Cubs are turning heads in the latest MLB.com power rankings

It shouldn’t come as a surprise, at least to Cubs fans, to see the team red-hot entering the month of June, but their consistent play is catching many eyes on the national scale. In this week’s power rankings, Will Leitch from Mlb.com bumped the Cubs up to the number three slot, sandwiched between the Tigers and Dodgers on top, with the Phillies and Mets tailing behind. Leitch mentions Saturday’s stellar outing from Ben Brown as a potential catalyst moving forward.

Winners of their last six series, manager Craig Counsell has the squad soaring into one of the best records in the league, collecting victories in 14 of their last 18 games. Yes, a number of these are against cellar-dwellers like the Rockies, White Sox, and Marlins, but far too often those matchups can turn into “gotcha” games. What are the key contributions to that success?

Pete Crow-Armstrong posted nine home runs, 29 RBIs, and five stolen bases in May. Seiya Suzuki also continues to rake while reaching base in each of his last 16 games and joining "MVPete" atop the NL in RBIs. However, something to take note of is the bullpen has been dealing for over the past month.

Pointed out on a Marquee broadcast over the weekend, Cubs relievers have posted a downright-filthy 0.96 ERA since May 14th, the best in the league by nearly a full run. Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic takes it a step further to mention the relief staff has led the league since April 19th at a 2.44 ERA.

It’s been all hands on deck when the bullpen phone rings, and the efforts are coming from the entirety of the staff.

Drew Pomeranz has been away from the game for three years and still is yet to allow a run in 15 appearances. Daniel Palencia has given up just two runs in his last 16 innings of work and held down the fort in the closer role since Porter Hodge hit the injured list. Chris Flexen holds a season-long shutout as well in eight appearances, oftentimes pitching multiple innings. Brad Keller has not allowed a run since April 22nd in the 17 times the bullpen door swung open for him. Caleb Thielbar did not allow a run in May either.

After jumping out to a rocky start, Jameson Taillon has dealt six quality starts in his last seven, reducing his ERA down to 3.76 on the season. In his last ten starts at the Friendly Confines dating back to last year, Taillon has posted a miniscule 1.74 ERA in 62 2/3 IP, with 45 strikeouts against 10 walks. He tails only Tarik Skubal in lowest home ERA in the past two seasons among qualified starters. Interestingly enough, Skubal is slated to face the Cubs on June 6.

The Cubs will have their work cut out for them in the month of June, with premiere matchups against the Tigers, Phillies, Mariners, as well as the always-tough division series mixed in with Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and the surging Brewers. It’s a great test for the team as we head into the heat of the summer to prove this rank is not just an early-season fluke.