New MLB power rankings show Cubs' mediocrity is no secret around the league

A week that featured series losses to both the Athletics and San Francisco Giants at home is pretty paradigmatic of the last month of Chicago Cubs baseball. This team just isn't good enough right now, mostly plagued by a rotation that, despite getting Edward Cabrera back from injury over the weekend, simply can't keep enough runs off the board.

That's not to say the offense has been any better; the team scored just 19 runs in their six games last week, including just nine in the four contests they lost. Save for monstrous performances from Pete Crow-Armstrong (290 wRC+), Seiya Suzuki (.992 OPS), and Ian Happ (.650 slugging percentage), most of the lineup couldn't get going at Wrigley.

Now mired at 34-32 and well off pace in the NL Central, the Cubs have been exposed for what they currently are: a run-of-the-mill squad. FanSided's latest power rankings place them at 13th. For added insult to injury, that's directly behind the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago White Sox.

The only rival below them is the Cincinnati Reds (18th); both the Pittsburgh Pirates (9th) and Milwaukee Brewers (3rd) found themselves within the top 10. The most frustrating part? It's hard to argue that the Cubs deserve better.

Cubs must find light at the end of the tunnel before All-Star Break

The North Siders' once-elite run differential has been dwindled down to just +3, indicative of nothing more than a .500 team. Considering how the Cubs have played over the last month, even that feels like a generous assessment.

The problem with losing both series last week is that this is currently the easy part of the June schedule. A road trip to Colorado and San Francisco awaits, followed by a home series against the Rockies. After that? The Cubs will run a gauntlet against the Blue Jays, Mets, Brewers, and Padres to close out the month.

Besides Milwaukee, all of those teams haven't been quite as prolific as they were a year ago, but that's still a stiff test against four teams with postseason aspirations. That stretch could very well define the direction of the Cubs' season, seeing as next month will be bisected by the All-Star Break from July 13-16.

Now that Jed Hoyer has confirmed what we already knew -- he won't swing a blockbuster trade unless the team's performance improves dramatically -- it's on the Cubs to take advantage of their favorable schedule and prove that they're better than who they've recently been.

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