Cubs jump a spot in the power rankings after another successful week

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The Chicago Cubs knew they had some work to do before heading to the All-Star Break. They were coming off a weekend where they lost the series to the St. Louis Cardinals, where they gave up 17 runs in Friday's loss.

They had to buckle down with a road series against the Baltimore Orioles and then another road series against the Cincinnati Reds.

The Cubs were able to get the better of the Orioles, winning the series 2-1, before doing the same thing to the Reds, winning both series and going into the All-Star Break on a high note.

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Cubs jump a spot in the power rankings after another successful week

With a 4-2 record last week, that has helped the Cubs stay in the thick of things in the National League Central. They are just five games behind the Milwaukee Brewers, who lead the division.

Those wins helped push the team up a spot in the power rankings, going from No. 6 last week to No. 5 this week, per Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller.

"After starting out 7-9, the Cubs won 20 of their next 23, lost 22 of their next 29 and then closed out the first half with wins in 20 of their last 28 games. Whether they'll be Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde in October remains to be seen. But for all the talk about the need to upgrade this pitching staff at the deadline, it's probably going to hinge on the offense. The Cubs have won 19 of the last 20 games in which they've scored at least five runs, including all four of their victories this week."

Now, this team is going to be an interesting one to watch after the break. Will they keep this momentum going, acquire another starting pitcher ahead of the deadline, and be a real postseason contender, or will they hit another rough patch, one that could take them out of the hunt completely?