Generally speaking, I start eyeing a topic for the Power Rankings intro around Friday. Last Sunday, though, I told myself one thing was off-limits: I'm not writing on the Brewers again. I had done so two straight weeks and three of the last four.

When the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Chicago Cubs in the opener of a 5-game series, it bunched the top 4 NL wild-card contenders within 5 1/2 games.

Though the Cincinnati Reds snapped their 14-game winning streak and kept them from sweeping a fifth straight series, the Brewers are anchored in the No. 1 spot on all MLB power boards this week. Here are a few national observations why:

Christian Yelich had two homers among his four hits and drove in five runs as the Milwaukee Brewers overcame a seven-run deficit to beat the Cincinnati Reds 10-8 for their club record-tying 13th straight victory.

One of their most impressive wins during that franchise-record 14-game win streak came on Friday night. The Brewers faced an 8-1 deficit after two innings against the Reds and clawed their way back on the strength of two homers and five RBI from Christian Yelich — doing so while using his customized Bob Uecker bat for player’s weekend.

Aug 17, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds designated hitter Austin Hays (12) celebrates with teammates after hitting a walk-off single in the tenth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Austin Hays' single with the bases loaded in the 10th inning gave the Cincinnati Reds a 3-2 victory over Milwaukee on Sunday, ending the Brewers' franchise-record winning streak at 14 games.

Pat Murphy says anybody who considers the Cubs the underdogs to the Brewers at this point has things backwards. Don’t try to tell the skipper that his club still has a seven-game lead in the National

By Grant Brisbee, Chad Jennings and Levi Weaver Every week,​ we​ ask a selected group of our baseball​ writers​ — local and national — to rank the teams from first to worst. Here are the collective results.

On the other hand, via Clay Davenport's third-order wins and losses, which project a team's winning percentage based on underlying statistics adjusted for quality of opponents, the Brewers are neck-and-neck with the Cubs,

Cincinnati Reds’ Trade Deadline Addition Ke'Bryan Hayes Draws Big Compliment from Milwaukee Brewers Manager Pat Murphy