MLB Standings: St Louis Cardinals & Pittsburgh Pirates in Trouble With Chicago Cubs?

By Damon Salvadore First Posted: Sep 09, 2015 12:51 PM EDT

The St. Louis Cardinals have been by far the best team in all of Major league Baseball this year, but the No. 1 seed hasn't been locked up just yet.

The Cardinals have lost five of their last six games and now have an overall record of 87-51. The Cardinals are still in first place in the National League Central, but they need to bounce out of this slump. Not only have the Cardinals dropped five of six, but it has come against NL Central opponents, the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates. Things won't get much easier for the Cardinals. Beginning Sept. 10, the Cardinals will embark on a 10-game road trip.

Pitching has been phenomenal for the Cardinals all season as they rank No. 1 in team ERA, but run production is becoming a concern. The Cardinals now rank a surprising 23rd in runs scored and 26th in home runs hit.

The Cardinals aren't the only NL central team struggling. The Pittsburgh Pirates have lost six of their last nine games, almost surrendering the No. 5 spot in the National League. Andrew McCutchen is having another great year batting .301, and he has a team-leading 88 RBI. The Pirates also have one of the best pitchers in the league this season in Gerritt Cole, who could very well win the AL Cy Young Award.

Unfortunately, the Pirates, like the Cardinals, are in a bit of a slump. The Pirates offense has been very inconsistent lately scoring less than five runs five times in their last nine games. Since the 1995 division realignment, the Pirates have never won the NL Central.

While the Pirates and Cardinals are bit off track, the Chicago Cubs are driving a straight path. The Cubs are currently on a five game win streak, two of which have come against the Cardinals in St. Louis. With an 80-57 record, the Cubs aren't just lying down and giving the division to the Cardinals.

Anthony Rizzo has been the Cubs best offensive player this year with 29 home runs, 87 RBI, and a .535 slugging percentage. Jake Arrieta has been fantastic this season making his case for the NL Cy Young. Arrieta has an 18-6 record on the mound with an incredible 2.03 ERA.

The Cubs haven't made the playoffs since 2008, when they won the NL Central.

If the season were to end today the Pirates and Cubs would play each other in the all-exciting 'winner takes all' wild card game. The winner of that game would play the No. 1 seed Cardinals in the second round while the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets square off in a best-of-five series. The Mets and Dodgers will more than likely finish as division winners, but that No. 2 spot is huge because it can determine if the series will be primarily played in Los Angeles or New York City.

There's still a long way to go.