NL Central Power Rankings Week 8
*please note: all stats outside of team records only include games played through 5/24/14.
1. St. Louis Cardinals (last week: 2): 28-22, 2nd Place, 1.5 GB, 193 RS, 169 RA (+24)
The Cardinals are back in the top spot of the power rankings.  They have won 9 of their last 11 games, and are really starting to roll.  Their +24 run differential is 12 runs better than the Brewers, and is the third best in the NL.
Adam Wainwright has been absolutely terrific, posting a 1.67 ERA and 0.85 WHIP, to go along with 77 K’s and just 16 BB.  Their entire starting rotation has been absolutely stellar, posting a 2.97 ERA (3rd in the MLB) and 1.17 WHIP (tied 4th in the MLB).  Over the last 7 days, their entire pitching staff posted an MLB best 0.97 WHIP, to go along with a 2.49 ERA (3rd in the MLB in the last 7 days).
The Cardinals offense is also starting to come around.  Over the last 30 days, Peralta, Craig, Bourjos, Holliday, Adams, and Wong have all posted wRC+ of 121 or better, while Carpenter and Molina have still posted respectable 106 and 104 wRC+.  Yadier Molina continues to lead the way for St. Louis, as he is hitting .330/.360/.477 with 5 HR, 23 RBI, 132 wRC+, and 2.0 WAR.
Starting Pitchers this week
Who’s Hot (last 7 days)
- Matt Adams: .421/.429/.684, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 197 wRC+, 0.3 WAR
- Matt Carpenter: .400/.483/.480, 1 RBI, 180 wRC+, 0.4 WAR
- Yadier Molina: .360/.407/.560, 1 HR, 167 wRC+, 0.4 WAR
- Matt Holliday: .304/.429/.348, 2 RBI, 133 wRC+, 0.1 WAR
- Jon Jay: .455/.417/.545, 3 RBI, 161 wRC+, 0.1 WAR
- Adam Wainwright: 9.0 IP, 1 H, 9 K, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0.11 WHIP, 0.00 ERA, 0.5 WAR
- Michael Wacha: 6.0 IP, 2 H, 4 K, 0 ER, 3 BB, 0.83 WHIP, 0.00 ERA, 0.1 WAR
Who’s Cold (last 7 days)
- Peter Bourjos: .214/.313/.286, 3 for 14, 4 K, 75 wRC+
- Shelby Miller: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 5 K, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1.20 WHIP, 7.20 ERA
Injuries (click to expand)
Upcoming Schedule
- Mon (4:00), Tues (8:15), Wed (8:15) vs New York Yankees
- Thurs (8:15), Fri (8:15), Sat (2:15), Sun (2:15) vs San Francisco
2. Milwaukee Brewers (last week 1): 30-21, 1st Place, 199 RS, 187 RA (+12)
The Brewers still remain atop the NL Central standings, but are losing ground quickly.  They have lost 6 of their last 9 games, and are just 10-14 over their last 24 games.
Carlos Gomez had another tremendous week for the Brewers, hitting .500/.522/.818, with 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 SB, 276 wRC+, and 0.6 WAR.  He is now hitting .316/.387/.588 with 10 HR, 25 RBI, and 158 wRC+.  His 2.3 WAR is tied with Andrew McCutchen for the 7th best in the MLB.
Starting Pitchers this week
Who’s Hot (last 7 days)
- Carlos Gomez: .500/.522/.818, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 SB, 276 wRC+, 0.6 WAR
- Jonathan Lucroy: .423/.500/.654, 3 RBI, 221 wRC+, 0.6 WAR
- Mark Reynolds: .261/.320/.652, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 165 wRC+, 0.3 WAR
- Kyle Lohse: 8.0 IP, 4 H, 8 K, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0.50 WHIP, 1.13 ERA, 0.4 WAR
Who’s Cold (last 7 days)
- Ryan Braun: .174/.174/.391, 4 for 23, 1 HR, 46 wRC+, -0.1 WAR
- Lyle Overbay: .111/.200/.167, 2 for 18, 4 K, 2 wRC+, -0.2 WAR
- Rickie Weeks: .091/.167/.364, 1 for 11, 5 K, 1 HR, 40 wRC_, -0.1 WAR
- Marco Estrada: 11.2 IP, 13 H, 11 K, 9 ER, 2 BB, 1.29 WHIP, 6.94 ERA, -0.4 WAR
- Yovani Gallardo: 3.1 IP, 3 H, 2 K, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2.10 WHIP, 10.80 ERA, -0.1 WAR
Injuries (click to expand)
Upcoming Schedule
- Mon (2:10), Tues (8:10), Wed (8:10) vs Baltimore
- Fri (8:10), Sat (4:10), Sun (2:10) vs Chicago Cubs
3. Cincinnati Reds (last week: 3): 22-26, 3rd Place, 6.5 GB,  168 RS, 180 RA (-12)
The injuries continue to pile on for the Reds.  Joey Votto was place on the 15-day DL earlier this week, adding to a stockpile of injuries to key players in 2014.  The Reds starting pitching is keeping them hanging around, as they rank 4th in the MLB in ERA (3.19) and lead the MLB with a 1.11 WHIP.  Johnny Cueto was finally slowed down by the Washington Nationals earlier this week, as he allowed 6 runs in 5.1 innings.
Todd Frazier has been the man for the Reds on the offensive side, and one of the best 3B in all of baseball.  Frazier leads all NL 3B in WAR (2.0), wRC+ (132), and SLG (.494).  He is 2nd with 9 HR, and 3rd with a .349 OBP.  Zack Cozart has also turned his season around.  After hitting .111/.143/.148 through the first 20 days of 2014, he has hit .291/.330/.398 over the last 35 days.
