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

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.