Welcome to week 13 of our 2026 NL Central Power Rankings — let’s rank some teams!
1. Milwaukee Brewers (46-29); 3-3 this week; 95.6% chance to make postseason (FanGraphs)
The Brewers played .500 baseball this week, taking two of three against the Guardians in Milwaukee before dropping two of three in Atlanta over the weekend.
William Contreras led the offense with seven hits this week, including a four-hit day on Sunday. For the week, he batted .350/.435/.500. Cooper Pratt also had a nice start to his MLB career, going 7-for-19 with three steals as he has a five-game hit streak through
just six games played. Christian Yelich, Brice Turang, Garrett Mitchell, and Jackson Chourio all homered.
Robert Gasser led the pitching staff with 12 strikeouts over 11 2/3 innings in his two starts this week, allowing two runs (1.54 ERA). Chad Patrick picked up a save and a win in two appearances to bounce back from a rough week, while Jacob Misiorowski and Kyle Harrison both turned in quality starts, though the Crew had no wins to show for it. Trevor Megill, Drew Rom, and Craig Yoho all had scoreless weeks for the bullpen.
The Crew is now headed to Cincinnati for three games with the Reds before an off day on Thursday. They’ll then return home to host the Cubs for the weekend.
2. St. Louis Cardinals (41-34); 3-3 this week; 47.2% chance to make postseason
The Cardinals took two of three at home against the Padres before dropping two of three to the Royals over the weekend for a 3-3 week.
JJ Wetherholt led the offense with 10 hits this week, including a pair of homers and a double. Masyn Winn also had 10 hits, including a homer and two doubles. Alec Burleson and Lars Nootbaar each added seven hits, and Jordan Walker picked up six hits, with Iván Herrera adding the only other homer for the Redbirds.
Dustin May made a pair of strats, and they could not have been more different. He tossed a complete-game shutout against the Padres on Monday, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out nine, but he was roughed up for six runs in just two-plus innings in Sunday’s series finale against the Royals, though his offense backed him to pull out the win. Andre Pallante went seven quality innings with two runs allowed and six strikeouts, while Ryne Stanek and Matt Svanson both had scoreless weeks for the bullpen.
St. Louis doesn’t have to travel far from Kansas City, as they’ll now play host to the D-backs and Marlins this week.
3. Pittsburgh Pirates (39-39); 3-3 this week; 37.9% chance to make postseason
The Pirates took two of three in Sacramento against the A’s but dropped two of three against the Rockies in Denver this weekend for a .500 week.
Bryan Reynolds turned in a huge week offensively, leading the team with 11 hits, including three homers and two doubles, driving in nine. Six other players added a homer apiece, including Spencer Horwitz, Brandon Lowe, and Ryan O’Hearn, who tied with Jake Mangum for second on the team with seven hits each.
Mitch Keller had a bit of an odd line in his appearance, as five runs scored over 5 1/3 innings, but just one of those was earned. He also struck out seven. Paul Skenes took the loss but had a quality start, allowing two runs over six innings with eight strikeouts. Braxton Ashcraft and Bubba Chandler also had quality starts, while Yohan Ramírez led the bullpen with four scoreless innings over three appearances.
After an off day on Monday, Pittsburgh will host the Mariners and Reds over the next week.
4. Chicago Cubs (40-37); 3-2 this week; 45.8% chance to make postseason
The Cubs took two of three against the Rockies at home before splitting two games with the Blue Jays, with Sunday’s series finale rained out and rescheduled for early August.
Pete Crow-Armstrong went off with four homers as part of an 11-hit week, including hitting for the cycle. Carson Kelly went 4-for-8 in limited chances, adding a homer and seven RBIs. Matt Shaw and Dansby Swanson also homered, while Ian Happ added six hits and Seiya Suzuki added eight, including three doubles.
Ben Brown went six innings with two runs allowed and four strikeouts, and Shota Imanaga and Javier Assad also turned in solid starts, going 5 2/3 innings with Imanaga allowing one run and Assad allowing two. Colin Rea went 5 1/3 scoreless innings in his start, and Ryan Rolison, Daniel Palencia, Hoby Milner, Phil Maton, and Gavin Hollowell combined for 8 2/3 scoreless innings for the bullpen.
The Cubs now head back on the road to face the Mets for four games before a visit to the Brewers over the weekend.
5. Cincinnati Reds (37-39); 4-2 this week; 7.6% chance to make postseason
The Reds had a nice week after a disappointing stretch, as they took two of three against the Mets at home before winning two of three against the Yankees in the Bronx over the weekend.
Spencer Steer and Eugenio Suárez each had two homers this week, while JJ Bleday, Tyler Stephenson, and Sal Stewart added a homer each. Stewart drove in a whopping 11 runs this week as part of a seven-hit week, including three doubles. Blake Dunn led the Reds with eight hits, and Edwin Arroyo added six hits.
Brady Singer turned in a solid five-inning outing with one run allowed and five strikeouts, while Chase Burns got a pair of wins, totaling 10 innings with just one run allowed and 14 strikeouts. Andrew Abbott also picked up the win, going five innings with one run allowed and six strikeouts. Tony Santillan went 2-for-2 in save opportunities with no runs allowed over three innings, and Chase Petty, Caleb Ferguson, and Tejay Antone combined for 9 2/3 scoreless innings for the bullpen.
Cincinnati now plays host to the Brewers for three games before an off day on Thursday. They’ll then take a road trip that begins in Pittsburgh for three games over the weekend.