Starting Pitchers this week
Who’s Hot (last 7 days)
- Todd Frazier: .292/.414/.542, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 1 SB, 168 wRC+, 0.4 WAR
- Zack Cozart: .360/.407/.440, 1 RBI, 1 SB, 131 wRC, 0.3 WAR
- Skip Schumaker: .333/.429/.500, 1 RBI, 1 SB, 160 wRC+, 0.1 WAR
- Alfredo Simon: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 6 K, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0.86 WHIP, 1.29 ERA, 0.1 WAR
- Mike Leake: 6.2 IP, 7 H, 3 K, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1.20 WHIP, 1.35 ERA, 0.1 WAR
Who’s Cold (last 7 days)
- Brayan Pena: .263/.286/.316, 5 for 19, 2 RBI, 61 wRC+
- Tony Cingrani: 12.0 IP, 14 H, 11 K, 8 ER, 6 BB, 1.67 WHIP, 6.00 ERA, -0.3 WAR
- Johnny Cueto: 5.1 IP, 6 H, 6 K, 6 ER, 0 BB, 1.13 WHIP, 10.13 ERA
Injuries (click to expand)
Upcoming Schedule
- Mon (8:10), Tues (10:10), Wed (10:10) at LA Dodgers
- Thurs (9:40), Fri (9:40), Sat (10:10), Sun (4:10) at Arizona
4. Pittsburgh Pirates (last week: 4): 22-27, 4th Place, 7 GB, 190 RS, 213 RA (-23)
The Pirates had a 4-game winning streak snapped on Sunday, but have played much better of late.  They are 9-7 over their last 16 games.  It has been the Pirates starting pitching that continues to let them down in 2014.  Their SP have a 4.44 ERA (24th in the MLB) and 1.33 WHIP (19th in the MLB).
Andrew McCutchen continues to lead the way for the Pirates offensively.  He is hitting .310/.430/.471 with 4 HR, 23 RBI, and 157 wRC+.  His 2.3 WAR is tied with Carlos Gomez for 7th best in the MLB.
Starting Pitchers this week
Who’s Hot (last 7 days)
- Andrew McCutchen: .375/.483/.458, 4 RBI, 1 SB, 175 wRC+, 0.4 WAR
- Ike Davis: .364/.440/.500, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 162 wRC+, 0.1 WAR
- Josh Harrison: .292/.370/.458, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 136 wRC+, 0.2 WAR
- Edinson Volquez: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 4 K, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0.83 WHIP, 1.50 ERA
Who’s Cold (last 7 days)
- Pedro Alvarez: .200/.200/.320, 1 HR, 5 for 25, 7 K, 40 wRC+, -0.2 WAR
- Jordy Mercer: .188/.188/.250, 3 for 16, 5 K, 15 wRC+, -0.1 WAR
- Francisco Rodriguez: 5.0 IP, 9 H, 4 K, 6 ER, 2 BB, 2.20 WHIP, 10.80 ERA, -0.2 WAR
Injuries (click to expand)
Upcoming Schedule
- Mon (1:10), Tues (7:10), Wed (1:10) at New York Mets
- Thurs (10:10), Fri (10:10), Sat (7:15), Sun (8:00) at LA Dodgers
5. Chicago Cubs (last week: 5): 18-30, 5th Place, 10.5 GB, 186 RS, 192 RA (-6)
The Cubs continue to be one of the most unlucky teams in the MLB.  The Cubs 18 wins are the fewest in the MLB, but they have a run differential of -6, which is the 14th best in the MLB.  The Cubs are 5-3 over their last 8 games.
The Cubs pitching has been pretty good.  Their 3.57 ERA is tied for the 9th best in the MLB, and their 1.26 WHIP is 11th.  Jeff Samardzija continues to be terrific, despite his 0-4 record.  He has a 1.46 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 2.86 FIP.  Jason Hammel has also been very good, posting a 0.90 WHIP (4th best in the MLB) and a 3.08 ERA.
Starting Pitchers this week
Who’s Hot (last 7 days)
- Luis Valbuena: .389/.500/.778, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 245 wRC+, 0.5 WAR
- Nate Schierholtz: .316/.409/.421, 1 RBI, 135 wRC+, 0.2 WAR
- Junior Lake: .346/.370/.462, 1 RBI, 1 SB, 129 wRC+, 0.2 WAR
- Jeff Samardzija: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 3 K, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0.86 WHIP, 0.00 ERA, 0.1 WAR
- Jake Arrieta: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 7 K, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0.83 WHIP, 1.50 ERA, 0.1 WAR
- Travis Wood: 14.1 IP, 5 H, 10 K, 4 ER, 5 BB, 0.70 WHIP, 2.51 ERA, 0.1 WAR
Who’s Cold (last 7 days)
- Starlin Castro: .120/.154/.200, 3 for 25, 3 K, -13 wRC+, -0.2 WAR
- Edwin Jackson: 4.0 IP, 9 H, 3 K, 8 ER, 2 BB, 2.75 WHIP, 18.00 ERA, -0.2 WAR
Injuries (click to expand)
Upcoming Schedule
- Mon (4:05), Tues (10:15), Wed (3:45) at San Francisco
- Fri (8:10), Sat (4:10), Sun (2:10) at Milwaukee
NL Central Players of the Week
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Carlos Gomez: .500/.522/.818, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 SB, 276 wRC+, 0.6 WAR
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Adam Wainwright: 9.0 IP, 1 H, 9 K, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0.11 WHIP, 0.00 ERA, 0.5 WAR