MLB Standings: Los Angeles Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates & New York Mets Surging in National League Playoff Race

By Damon Salvadore First Posted: Sep 16, 2015 03:36 PM EDT

The 2015 Major League Baseball season has been an exciting one so far, and baseball fans are in for one heck of a finish. Five teams are still fighting for the No. 1 seed in the National League with others just trying to grab one of the two available wild card playoff spots.

If your team is already eliminated, just sit back and enjoy the conclusion to this dramatic ending.

The St. Louis Cardinals have been in first place in the NL the entire season, but a recent slump has some fans wondering if that No. 1 seed is still up for grabs. The slumping Cardinals offense now ranks 24th overall in runs scored.

The three hottest teams in the NL at the moment are the Los Angeles Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Mets.

The Dodgers lead the National League West thanks to the elite pitching combination of Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw. Greinke and Kershaw have a combined 31 wins for the Dodgers this season. The streaking Dodgers have won seven of their last 10 games, and now have a seven win advantage in the National League West over the San Francisco Giants. Adrian Gonzalez has a team-leading 27 home runs and 84 RBI while rookie Joc Pederson is having a terrific power season with 25 home runs, but just a .219 batting average.

Kershaw is viewed as one of the most dominant pitchers in the game, but he certainly has some playoff demons to destroy this October.

Another team surging at just the right time is the Mets. It feels like 1969 again, or maybe 1986. The Mets have won eight of their last nine games, and now have a commanding 8.5 game lead in the National League East over the disappointing Washington Nationals. The Mets may be seven wins behind the Cardinals, but anything can happen down the stretch.

Extreme attention is focused at the annual trade deadline for a reason. The Mets made a huge move to grab Yoenis Cespedes. The Cuban outfielder has been spectacular for the Mets since joining the squad. Cespedes is batting .302 with 17 home runs with the Mets in just 42 games. It may seem crazy to some, but Cespedes could very well win the NL MVP because of the tremendous impact he has had. Mets pitchers Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Bartolo Colon have a combined 39 wins on the mound this season.

If the Mets avoid an historic collapse, this would be their first playoff appearance since 2006.

The third NL team peaking right now is the Pirates. The Pirates have an 87-57 record, which is the second best record in the entire league. Unfortunately for the Pirates, the play in the National league Central, meaning they are a wild card team with a No. 4 seed because of the Cardinals dominance.

The Pirates have the No. 2 ranked pitching staff in the league, behind only the Cardinals. Gerrit Cole is having a great season with a 16-8 record while Andrew McCutchen leads the team in most offensive categories. The Pirates have won four of their last five games, and will soon face the Dodgers in a huge three game series beginning Sept. 18.

If the season were to end today the Pirates and Cubs would face off in a wild card playoff game with the winner playing the No. 1 seed Cardinals in the second round. The Dodgers and Mets would face off in a best three of five game series with the Dodgers having home field advantage.