NL Central

We’re almost at the point in the season where rosters expand to 40 players and teams call up all sorts of minor league prospects to supplement their rosters.

Some of these September call-ups go a long way in helping their teams qualify for the playoffs. Others flame out and ride the bench until the end of the season. Either way, these prospects have the chance to make their mark while also giving a much-needed boost to weary rosters at the end of a long season.

Following the disaster in Colorado, most Cincinnati Reds fans finally said farewell to a painful season full of hopes and what-ifs. That was, of course, before another walk-off defeat in St. Louis.

While the attitude inside of the clubhouse is probably still focused on 2014, the fact remains that this depleted Reds team probably won't be able to compete for the last wild-card spot (they need to jump four teams now), so the focus will shift to 2015.

Twitter erupted Saturday night following news that Kris Bryant was pulled during the middle of Triple-A Iowa’s game. He didn’t appear to suffer an injury in the game, which only fueled speculation that the 22-year-old slugger was headed for The Show.

Milwaukee Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy, who hit his 40th double of the season Sunday, has a chance to become the first catcher in the modern era (since 1900) to lead a league in two-baggers, per ESPN Stats & Info.

The Chicago Cubs have done an exceptional job at collecting assets in recent years, but with many of their young players ready to contribute, they will soon need to turn those assets into a balanced roster built to compete for a World Series title.

The progress the young guns have made in the minor leagues this season is encouraging for the Chicago Cubs' future. As long as they add some quality pitching in free agency this offseason, they should actually be a pretty interesting team in 2015. Their lineup should also improve by adding prospects at the start of the year. 

The next three weeks will determine whether the Pittsburgh Pirates make the playoffs.

On August 15, Reds Nation stands at the intersection of desperation and dismissal. After losing to the Colorado Rockies and dropping now four of their last five games, all to teams beneath .500, the Reds have fallen back to beneath .500 for the first time since July 30.

It won't be long until MLB lists the elimination number for each team in the standings.

It also won't be long until that number is zero for the Chicago Cubs. Not that it's a huge surprise for fans of the Cubs.

This year was penned as a rebuilding and development year long before Opening Day. However, what has gotten fans through a difficult 2014 is not the play at Wrigley Field but rather the future of the team fielded at the Friendly Confines.

Because they inhabit a playoff position at the moment, the St. Louis Cardinals are postseason contenders. But for most of 2014, the club hasn't played up to preseason hopes and expectations that included visions of a second straight World Series run. The prime culprit? The lineup.