The National League playoff race is as tight as it's ever been before in the MLB standings.

Four teams are separated by just three wins in the Wild Card race. The Atlanta Braves and Pittsburgh Pirates currently have an identical 68-64 record. The two teams in the driver seat for the NL wild card slots are the St. Louis Cardinals, who are 71-60, and the San Francisco Giants, who stand at 69-62 with little more than a month to go in the season.

The Cardinals were just in the World Series last season with Mike Matheny as their manager. The Cardinals have appeared in four of the last 10 World Series, so experience runs high with this team.

Matt Carpenter leads the Cardinals in total hits with 139. He also leads the team in runs scored with 82. The Cardinals feature a very balance lineup. Dominican-born shortstop Johnny Peralta is having a great season with 18 home runs and 22 doubles. Of course, Matt Holliday's contributions can't go unnoticed. The 34-year-old outfielder has a team-high 67 runs batted in this season.

The National League Central has been a tight race throughout the entire season. The Milwaukee Brewers lead the division by just 1.5 games over the Cardinals. Despite the lead, the Brewers know the Cardinals will fight to the very end. The Brewers and Cardinals will face each other seven more times this season.

The Cardinals are in the driver's seat for the first wild card spot, two games ahead of the Giants. Trying to catch the Cardinals for a wild card berth are the Pirates and Braves.

Despite having a balanced lineup, the Cardinals rank No. 29 overall in total runs scored, only ahead of the San Diego Padres. The Cardinals are tied for last with the Kansas City Royals in the majors for fewest home runs hit with just 84. If the Cardinals are going to implode and fail to make the playoffs, most likely it's going to be because of their bats.

Luckily for St. Louis fans, the Cardinals' defense has made up for much for their hitting. Pitcher Adam Wainwright leads the team with a 15-8 record, which is tied for most wins in the league. Lance Lynn is having a very underrated season with 14 victories and a 2.79 earned runs against average. Trevor Rosenthal has 39 saves this season as the Cardinals' relief pitcher.

Because the National League playoff race is so tight, the Cardinals could finish as high as a No. 1 seed or as low as missing the playoffs all together. The Los Angeles Dodgers have been playing very well all season, so a late-season collapse isn't expected from them. The Cardinals could certainly catch the Brewers for the division lead before the season ends. Again, the Brewers and Cardinals will battle one another seven more times this year, four games which are in Milwaukee.

Fortunately for St. Louis, they will play the Pirates four more times this season, three of which are at home.

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