Who Will Win The NL Central?

Right now, the Cardinals and the Pirates are tied for 1st place in the NL Central. The Reds are just 2.5 games behind them. The NL Central is the tightest division in baseball, and is definitely the best division. The first place spot is up for grabs.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have shocked the world this year, they are currently 86-62. This will be their first time finishing over .500 in 20 years! At the beginning of the year, I thought there was no way that they would be this good. Nobody expected it. They have 14 games left, against the following teams: Cubs, Padres, Reds, Cubs (again), and Reds (again). I am predicting that they will go 7-7 in these games, because they are facing some good teams, and some bad teams so I think it will equal out.

The St. Louis Cardinals have had a season that I think almost everyone expected. They are currently 86-62, tied with the Pirates. The Cardinals are a team that has great pitching, and great hitting. Their pitching staff has been absolutely amazing this season. They have guys like Adam Wainwright that are established major league pitchers, but they have also gotten a lot of great starts from guys like Shelby Miller, and Michael Wacha. The Cardinals may be getting very lucky, but every team needs a little bit of luck. They have 14 games left, against the following teams: Mariners, Rockies, Brewers, Nationals, and Cubs. I think the Cardinals are better than all of these teams, and that’s why I am predicting that they will go 9-5 in these games. Only one of the teams that they will be going against is over .500 currently, the Nationals. The Cardinals are a better team than the Nationals, though.

The Cincinnati Reds have had a great season. They are currently 84-65. Before the season started I expected them to finish in first place, but they are currently 2.5 games out of first place in the NL Central. They are a team that the Pirates and the Cardinals should be worried about though. The Reds have such a good offense, and a good pitching staff, lead by Mat Latos. The Reds have 13 games left, against the following teams: Brewers, Astros, Pirates, Mets, and Pirates (again). These are all teams that I think the Reds can beat, and that is why I am predicting that they will go 8-5 in these games. The Reds should have no trouble with the Brewers, the Astros and the Mets. These are terrible teams.

Based on my predictions, the final NL Central standings will look like this:

1. Cardinals: 95-67
2. Pirates: 93-69
3. Reds: 92-70

I think the Cardinals will finish in first place, and I think that the Pirates and the Reds will be in the Wild Card game. Since the Pirates will finish with a better record than the Reds, the Wild Card game will be held in PNC Park.

Remember, this is all a prediction, this is not guaranteed, and I might not be correct. There are so many great races going on throughout the MLB right now, so the next couple weeks should be very interesting!