While there was no change this week in the standings, there is plenty to be excited for with the National League Central Division.

Chicago Cubs:

The Chicago Cubs gained no ground this week, after losing both of their series this week. After going down 3 games to 1 against the St. Louis Cardinals, the Cubs then fell 2 games to 1 against the last place Milwaukee Brewers.

But not all the news is blue this week.

Jon Lester notched his 2nd win of the season against the Cardinals, ending the Red Birds eight game winning streak. In 7 innings, he only allowed 1 earned run and garnered support from Anthony Rizzo (3 RBI’s).

After a tough week for the Cubs, General Manager Joe Maddon stays positive. After the loss in St. Louis, he made it clear he’s looking long-term, “I’m not discouraged by this series…It’s a long season, folks. We played really well for four games here.”

Record: 15-15

Cincinnati Reds:

The Cincinnati Reds played three blow-out games against the Pittsburgh Pirates before struggling with the Chicago White Sox.

The biggest issue for the Reds this week was Joey Votto’s contact with home-plate umpire Chris Conroy during an argument on Wednesday during their 3-0 victory over the Pirates. Votto had just been struck out by Gerrit Cole and said something that warranted being ejected from the game. In the heat of the moment, he made contact with Conroy, and was suspended 1 game and fined an undisclosed amount.

A good sportsman, Votto has apologized to Conroy and the rest of the umpire crew.

The Reds went on to lose two of three against the White Sox during the weekend series.

Record: 15-16

Milwaukee Brewers:

Though still trailing 11.5 games in the NL Central, the Brew-crew has at least more to be excited for this week than previously.

After splitting a series with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Brewers were able to close out the week with a series win over the Cubs.

Former Brewer (2004; 2007-11) Craig Counsell was signed as the new General Manager on May 4th. His first managerial position, Counsell has signed a 3 year contract with the Brewers.

Pitcher Brandon Kintzler was recalled from Triple-A and optioned Rob Wooten to Triple-A.

Record: 11-21

Pittsburgh Pirates:

After losing a series to the Reds, the Pirates came out to take two from their St. Louis rival.

A.J. Burnett picked up his first win of the season facing the Reds. Andrew Lambo was placed on the 15-day disabled list, and Steve Lombardozzi was called up to fill in.

Gerrit Cole’s 8-game win-streak was finally broken by the Reds.

But despite some of these troubles, the Bucs managed to defeat the Cards on Saturday, and did so again on Sunday, after Andrew McCutchen dispelled whatever was plaguing his plate appearances.

After this ritual, McCutchen doubled and scored his next time up and was then walked to end the game Sunday.

Record 15-16

St. Louis Cardinals

The Red Birds maintain a 6.5 game lead over second place Cubs at the close of this week. Helped by their 3 wins against Chicago, and despite dropping the series in Pittsburgh, the Cards have a comfortable lead the first week of May. They were the first team to hit 20 wins and are dominate in the league with a .710 win percentage through the first week of May.

Reliever Mitch Harris made history on May 6th when he became the first US Navy Grad to earn a Major League win. The only other Navy grad to pitch in the MLB was Nemo Gaines, who played for the Senators over 90 years ago.

Jordan Walden was placed on the DL due to right-shoulder strain, and will most likely be unavailable until after the All-Star Break.

Matt Carpenter was given a break due to “extreme fatigue” and did not join the Cardinals in Pittsburgh.

Record: 22-9

Position Player of the Week: Kolten Wong – .480 BA, 2 HR, 9 RBI, .519 OBP (May 4-10)

Pitcher of the Week: A. J. Burnett – 7.0 IP, 1.66 ERA, 4 K’s

Power Rankings: