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Reds, Pirates, Brewers, Cardinals, Cubs: The good, bad, and injured

By Beau Adams |
CINCINNATI, OHIO - JUNE 23: Elly De La Cruz #44 of the Cincinnati Reds reacts after stealing second base in the fifth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Great American Ball Park on June 23, 2023 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OHIO - JUNE 23: Elly De La Cruz #44 of the Cincinnati Reds reacts after stealing second base in the fifth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Great American Ball Park on June 23, 2023 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
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June is getting hot, and the MLB is heading into the dog days of summer. This is the time of year when baseball gets intricate. Teams have established themselves and shown who is who. Heading to the All-Star break, they start to make adjustments, buyers and sellers become evident, and the top teams will get targets painted on their backs.

The good becomes significant, the bad have to adjust, and the injuries throw wrenches into the plan constantly. So let’s look at the good, the bad, and the injured in the MLB’s wildest division, the NL Central.

The good in the NL Central

The Cincinnati Reds were 27-34 and trailing in the NL Central on June 6. That day they called up the organization’s top prospect, a 6-foot-5 Dominican shortstop named Elly De La Cruz would start at third base that night and doubled in his very first at-bat. Since that moment, the NL Central became the Reds to lose.

The Reds have gone 14-1 since calling up De La Cruz and are currently riding a 12-game winning streak. De La Cruz has been stunning in his MLB debut, hitting .361 with three home runs and seven stolen bases.

He hit for the cycle in his 15th major league game, the third fastest to do that since 1900. Seven stolen bases in 61 at-bats have rocketed him up the MLB’S most-wanted thieves list. Welcome to superstardom, Elly De La Cruz, all of Ohio has been waiting for you.

Finally, there is excitement in Cincinnati baseball for the first time in decades; with fellow rookies Spencer Steer and Matt McLain excelling, the Reds are now a contender. Steer is one of the contenders in the NL Rookie of the Year race. He is on pace to have a 20/20 year with 100 runs and RBI. McLain is getting on base a lot, hitting .306 with an OPS of .842. The Reds’ trio of All-Star rookies have a combined wRC+ of 422. For comparison, the Padres’ trio of Tatis/Soto/Machado have a wRC+ of 402.

The Cubs have a tremendous three-ace rotation. Drew Smyly (7-4), Marcus Stroman (9-4), and Justin Steele (8-2) have a combined WAR of 6.5. All three of them hold a WHIP under 1.25 and could see multiple 20-game winners by the season’s end.

The Cubs have worked out the early season kinks and are ready to be contenders. Adding some offensive firepower before the deadline could push the surging Cubs to a wild-card position. Kris Bryant from the Rockies could be the perfect reunion the Cubs need.

Jun 19, 2023; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Rowdy Tellez (11) reacts after striking out in the fifth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 19, 2023; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Rowdy Tellez (11) reacts after striking out in the fifth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports /

The bad in the NL Central

Despite leading the NL Central most of the season and sitting in second place currently, the Milwaukee Brewers are bad. They are the worst in the NL in average as a team at .227, hits (557), and runs (305). They are second from the bottom in strikeouts and hold a minus-20 run differential on the season.

Luck will only get you so far in baseball, and it appears Milwaukee’s early season luck is running out. Rowdy Tellez hit eight home runs in April; since May, he only has hit four, and zero in June. Third baseman Brian Anderson was hitting .255 going into May and has dropped his average to .223 since then. He is hitting .177 with one homer in June.

The Brewers are still just three games down for a Wild Card spot, but with the Cubs pitching coming on and the Reds being red hot, it’s only a matter of time before the numbers catch up to them and force them down in the standings.

The Pittsburgh Pirates were pushing in the NL Central all season. They seemed to be having a breakout season and the feel-good baseball team of the year until the Reds showed up.

They are 1-9 in their last 10 games, have slipped to fourth place in the division, and have a minus-41 run differential. They are seven games behind Miami for the final Wild Card spot and may become sellers after the All-Star break.

The St. Louis Cardinals, what happened? They looked on paper to be easy favorites in the Central. They started slow, but most analysts wrote that off as a fluke and expected a turnaround. Now heading into the final weeks of June, the Cards are one of the worst teams in baseball.

With the All-Star break approaching, it appears time to call the season, start selling assets, and build for next year. Jordan Walker is a star. Since being called back up on June 2, he is hitting .333 with four homers and 8 RBI. He should have never been sent down needs to be on the roster and in the lineup daily. Adam Wainwright, Jordan Montgomery, and Jack Flaherty are all in-restricted free agents next year and need to be shopped. Cutting their losses with Tyler O’Neill is also necessary at the trade deadline. 

ST LOUIS, MO – APRIL 17: Tyler O’Neill #27 of the St. Louis Cardinals looks on after striking out against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Busch Stadium on April 17, 2023 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Joe Puetz/Getty Images)
ST LOUIS, MO – APRIL 17: Tyler O’Neill #27 of the St. Louis Cardinals looks on after striking out against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Busch Stadium on April 17, 2023 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Joe Puetz/Getty Images) /

The NL Central injured

Now we get to the unpredictable, downright irritating, and plan-changing injuries. How well a team can stay healthy in the summer, recover from injuries and keep conditioning themselves is a significant part of making a playoff run.

The Cubs have been pretty fortunate on the injury front. Justin Steele is back and in good form after returning from his stint on the IL. The only significant injury right now is Patrick Wisdom. He left for a 10-day trip to the IL on June 17 and should be back in the lineup by the month’s end.

The Brewers have been a bit hard this year with the injuries plague. They lost star rookie Garrett Mitchell for the season in early May; additionally, the top two starters in their rotation went down. Wade Miley is back and pitching well, and Brandon Woodruff is set to throw a bull in session Saturday. His 60-day trip could be coming to an end soon.

Young outfielder Sal Frelick is out of the lineup Saturday and is listed as day-to-day. Hopefully, it’s just a minute issue, and he will be back this week.

Ben Lively will miss his start Sunday for the red-hot Reds and may be headed to the IL. In the past week, Hunter Greene has earned a 15-day vacation and will be recovering from a right hip issue. He should be back by the break. Also, Nick Lodolo, who has been on the IL since early May, got some positive results from an MRI but still is targeting mid-August for a return.

In Pittsburgh, Bryan Reynolds is heading for a 10-day trip as of June 22, and Jose Hernandez will get 15 from the 18th as he nurses a right calf strain.

Lastly, we get to the Cardinals. Saturday, they listed Jack Flaherty, Nolan Gorman, and Jordan Hicks as day-to-day. Not time to panic, but that isn’t great for the struggling Cards.

On a positive note, Tyler O’Neill was cleared to play catch and take swings last week. His 60-plus-day stint should be coming to an end soon.

Next. Fantasy baseball plays heading toward the All-Star break. dark

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