Chicago's offense ignites, propelling the Cubs into baseball's top 10 after a dominant week. See how they stack up.
The Chicago Cubs have moved up in MLB.com's latest power rankings.
Every Monday, MLB.com goes through and ranks every team No. 1 through No. 30. The rankings are compiled by contributors at the company, and the write-ups are written by Will Leitch.
After coming in at the No. 13 spot in last week’s rankings, the Cubs have climbed up to the No. 8 spot in this week’s rankings. This ranking comes after a dominant week in which the team won two series against the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets.
Chicago took two of three games from the Phillies to open the week and then swept the Mets at home over the weekend. The Cubs have now won five straight games while averaging 7.8 runs during this win streak.
"Matthew Boyd is scheduled to be back on Wednesday, and it can’t happen soon enough: The Cubs currently have 10 pitchers on the injured list," Leitch wrote.
The Cubs are no doubt playing their best baseball right now. The offense is heating up, and the team’s pitching continues to do its job despite all the injuries. Chicago has allowed four runs or fewer in 10 of its last 12 games.
After starting the season with a 6-8 record, the Cubs are winners of six of their last seven games. They enter the new week at a season-best three games over .500 (12-9) and no longer sit alone in last place in the National League Central.
Although the Cubs are playing their best baseball right now, they surprisingly come in as the third-best team in the division in MLB.com’s latest power rankings.
The Pittsburgh Pirates (No. 5) and Milwaukee Brewers (No. 7) are both ranked above the North Siders in these rankings. The Cincinnati Reds are also one spot below the Cubs at the No. 9 spot.
Seeing four teams in the NL Central inside the top 10 shows just how strong the division has been in the early going. The Pirates look like a top team. The Brewers always find ways to win games, and the Reds are 10-0 in one-run games this season.
However, the Cubs have a prime opportunity to move even further up this power rankings list after this week. With four games against the Phillies and three games against the Dodgers, Chicago has the potential to claim the top spot in the NL Central once again.