NL Central Race Could End With Three Playoff Teams

The calendar is about to flip to September and the dog days of August are coming to a close. August is the month that separates the contenders (see Kansas City) from the pretenders (see Philadelphia), but in the National League Central Division there is not separation. Three contenders remain in a deadlock atop the division standings with Pittsburgh and St. Louis tied for first and Cincinnati just 2.5 back.

The final sprint to the finish will be incredible to watch and it's likely that there could be three teams make the playoffs. All three teams have the ingredients for postseason success with quality rotations and deep lineups. Here's the forecast for the Pirates, Cardinals and Reds as we head to the final month of the regular season.

Pittsburgh Pirates (76-54) -- On this blog just last month I said time will tell if this band of Pirates was legit. Time has told us yes they are. Whereas the last few years the Pirates had crumbled in the second half of the season, this year they have continued to play good ball while persevering through some injuries. Six games each against the Cards and Reds remain on the schedule. Closer Jason Grilli remains on the 15-day DL, but GM Neal Huntington said a big step would be a simulation game this week. For the Pirates, the final stretch will be a new challenge to conquer. The playoffs haven't been in Pittsburgh since Barry Bonds, but making the postseason would be the next step for this team. There are growing pains that come with learning to win and that's why winning the division might be a year away for this team, but they are a force to be reckoned with if they sew up one of those Wild Card spots.

St. Louis Cardinals (76-54) -- The Cardinals are in a completely different spot than the Pittsburgh Pirates despite their records saying the same thing. St. Louis is a veteran team with a nice mix of young talent. The core of the team has won one or two World Series and has been a part of two fantastic playoff series the last two years. St. Louis weathered the storm during the first half of the month, but they are in the midst of another difficult part on the schedule. They recently took three of four from Atlanta, but their next 12 are against the Reds and Pirates. The schedule after that is favorable and if they stay healthy then they should be the division winner. The offense has been outstanding from the start and with the way St. Louis drives in runs they will be hard to beat in the playoffs. Add in their experience and this team should be playing for the NL championship.

Cincinnati Reds (74-57) -- Cincinnati has been an underachiever as far as the postseason goes the past few years and, for a time, it looked like this year's playoffs wouldn't be happening in the Queens City. However, the Reds had a good month and are now very much in playoff contention. The offense is there for Cincinnati. They are 13th in runs scored and they seventh in on-base percentage. There are a few questions in the starting rotation and the main one is how good will Homer Bailey be? We've seen him throw two no-hitters, but he has also had his low moments. A good Homer Bailey would be huge for the Reds and if they team has the lead late in the game then you can forget about it because that means it's Aroldis Chapman time. A Wild Card spot is there for the taking and the series against the Cardinals starting tonight is the biggest of the season for this team.

All three teams have proven they are playoff teams and they do so by being good at the plate and out on the field. St. Louis has the playoff experience and the best offense, but the Pirates are a team on a mission. Cincinnati isn't far behind and has nightmares of last year's playoff collapse to the Giants. Count on all three to make the playoffs if they don't beat up on each other over the next month.