What a difference a week can make in the MLB. It was not that long ago the Chicago Cubs looked liked they were going to sell off some key pieces and build for the future. After two masterful offensive performances, Chicago's season is back on track and they seem like realistic contenders for the pennant.
David Ross' team put up an incredible 20 runs on Tuesday and followed that up with 16 runs the following day. What made the achievement even more impressive was the fact that they were playing the division-leading Cincinatti Reds.
In a recent post, MLB statistician and Chicago White Sox fan Jay Cuda brought up an interesting stat. Since the beginning of the month, the Cubs have gone on to outscore the whole American League Central division, and it is not even that close.
MLB fans took to social media stunned after revising the numbers. It is an astonishing statistic that shows not just how dominant this Cubs' lineup is, but also how low the AL Central has sunk.
The Northsiders have scored 36 runs over the last two games. That is significantly more that the 27 runs the White Sox, Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Guardians, Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers have combined for. Remove the 11 runs the Royals put up on the New York Mets, and the remaining teams are averaging just two runs per game in August.
The division-leading Twins currently have a mediocre 55-54 record. 18 of the 25 teams in other divisions would currently be first-place in the AL Central.
The Chicago Cubs currently rank 5th in the MLB in runs scored
The Cubbies offense has been one of the hottest in the MLB over the last few months. They lead their division in runs scored and rank third in the National League, only behind the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Chicago ranks seventh in the league in batting average (.258), eighth in hits (950) and fourth in OBP(.335).
The roster has five players who have already hit double-digits in home runs with Yan Gomes and Seiya Suzuki both currently at nine.
There is still a lot of baseball to be played but the Cubs seems to be hitting their stride at the right time. They currently trail the Reds by just three games with 54 games remaining.