Despite a decimated pitching staff, the North Siders are surging forward by winning 12 of 16 games and placing No. 7 in MLB's latest power rankings.
The Chicago Cubs are slowly moving up MLB’s power rankings again.
After checking in at the No. 10 spot in last week’s rankings, the Cubs have moved up to the No. 7 spot in MLB’s latest power rankings. This three-spot jump comes on the heels of a strong week for the North Siders.
Here’s how the top-10 shakes out:
- Los Angeles Dodgers
- Milwaukee Brewers
- Atlanta Braves
- New York Yankees
- Philadelphia Phillies
- Tampa Bay Rays
- Chicago Cubs
- Chicago White Sox
- San Diego Padres
- Seattle Mariners
The Cubs went 6-1 in seven games last week. They swept the New York Mets in a four-game series behind an offensive barrage and then took two of three games from the Milwaukee Brewers in a series that favored their division rival.
The Brewers threw out their best three starters in Jacob Misiorowski, Kyle Harrison, and Brandon Woodruff. The Cubs answered by sending out Colin Rea, David Peterson, and Bryse Wilson.
But the unexpected performances of two newcomers helped Chicago take the series. Peterson threw 5 ⅔ innings of two-run ball on Saturday, and then Wilson threw 4 ⅓ scoreless innings with four strikeouts as a bulk reliever on Sunday.
The Cubs are making it work with the pitchers they have. They have 12 pitchers currently on the injured list, including five starters in Ben Brown (neck), Edward Cabrera (hamstring/adductor), Jameson Taillon (hamstring), Cade Horton (elbow), and Justin Steele (elbow/forearm).
Even the bullpen has suffered some key losses. Daniel Palencia (elbow), Hoby Milner (appendix), Hunter Harvey (triceps), and Phil Maton (knee) all find themselves on the shelf with different injuries.
In Sunday’s series finale against the Brewers, the team threw out Ryan Rolison, Wilson, Caleb Thielbar, Tyler Ferguson, Jacob Webb, Ethan Roberts, and Jordan Wicks en route to a 4-3 extra-innings win. Five of those seven pitchers weren’t even on the active roster on Opening Day.
The Cubs have been playing much better baseball lately. They have a 46-38 record and currently own sole possession of the second Wild Card spot in the National League. Chicago also trails Milwaukee by 5 ½ games in the NL Central standings after picking up a game over the weekend.
Since going 7-22 across a 29-game stretch from May 9 to June 10, the Cubs have turned things around. This team has won 12 of its last 16 games and has won four of its last five series.
The North Siders will start a very important stretch beginning on Monday. They’ll play three games against the Padres and three games against the Cardinals this week. Both teams trail the Cubs by just a few games in the NL Wild Card standings.
