It took until basically the end of June, but the Chicago Cubs finally had a bad week during the 2016 MLB season, but was it enough to make them slip out of the No. 1 spot in the MLB Power Rankings?
Things in the National League are starting to get a little closer in terms of the overall standings with the Chicago Cubs and the San Francisco Giants each leading their division by no less than seven games and showing for the majority of the season they are the two teams in the NL to watch for.
That said, the Chicago Cubs finally had a week where they looked normal instead of invincible. They’ve currently lost four of their past 10, plus are on a two-game skid, which is somewhat rare for this year’s team.
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There have been Cubs teams in the past that would have loved to be 4-6 in a 10-game span, but not this year, as they have a chance to end a 108-year World Series champion drought, and thus far they’ve been the class of the entire MLB.
For the week, the Cubs were 1-6, including being swept in a three-game series by their rival St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field,and losing three-of-four to the Miami Marlins, giving Chicago a record of 48-26 overall, still leading the NL Central by nine games headed into Monday’s schedule.
The Giants, on the other hand, are 49-28 overall with a .636 winning percentage, just a tick under what the Cubs have for their winning percentage of .649. There are only two other teams in the majors with a .600 or better winning percentage, and they are in the American League with the Texas Rangers at .645 (49-27) and the Baltimore Orioles at .600 (45-30).
Anyway you look at it, this past week was unexpected with the Cubs playing so poorly when it comes to wins and losses, and though they’ve not been mentioned yet, the Cleveland Indians can’t lose right now with nine straight wins and being 9-1 in their past 10 games, leading the AL Central by five games over the Kansas City Royals with Cleveland having a 44-30 overall record.
This is the time of year where things become a tad more interesting, and it is now OK to not just worry about how your team is playing, but to really start getting to the point where it is a must to demand better play, a coaching change or want to trade to add to your team for even greater success. It is now also time to raise the awareness level up a couple notches as this is the final week of June, and with the season rolling into the month of July on Friday, things will only continue to get more interesting.
Here are this week’s Call to the Pen MLB Power Rankings.
Next: MLB Power Rankings: 30-26