The National League Central Division race is tight and things are only going to heat up in the final two months of the season. Below we will continue our MLB odds series with a NL Central Division winner prediction and pick.

As it stands today, the Cincinnati Reds (50-41) lead the NL Central by one game over the Milwaukee Brewers (49-42). The Chicago Cubs (42-47) are seven games back, the Pittsburgh Pirates (41-49) are 8.5 games back and the St. Louis Cardinals (38-52) are 11.5 games back. However, every team except the Cardinals have led the division at some point this season. This means that every team is capable of getting hot and the division is still up for grabs. The winner of this division will probably be the three seed in the playoffs, but there is most likely going to be no wild card teams coming from the NL Central. Each team will be playing for the division win for the rest of the season.

This division is a three team race. In my opinion, the Pirates should have better odds than the Cardinals, but both teams could be sellers at the deadline. In fact, John Mozeliak has already stated that the Cardinals will trade players at the deadline. The Pirates, on the other hand, have fallen off and their pitching staff and hitters are struggling in a big way. Pittsburgh could get hot the second half of the season, but I just do not see it happening. With that said, we will focus on the Reds, Brewers and Cubs.

Here are the MLB NL Central Division winner odds, courtesy of FanDuel

MLB NL Central Division winner odds

Milwaukee Brewers: +100

Cincinnati Reds: +125

Chicago Cubs: +750

St. Louis Cardinals: +1800

Pittsburgh Pirates: +6500

Why the Brewers will win the NL Central

The Brewers have been in a race for the division crown this whole season. They have been in the lead for a while, they have trailed a little bit, but they always seem to be within a few games of the lead. Right now they are a game back from the Reds heading into the rest of the season. The Brewers do face the Reds twice in the next three weeks, so those two series are going to be massive. If they can win both of those series, there will find a way to come out on top.

Milwaukee has not been the best offensive team this season, but they can pitch the heck out of the ball. With Corbin Burnes, Freddy Peralta, Wade Miley and Adrian Houser, the Brewers rotation is pretty good. Brandon Woodruff has been out, but Julio Teheran has been a very nice temporary replacement. Woodruff will be making his return (hopefully) sometime in August, so the Brewers will have him for that final playoff push. Their pitching staff is going to have to carry a lot of pressure if Milwaukee wants to win the division, but they are one of the better pitching staffs in the division. One thing the Brewers need to do is trade for a good hitter or two. If they do this, Milwaukee will win the NL Central.

Why the Reds will win the NL Central

The Reds are one of the younger teams in the division and they are very fun to watch. Spencer Steer, Matt McLain, Elly De La Cruz, Jonathan India, TJ Friedl, Andrew Abbott, Hunter Greene, and the list goes on. These are all young players that will be massive factors for the Reds for the forseeable future. Greene is dealing with an injury right now, but he will be back. Cincinnati has one of the best closers in the game in Alexis Diaz, as well. Not to mention, the Reds have a veteran in Joey Votto to keep the team on track and focused. The Reds entered the break as one of the hottest teams in baseball and they are not showing signs of slowing down.

One thing to keep an eye on is the trade deadline. Cincinnati is just fine offensively. They will win games with their hitting alone. However, they need some more pitchers. With Greene out, their rotation is lacking the ability to go deep in games and take pressure off the bullpen. Abbott is a very good rookie pitcher and Ben Lively has been just fine. However, they do not have the stud starting pitcher to get them over the hump and into the playoffs. If they can add a solid starting pitching piece, and a few bullpen arms, the Reds will win the division. It all just depends on their moves at the deadline.

Why the Cubs will win the NL Central

The Cubs started off the season looking like they were ready to run away with the division. Marcus Stroman and Justin Steele are two of the better pitchers in the National League and Drew Smyly was pitching very well. The hitters were also on fire. Dansby Swanson, Nico Hoerner, Ian Happ, Cody Bellinger and Patrick Wisdom looked like they were going to be some of the better hitters in baseball. However, they have all taken a few steps back since then. They are still solid, but they need to heat up again if the Cubs want to win the NL Central. In the bullpen, Adbert Alzolay has been very solid, but the rest of the pitchers have been inconsistent.

Bellinger has heated up in July, but Happ and Wisdom have gone cold. Hoerner has been pretty consistent all year, though. Swanson is currently on the IL, but the Cubs are hoping he can return to early season form once he is back. As I have stated multiple times, the trade deadline is going to be important. If the Cubs are buyers, they will put themselves in great position to win the division. Chicago needs bullpen arms, another starter and a power bat, so the price they will have to pay is going to be huge. The good news is they have the prospects to make some moves and compete. If the Cubs make those moves, there will be a battle for the NL Central crown.

Final NL Central Division winner prediction and pick

This division is going to be a tight race. Admittedly, I am a Cubs fan, but it is a long shot they win the divison. The Brewers seem like the safer pick, but I just do not think they will pull it off. I think the Reds will stay hot and stay at the top of the NL Central. Cincinnati is my pick to win the NL Central.

Final NL Central Division winner prediction and pick: Reds +125