NL Central update #2

A month ago, I wrote about how things were going in the NL Central. Here is the new update. It has been an up-and-down month for some teams, then there are the Cubs, who may be beginning to run away with it. But, here's where things stand as of now (through today's games).

The Chicago Cubs had a great month, going 19-10. They swept Arizona and the Dodgers at home. They had a little trouble with the St. Louis Cardinals at the beginning of the month, but played well enough to leapfrog them in the standings. So, are the Cubs running away with it? Well, keep in mind that the Cubs got fat off a subpar NL West (although sweeping the D-Backs is impressive), and have played 34 home games vs. 23 road games. While the Cubs are very talented, they have not been overwhelming against the division (18-15), and have lost series to St. Louis, Houston, and Milwaukee (twice, at Wrigley). For now, they are 36-21.

St. Louis continues to surprise me with clutch pitching and timely hitting. But, they have come down to earth a little bit, going 16-13 in May. They took 2 of 3 from the Cubs at the beginning of the month, but lost 3 of 4 in Milwaukee. They took the series against the surprising Tampa Bay Rays (who inexplicably are in first in the AL East). St. Louis will be interesting to watch. I am still skeptical, but for now they are 34-24, 2.5 back of the Cubs.

The Houston Astros had themselves a pretty good month in May, but the ying and yang of their season was shown in bookmark series against the Brewers. The Astros swept a slumping Brew Crew to begin the month, but got swept in Milwaukee this past weekend. They went 18-12, and got past Milwaukee to be in third, although by only a half-game after the aforementioned sweep. The Astros stand at 30-28, 6.5 back of the Cubs.

Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Brewers got into a rut in May. Prince Fielder still is not playing up to standard, with only 8 homers so far. I want nothing more than to send him some meat. Drop the vegetarian diet!! Also, the Brewers are having trouble in the bullpen and at the top of their order. The Brewers went 13-15 this month, including getting swept at Fenway against the Red Sox. That was part of a five-game losing streak. They also had a six-game losing streak, getting swept by Houston and Florida. There's enough there to believe the Brewers can still make a run. But, they better have a better June. 29-28, 7 games behind Chicago.

The Cincinnati Reds also had a good month in May, going 16-12. They had a nice series against the Cubs, and swept Florida and Cleveland. Adam Dunn keeps doing what he does best, which is hit home runs. The Reds also have some good young talent, including Joey Votto. I am not sure if the Reds can continue at the pace they did in May, but they are right there at the moment. They also swept the Braves this past weekend. They are 28-29, 8 games back.

And, assuming their usual spot at the bottom of the division are the Pittsburgh Pirates. But, they went 15-13 this past month. I haven't had much of a chance to see how things came together for the Pirates, but they swept the Braves and the Giants (although the Giants aren't that good this year). They took 2 of 3 in St. Louis, and 2 of 3 at home against the Cubs. At the moment, the Pirates are 26-30, 9.5 games back of the Cubs.

So, what have we learned? The NL Central is not a bad division, but they are beating each other up. The Cubs look to be in good shape, but they have been the beneficiaries of a lot of home games. The Cubs have played 34 home games, and have only lost 8 of them (4 to the Brewers). But, everyone but Milwaukee had a winning month in the division. So, the Cubs have set the pace, but there is a lot of season left.

Oh, and we also learned that the Braves would be junk if they were in the NL Central. They sit at 6-10 against the division so far.