Between now and the end of the 2026 Major League Baseball regular season, the most interesting thing to watch in the National League Central is going to be the battle for the top spot in the division between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Chicago Cubs. Right now, the Brewers are in the driver's seat. Milwaukee has the best record in baseball at 74-45, despite losing against the San Diego Padres on Monday. The Brewers have a 1 1/2-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have the second-best record in baseball at 72-46. The Cubs are in second place in the National League Central at 69-50. Right now, the Cubs are five games back behind the Brewers. Since the All-Star break, the Cubs are 15-8. In comparison, the Brewers are also 15-8 since the All-Star break. While the Brewers have the best record in baseball right now, they need to keep it up in order to hold off Chicago. Both clubs have been excellent since the break. The Brewers And Cubs Are The Top 2 Teams In The NL CentralMay 26, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; General view of a Milwaukee Brewers logo during warmups prior the game against the Boston Red Sox at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectThe biggest variable that is going to make this playoff race interesting is the number of games left between these two National League Central rivals. Milwaukee will kick off a four-game series on the road against the Cubs from Aug. 31 through Sep. 3. Then, they will play a three-game series in Milwaukee from Sep. 7 through Sep. 9. That's it for the regular season action between these two foes. There are seven games left, so no lead in the division is truly safe right now. All it would take is a sweep from either side in those two series to significantly skew the race. Milwaukee utilized the trade deadline to bolster its pitching by going out and getting Dustin May, JoJo Romero and Antonio Senzatela. The Cubs also significantly boosted their staff by going out and getting Clay Holmes from the New York Mets and Kevin Gausman from the Toronto Blue Jays. The Brewers certainly are the favorites in the division right now. They have to be. They have a five-game lead and the best record. If anyone said they aren't the favorites, that would be absurd. But this is still a race and the two series left between these two clubs could very well determine how the standings shake out. It's going to be a fun few weeks around Major League Baseball, to say the least. Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow