Chase Burns made a memorable entrance into Major League Baseball by striking out the first five batters he encountered while pitching for the Cincinnati Reds against the New York Yankees. Emerging pitchers like Burns are contributing to the dynamic landscape of the NL Central division.
Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes had an impressive season last year, finishing third in the National League Cy Young award voting during his rookie year. In a more recent highlight, Jacob Misiorowski of the Milwaukee Brewers began his MLB career with 11 consecutive hitless innings and won a direct duel with Skenes. Burns, who was picked second overall in the most recent draft, has now joined the majors, and Paul Skenes may soon be joined by Bubba Chandler—the second-ranked prospect by MLB Pipeline—if Chandler is promoted to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
These rising stars have invigorated the NL Central at a time when the Chicago Cubs have periodically dominated the division. The Brewers have had an impressive run, winning 22 of their last 31 games and closing in just two games behind the Cubs. Similarly, the Reds have secured 14 victories in their previous 21 outings. Even the Pirates, currently in last place, have demonstrated solid performance by playing above .500 over a recent stretch, including a sweep of the New York Mets with a combined score of 30-4.
In the NL Central, four teams have records at least four games above the break-even point, and the entire division boasts ERAs under 4.00—a feat unmatched by any other division. The emergence of this young talent alongside seasoned pitchers such as Freddy Peralta of the Brewers and Hunter Greene of the Reds indicates a promising future for the division, even if it spells trouble for opposing hitters.
Trouble in San Francisco arises as the Giants lost two out of three games to the struggling Chicago White Sox, following a three-game losing streak to Miami. Falling 7.5 games behind the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers, the Giants have struggled since acquiring Rafael Devers, who has only managed a .217 average since coming over from the Boston Red Sox.
In a baseball trivia tidbit, James Wood of the Washington Nationals became the first player since Barry Bonds to receive four intentional walks in a single game. Meanwhile, MLB history notes that Hall of Famer Andre Dawson drew five intentional walks in one game back in 1990.
Highlighting standout performances, Sonny Gray of the St. Louis Cardinals delivered a masterful one-hitter with 11 strikeouts in a dominant 5-0 victory over the Cleveland Guardians. This was Gray’s first complete-game shutout since 2015, achieved in just 89 pitches.
In an exciting comeback story, the Miami Marlins overcame a 7-3 deficit against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Scoring three runs in the eighth inning, one in the ninth, and another in the tenth, they clinched an 8-7 win. Dane Myers was instrumental, stealing two bases in the ninth and scoring the tying run, while Agustín Ramírez secured the victory in extra innings with a crucial RBI single. Arizona’s odds of winning were at 97.4% at the height of their lead.
An honorable mention goes to the Baltimore Orioles, who turned an early 6-0 deficit into a remarkable 22-8 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays, making history as the first AL/NL team to win by at least 14 runs after trailing by six.
Revisiting baseball trivia, it was Andre Dawson, representing the Chicago Cubs on May 22, 1990, who was intentionally walked five times against the Cincinnati Reds, eventually leading the Cubs to a 2-1 victory in a game that stretched to 16 innings.