NL Central rival drops hammer on Pirates in painful reminder regarding division race

A lot has been said about how good the NL Central is in 2026. Every team is above .500, and the division's total run differential blows everyone else out of the water. This is just a stacked quintet of teams with no obvious bottom feeder.

However, the division has started to sort itself out in May. The Cincinnati Reds' smoke-and-mirrors act is starting to lose some steam, while the win-now Chicago Cubs have surged into first place behind multiple 10-game winning streaks.

Yet it's the Milwaukee Brewers who should probably be of the biggest concern to the Pittsburgh Pirates, seeing as they're on a tear right now and have the best expected record in the division.

The Crew rank third in the NL and fourth in all of baseball this year with a +60 run differential, which is basically double the Pirates' efforts (+32) to this point.

For better or worse, the NL Central looks like it'll be a three-team race (or even four, if the Cardinals can keep staving off their rebuild) this year. If that proves true, it may be difficult to overcome the team that's won four of the past five division titles.

Brewers have the track record, but Pirates are well-positioned to usurp them in NL Central

If you're looking for good news on this front, the Pirates already took a series from the Brewers on the road back in late April, which could prove monumental later on if no one separates from the pack. Likewise, the Bucs have been more prolific at the plate (105 vs. 98 wRC+), though the Brewers have the current edge in run prevention (3.43 vs. 3.75 ERA).

However, that latter advantage may soon flip in Pittsburgh's favor once Jared Jones returns from injury. Jacob Misiorowski and Kyle Harrison have combined to form one heck of a 1-2 punch this year, but the Pirates will be able to counter with a ridiculous six-man rotation of Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, Bubba Chandler, Carmen Mlodzinski, Braxton Ashcraft, and Jones.

The Brewers' real advantage lies in the bullpen (3.53 vs. 4.14 ERA), though that's hopefully a problem that can be solved at the trade deadline. Even if not, one would have to like the Pirates' chances in a short series given their prowess on the lineup card.

Of course, the high-flying Cubs can't be ignored in this conversation either, seeing as they're currently in first place. All three teams should be in store for some prolific win totals this summer, and the Pirates will have to overcome recent history in order to emerge as the one to beat.

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