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Parity or parody? Either way, as September arrives, the National League has more teams in playoff contention than not. Every one of the five NL East clubs is alive, and so are three in the NL West -- even though only one has a winning record.

The NL Central race is over, of course, but the Astros remain a worthy wild-card aspirant.

Now, if MLB can just be spared the embarrassment of having a division winner with a sub-.500 record, this NL race could be a lot of fun over the final month.

For the American League breakdown, click here.

St. Louis Cardinals
Games remaining: 28
Home games remaining: 15
Road games remaining: 13
Games against winning teams: 9
Games outside division: 4
Days off: 4
Toughest road trip: Sept. 15-24, 4 at CHI, 3 at CIN, 3 at MIL
Key series: Because the Cards have all but wrapped up the Central, it's tempting to say none. But for posterity, we'll highlight the final weekend of the season, when the Cards host the Reds in the final regular-season series ever at Busch Stadium.
Comment: There's little left for the Cardinals to worry about than getting their rotation in order for the Division Series and resting some of their regulars.

Houston Astros
Games remaining: 29
Home games remaining: 14
Road games remaining: 15
Games against winning teams: 12
Games outside division: 7
Days off: 2
Toughest road trip: Sept. 5-11, 3 at PHI, 3 at MIL
Key series: Sept 12-16, 4 with FLA
Comment: The Astros are right in the thick of the wild-card scramble, and will be helped by the fact that they play the vast majority of games within their own NL Central, where four teams have losing records and the Cardinals have nothing left to play for.

San Diego Padres
Games remaining: 29
Home games remaining: 13
Road games remaining: 16
Games against winning teams: 3
Games outside division: 6
Days off: 2
Toughest road trip: Sept. 19-25, 4 at COL, 3 at ARI
Key series: Sept. 23-25, 3 at ARI
Comment: The Padres have no one to blame but themselves if they don't hold on and win the NL West. Although they play more games on the road than at Petco Park, they hold a healthy lead and play exactly three games against teams with records above .500 in the final month.

Arizona Diamondbacks
Games remaining: 27
Home games remaining: 15
Road games remaining: 12
Games against winning teams: 0
Games outside division: 6
Days off: 5
Toughest road trip: Sept. 27-Oct. 2, 3 at LA, 3 at SF
Key series: Sept. 23-25, with SD
Comment: What's worse than a division leader playing under .500? A team still in contention despite being a dozen games under the break-even point. The Diamondbacks' only hope is that the Padres go into another skid, then to sweep the Padres on the next-to-last weekend of the season. It's not much, but it's the only chance they have.

Los Angeles Dodgers
Games remaining: 29
Home games remaining: 16
Road games remaining: 13
Games against winning teams: 0
Games outside division: 4
Days off: 3
Toughest road trip: Sept. 15-22, 4 at SF, 3 at ARI
Key series: Sept. 30-Oct. 2 at SD
Comment: Like the Diamondbacks, it's all uphill for the Dodgers, who haven't shown the ability to put together a sustained winning streak this season. The Dodgers don't have much of a chance, but they do have two series left with the front-running Padres. If they swept both, anything is possible.

Atlanta Braves
Games remaining: 28
Home games remaining: 15
Road games remaining: 13
Games against winning teams: 22
Games outside division: 6
Days off: 3
Toughest road trip: Sept. 9-18, 3 at WAS, 4 at PHI, 3 at NYM
Key series: Sept. 30-Oct. 2 at FLA
Comment: Once again, the Braves are in the driver's seat to win the NL East. It's unlikely one East rival can separate itself from the pack and make a run at the Braves. Only a fairly major collapse can knock the Braves out of their customary spot in the postseason.

Florida Marlins
Games remaining: 29
Home games remaining: 12
Road games remaining: 17
Games against winning teams: 29
Games outside division: 4
Days off: 2
Toughest road trip: Sept. 5-15, 4 at WAS, 3 at PHI, 4 at HOU
Key series: Sept. 16-18, PHI
Comment: Of all the wild-card contenders, the Marlins might have the best starting pitching. They may need it, too, because they clearly have the toughest schedule with the most number of road games. What's more, every single one of their remaining games is against a team with a winning record. The Marlins folded down the stretch last season. They'll have to play far better to return to the postseason this time.

Philadelphia Phillies
Games remaining: 28
Home games remaining: 13
Road games remaining: 15
Games against winning teams: 25
Games outside division: 3
Days off: 3
Toughest road trip: Sept. 16-25, 3 at FLA, 3 at ATL, 3 at CIN
Key series: Sept. 26-28, 3 NYM
Comment: The Phils sit atop the wild-card lead by a half-game over the Astros, but it's difficult to imagine them staying there. Fifteen of their final 28 are on the road, where the Phils have shown no consistency.

New York Mets
Games remaining: 29
Home games remaining: 14
Road games remaining: 15
Games against winning teams: 25
Games outside division: 8
Days off: 2
Toughest road trip: Sept. 2-11, 3 at FLA, 3 at ATL, 4 at STL
Key series: Sept. 26-28, 3 PHI
Comment: The Mets must survive a brutal trip at the beginning of the month to remain in contention. If they can merely play .500 against three of the league's best pitching staffs -- the Marlins, Braves and Cardinals -- they might have a shot. Still, that's a big if.

Washington Nationals
Games remaining: 28
Home games remaining: 19
Road games remaining: 9
Games against winning teams: 23
Games outside division: 6
Days off: 3
Toughest road trip: Sept. 13-18, 3 at NYM, 3 at SD
Key series: Sept. 26-28, at FLA
Comment: The Nats have faded badly in the last month, though they remain on the edge of the wild-card race. The division would seem out of play. One positive is the huge number of home games left. But the Nationals must first regain the winning touch at RFK Stadium they displayed in the first half of the season.

Sean McAdam of The Providence (R.I.) Journal covers baseball for ESPN.com.