(113) The Historic Brewers Defense, the Collapse of the Cubs, the Resurgence of the Reds: Narratives from the NL Central

The National League Central is so different from the chaotic NL East: each team's actual record is close to where advanced analytics says that the team should be. But the division is full of storylines, and the Baseball Rabbi offers them to you on a silver platter. The Brewers are actually really good, but in ways you might have missed. The Reds are interesting, even as they will likely be "that team" that just misses the playoffs. The Cubs' collapse was predictable because they're not very good; Javier Baez is actually making history, but not in a way that will make the denizens of Chicago smile. The Cardinals are falling apart (equal parts bad pitching and bad hitting), and the Pirates are a mess - but with some entertaining position players with surprising talent for achieving a high BABIP. Plus: the storylines that Pesach and Scott are watching in the second half (how low can the Diamondbacks go?), and what baseball rules are too fundamental to touch.