The Chicago Cubs have quickly gone from favorites in the National League Central to fighting to keep the race close. Jed Hoyer spoke on his team.

Chicago Cubs starter Cade Horton left Game 1 of Monday’s doubleheader against the Milwaukee Brewers in the third inning with a blister.

Freddy Peralta allowed one hit and struck out six batters and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Chicago Cubs 7-0 in the first half of a Monday doubleheader. All-Star pitcher Peralta (15-5, 2.78 ERA) shut Chicago out over six innings to help Milwaukee advance to an MLB-best record of 79-45.

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.

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.

Game Set With Brewers Today

This Milwaukee club set a new benchmark — so far — for consecutive victories, surpassing the 1987 team that opened that season by winning its first 13 games.

All true. But even though the Brewers’ 14-game winning streak ended Sunday with a 3-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds in 10 innings, their record is best in the majors by six games. The team that opened the season with the sport’s eighth lowest payroll is putting the competition to shame.

The Brewers began a five-game series against the Cubs on Monday, taking a 7-0 shutout victory in the first matchup. If they win the series, or even sweep Chicago, they might not be able to hide under their underdog guise anymore.