Christian Yelich Creative Commons: IDSportsPhoto
The other three teams in the division are given a collective 1.3% chance to win the division.
I had the feeling that the NL Central was morphing into a two-horse race. Well, it turns out I’m not the only one who feels that way. In looking at the CBS Sports MLB standing page, I found the Chicago Cubs are given a 54.1% chance of winning the division while the Brewers are tabbed as having a 43.4 chance. The Reds weigh in with a 1.3% chance with the Cardinals and Pirates receiving zero chance of winning the division.
Honestly, I think the Cubs have a chance to pull away from the Brewers.
Let’s take a look at the bottom three
The St. Louis Cardinals look like a team on the verge of selling. The injury to Willson Contreras may have been the death knell for the Cards’ 2024 season.
Actually, I like the Pirates’ chances of winning the division better than the Reds’ chances. The Pirates have two young studs to head up their rotation and Oneil Cruz is one of the most exciting players in the game.
The Reds pitching has been okay, but injuries have helped slow their offense. Don’t look for that offense to improve substantially this season.
Are the Brewers really this good?
The short answer is I don’t think so. The Brewers have had a favorable early schedule, playing 18 games within the division and have played on three games against the NL East and NL West. However, they have had to deal with Christian Yelich spending some time on the IL with a balky back.
William Contreas has been tearing the cover off the ball, but figures to come back down to earth, at least to some extent. First baseman, Rhys Hoskins has proven to be an excellent free agent signing, slugging nine home runs up to this point.
The pitching has been fair and look for it to go backwards as the season goes on.
Look for the Cubs to add to their roster
The Cubs recently made a move to shore up their bullpen, sending AAA infielder Jake Slaughter to the Mariners for reliever Tyson Miller. Look for bigger moves to come. The Cubs have dealt with the double whammy of a ton of injuries and a brutal schedule. Even the pitching matchups have been extraordinarily tough.
For example, in three consecutive games, the Cubs faced Dylan Cease, Jared Jones and Paul Skenes. Ouch. The Cubs have hung the race very well, all things considered. Missing the playoffs by one game last season should motivate the organization to do whatever is necessary to make sure that doesn’t happen again.
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