwhelming? Who’s simply mediocre at the moment? Read on and find out.
(Note: Records and standings are up to date through games played on Sunday, August 31st.)
First Place: Milwaukee Brewers (85-53)
Top Position Player: Brice Turang (3.9 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: Freddy Peralta (3.2 fWAR)
Record in August: 21-9
In no uncertain terms, August of 2025 belonged to the Milwaukee Brewers. They started the month by rattling off a 14-game winning streak—their second double-digit heater of the season and the longest in franchise history. Those two weeks of perfection helped give them some serious separation from the Cubs in the divisional fight and put them in great position to finish as a top-two seed in the National League bracket. The Brewers would know better than anyone how important that first-round bye is: their last two seasons have ended in the Wild Card round despite back-to-back NL Central titles.
The Crew still employ their greater-than-the-sum-of-their-parts style, but it’s been supercharged in 2025. Rookies Isaac Collins and Caleb Durbin as well as White Sox cast-off Andrew Vaughn have helped transform Milwaukee’s offense into the best run-scoring unit in the Senior Circuit. As if that weren’t enough (and it probably wouldn’t be alone), the Brewers’ pitching factory is at it again with guys like Quinn Priester, Chad Patrick, and the can’t-miss star power of Jasob Misiorowski. I still can’t prognosticate with any kind of certainty how far this squad could go in October, but they should certainly be a tougher out than in prior seasons. Having a white-hot Christian Yelich in the middle of their lineup should help their chances significantly.
Second Place: Chicago Cubs (78-59)
Top Position Player: Pete Crow-Armstrong (5.3 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: Matthew Boyd (3.5 fWAR)
Record in August: 15-14
The Cubs had to be looking up at the Brewers every day and going “seriously? Again??” Chicago has experienced some ill-timed regression, particularly on offense, while their bitter rivals have soared in the division race. At the very least they are virtual locks to make the postseason via the Wild Card round, but some anxiety is understandably percolating in Wrigleyville.
For one, what happened to Pete Crow-Armstrong? The center fielder is still the team’s most valuable position player, but that’s in spite of a disastrous August which saw him hit .160/.216/.446. He’s still a top-flight defender, but good grief. The Cubs are hoping this kind of slide isn’t indicative of immediate regression in his breakout campaign. There’s also no shortage of question marks in the pitching staff behind ace Matthew Boyd, but rookie right-hander Cade Horton has been a godsend, with a 2.92 ERA in his first 19 starts. The Cubbies have essentially played .500 ball since the All-Star break, but they’re presently still in a position to host a playoff series at Wrigley Field.
Third Place: Cincinnati Reds (69-68)
Top Position Player: Elly De La Cruz (3.9 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: Andrew Abbott (3.3 fWAR)
Record in August: 12-15
Ah, the Redlegs. Very frequently an entertaining watch…if you aren’t a fan of them, that is. Cincinnati rode the roller coaster in August, which had the effect of taking them further away from a playoff spot in a quickly-stratifying NL Wild Card race. They followed up a 7-3 stretch by dropping eight of their next 10 contests to quickly wind up right back where they started: hovering around .500.
While the Reds’ rotation has turned into quite a force, the offense has failed to take a step forward in 2025. Andrew Abbott, Nick Lodolo, and Hunter Greene have routinely turned in tremendous efforts, but as their records indicate, they don’t typically get a ton of support. Elly De La Cruz is still a highlight machine, but beyond him Terry Francona has had to rely on old friend Miguel Andújar to provide any kind of punch. It’s ironic considering Great American Ball Park’s reputation as a bandbox, but the hitting has fallen far behind the benchmark set by Reds pitching this year.
Fourth Place: St. Louis Cardinals (68-70)
Top Position Player: Masyn Winn (3.5 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: Sonny Gray (2.9 fWAR)
Record in August: 13-15
The second half used to be where the Cardinals of yesteryear made their hay, but it’s been a chilly summer for the Redbirds in 2025. They’re 17-25 since the break, and their -58 run differential hints at bigger issues. The middle of the pack has always been an awkward place for a team to occupy, and as St. Louis waits for their next youth movement to arrive, they’re stuck in stasis.
Their best hitter this year, Brendan Donovan, hit the skids before hitting the IL early in August. Matthew Liberatore, who looked to be on the cusp of a breakout in the rotation, has regressed to the mean. The once-promising Jordan Walker has bottomed out this year. There’s still a solid collection of veterans and defensive stalwarts raising this team’s floor and preventing a repeat of their nightmare 2023, but this old bird’s wings are getting heavier. It’s past time for some new blood to join the flock.
Fifth Place: Pittsburgh Pirates (61-77)
Top Position Player: Oneil Cruz (1.9 fWAR)
Top Pitcher: Paul Skenes (5.5 fWAR)
Record in August: 14-15
Here we are again. Even with the ascendance of America’s biggest pitching talent in who knows how long, competing for the postseason is still decidedly out of the question for these Buccos. There’s always a few new faces who pull you back in and make you think “what if”. Top pitching prospect Bubba Chandler was called up late this month to inject a little bit of intrigue into this dying club, but it’s not going to change the broader results. This team still stinks.
Paul Skenes is spectacular, make no mistake. He’s challenging for his first Cy Young award in his second season, and he may well get it. But the discussion around baseball has generally been about where Skenes might end up in a few years when he gets sick of losing, not whether the Pirates will return to contention soon. Individual players just don’t factor into team success that much in this sport. You have to build the entire boat. And preferably staff said boat with a capable crew. The Pirates have essentially only built the sails. Only the winds can propel this team forward, and in this exhausting extended metaphor, they are surrounded by rocky shores. I think you get the picture.
