NL Central Division Odds: Can Brewers Keep Pulling Away From Cubs?

Don’t look now, but the National League Central might just be the best division in baseball at the All-Star Break.

The Milwaukee Brewers are trying to run away with things in the NL Central. They hold a five-game lead at the All-Star break, with the Chicago Cubs hoping to chase them down.

The St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates are also over .500, making this division the only one in baseball with just one team under .500.

Let’s take a look at the NL Central division odds at the All-Star break.

NL Central Odds at All-Star Break

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Milwaukee Brewers: -575
Chicago Cubs: +450
Pittsburgh Pirates: +4000
St. Louis Cardinals: +6000
Cincinnati Reds: +20000

Not only do the Brewers have the best record in the NL Central, but only the vaunted Los Angeles Dodgers have a better record than Milwaukee at the All-Star break – and that’s only by 1.5 games.

The Brew Crew boast the best ERA in the NL at 3.48, with only the Yankees’ 3.39 lower than that across MLB. They also have the sixth-best batting average in baseball at .254.

Jake Bauers has had a great season so far with 18 home runs and an .881 OPS to lead the team, with Jackson Chourio and Brice Turang doing their part as well. Jacob Misiorowski is the NL Cy Young favorite to lead the way on the mound, and the Brewers have one of the best bullpens in the league with a 3.58 ERA.

The Cubs are currently five games back of Milwaukee at the All-Star break. That lead certainly isn’t insurmountable, but it’s easy to see why the Brewers are big favorites to win the NL Central.

Chicago is led by Pete Crow-Armstrong as one of five player with at least 11 home runs this season. Ben Brown emerged as a great starter for the Cubs, but he’s now on the shelf. The rest of Chicago’s staff leaves much to be desired.

Jordan Walker has been fantastic for St. Louis, but his Home Run Derby performance may make teams think twice about how they pitch to him. The Cardinals also lack a true ace, but Michael McGreevy, Kyle Leahy, and Andre Pallante all have ERAs under 4.00.

Paul Skenes and Braxton Ashcraft give the Pirates a good one-two punch atop the rotation, but that’s about all Pittsburgh has going for it in terms of pitching. Brandon Lowe and Ryan O’Hearn are putting up solid power numbers, as is the whole team with six players slugging at least 10 home runs at the break.

The Cardinals and Pirates both have a better record than the AL West-leading Texas Rangers, but they’re likely going to have to settle for a potential Wild Card spot. That could even still be tough for two younger teams that don’t quite look ready to turn the corner.

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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