Cubs Jump in Latest ESPN MLB Power Rankings

The Chicago Cubs definitely struggled to start the season, but they seem to finally be putting the pieces together. They have been playing winning baseball as of late in order to fight back to a 17-19 record on the year. In fact, the Cubs have won five of their last eight games overall.

The team's recent success has caused them to jump in ESPN's MLB power rankings. The Cubs came in at the No. 23 spot last week, but are now ranked No. 17. They even jumped over a fellow division rival in the Cincinnati Reds.

Cubs News: Jump in ESPN MLB Power Rankings

The Cubs have turned things around mostly due to an improving offense. They have risen all the way up to tied for No. 9 in the MLB with a team on-base percentage of .316. Free agent signee Joc Pederson has started to heat up as well, with a .471 bating average over the last week of play.

If the Cubs want to keep winning, it may simply come down to their pitching staff. Starter Zach Davies has turned a corner after a poor start to the year by giving up just two earned runs over his last 16.1 innings pitched. Plus, the Cubs have been able to rely on a solid bullpen that has a 3.46 ERA on the season (No. 8 in MLB).

This team is starting to hit its stride and that is not good for the rest of the league. The Cubs could be fighting for a postseason spot by the end of the year as an underrated team to watch out for.

The Cubs have odds set at +1000 to win the NL Central division, according to MLB odds posted on FanDuel Sportsbook. They also have +6000 odds to win the World Series.

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Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.