The St. Louis Cardinals & Pittsburgh Pirates Remain Tied Atop the National League Central Standings

The St. Louis Cardinals trounced the Seattle Mariners 12-2. The Pittsburgh Pirates topped the Chicago Cubs 3-2. The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Cincinnati Reds 6-5 after trailing 5-1 entering the seventh inning. After today's games, the National League Central standings look like this:

The Cards and Pirates are tied atop the division, as the Reds fall a bit further behind the present championship pace. The three clubs each have four series remaining. The Cardinals and Pirates each have 13 games left in the 2013 regular season. The Reds have twelve.

CINCINNATI REDS' REMAINING SCHEDULE

PITTSBURGH PIRATES' REMAINING SCHEDULE

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS' REMAINING SCHEDULE

The NL Central has been a tight race throughout the season, with the Pirates and Cardinals playing leap-frog for first place during much of the second half. The big difference in the clubs' remaining schedules is the fact that the Pirates and Reds play another. Someone has to lose those games.

Meanwhile, the Cardinals face the lowly Brew Crew, last-place Rockies, decent Nats, and last-place Cubs. The schedule sets up well for the Cardinals. Nonetheless, the games (and scoreboard watching) promise to make the remaining games nerve-racking.