NL Central monthly check-up: Cardinals, Cubs, Brewers and more

Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds

The feel-good story of the league was the Pittsburgh Pirates, who started the season 20-9. Then May hit and things spiraled backward rather quickly. They won just eight games out of 26 in the month. They did not win a single series until they took the first two games of their series in San Francisco to end the month on a good note.

Just what do we make of the Pirates? They looked like a team that was going to be an issue for the rest of the division and NL this season, but they took a step back in May to what were are used to with them. Andrew McCutchen led them with a .293 average and Jack Suswinski led them in home runs with five, but also struck out 35 times. Overall it was a frustrating month offensively. Mitch Keller was the only reason they won eight games as he won four of his five starts with a 3.00 ERA and 53 strikeouts. After that, there’s very little to get excited about.

Don’t look now, but the Cincinnati Reds finished the month with a winning record at 14-13 after taking the final two games of the month at Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox. They begin June just three games out of first place, but let’s be honest, are they really a contender? No, they’re just taking advantage of the worst division in baseball to hang around.

One bright spot in May and through the first two months of the season continues to be Spencer Steer. The power-hitting first baseman had eight doubles, six home runs, and 19 RBI. He finished the month slashing .318/.372/.573. Jonathan India had a good month with four home runs and 13 RBI and had a two-homer game against the Chicago Cubs on May 27. If we’re being honest, and why not, Cincinnati’s pitching staff is not very good. Ben Lively went 3-2 with a 1.99 ERA, however, after that, no other hurler won more than one game.

Between these two teams, the Pirates are the only one of the two that can turn things around and make a run at the Brewers, but the Reds are still the Reds, a team that will finish closer to the basement than the top of the division. Pittsburgh needs to stay afloat until they can get Oneil Cruz back from his injury.

Cardinals and Cubs

Talk about hitting rock bottom. Both the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs end the month bringing up the rear in a division that is very winnable.

The Cardinals looked to turn a corner in mid-May when they swept the Boston Red Sox on the road and climbed out of last place, but they are still stuck in the mud and finished May going 5-5. Nolan Arenado (21 RBIs) and Nolan Gorman (23 RBIs) each had seven home runs in the month and Arenado finished the month hitting .290. The key to getting the Cardinals going offensively is Paul Goldschmidt who had six home runs, but they need more consistency from him.

On the mound Miles Mikolas was 3-0 with a 1.89 ERA with 29 strikeouts in 38 innings, allowing just eight runs. The key to their rotation is Jordan Montgomery who came over from the New York Yankees last summer in a trade deadline deal. He was not good in his five starts, allowing 17 earned runs in 25.1 innings with a 6.04 ERA. Getting him back on track will go a long way toward them getting back in contention in a weak division.

Things with the Cubs have gone from not good to bad. They find themselves passing the Cardinals for last place, they released Eric Hosmer and they went 10-18 in May, which allowed them to slide in the standings. It’s been a combination of offense and pitching that led to them finishing the month with eight more losses than wins.

Seiya Suzuki led the way offensively with five home runs and a .319 average, Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner had solid months at the plate. On the pitching side, Marcus Stroman won three of his six starts and his next start came against the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays when he tossed a complete-game one-hitter with eight strikeouts in a 1-0 victory at Wrigley Field. After that, Drew Smyly won three games, but Jameson Taillon’s struggles continued after signing last winter as a free agent. He finished the month with a 10.90 ERA and 23 runs allowed, 21 earned. If he doesn’t turn things around, then David Ross’s group will be in trouble.

Overall, the NL Central had the month that you thought they would have, a division where everyone is stuck on no man’s land, and the only way to the postseason is by winning the division. A good June, even from the bottom teams can help give their teams a jump-start as the summer approaches in full, even for the Cardinals and Cubs.