Cardinals magic number: How close is St. Louis to clinching NL Central division title?

The St. Louis Cardinals were locked in a tight divisional race at the beginning of August. But a torrid month put them in the driver's seat for a division crown. Here are the Cardinals' magic numbers to clinch both a playoff berth and their 12th NL Central title.

Cardinals magic numbers

Playoff berth: 12
NL Central title: 12

There is a significant gap between the Cardinals and the NL East leader for the No. 2 seed in the National League playoffs, so St. Louis is all but guaranteed to open its postseason as the No. 3 seed and face the NL's No. 6 seed – the third NL Wild Card team. All games in that best-of-three series would be played at Busch Stadium. Although their overall record isn't as impressive as the Dodgers' or the Astros', the Cardinals look like a tough out in the postseason. Their offense is headed by Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado, two veteran infielders who may finish 1-2 in the NL MVP voting this fall. Plus, Albert Pujols has provided more value to their lineup than anyone imagined at the start of the year. Their rotation is solid throughout and highlighted by left-hander Jordan Montgomery, who has been one of the best starting pitchers in baseball since coming over from the Yankees at the trade deadline.

  
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