The NL Central is still out-performing expectations, even with the Pirates – who have looked better lately.
Here was the post from about a month ago: https://cubsin7.blog/2025/06/07/the-weak-nl-central-is-not-that-weak/
At this time of that post, here were the winning percentages of each division.
1. NL Central 167-155 .519
2. AL East 163-154 .514
3. AL Central 164-159 .508
4. NL East 158-159 .498
5. NL West 154-165 .482
6. AL West 152-166 .477
And here they are today, with run differential added:
| # | Division | W | L | % | Run Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AL East | 236 | 214 | .524 | +127 |
| 2 | NL Central | 236 | 216 | .522 | +193 |
| 3 | AL West | 227 | 222 | .506 | -64 |
| 4 | NL East | 221 | 227 | .493 | -54 |
| 5 | NL West | 216 | 233 | .481 | -117 |
| 6 | AL Central | 213 | 237 | .473 | -85 |
So, the NL Central is just a couple of percentage points behind the AL East. And the NL Central has a huge run differential lead over the other divisions, with the Cubs leading the way at +126.
While the Cubs have opened a bit of a gap on the Reds and Cardinals, the Brewers are still within 4 games, and just got Brandon Woodruff back from injury.
Again, trying to paint this as a positive, have a strong NL Central will force the front office to make a few moves to strengthen the team for the stretch run and potentially the playoffs – instead of coasting to the finish. And with the injury to Jameson Taillon, the need for a starter is particularly striking.
The other silver lining is that the Cubs have a pretty good lead on the top Wild Card spot. But there are lots of good teams lurking, who could make a big run as the season progresses.
Cubs in 7 
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