Template:1996 NL Central standings

NL Central	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
St. Louis Cardinals	88	74	0.543	—	48–33	40–41
Houston Astros	82	80	0.506	6	48–33	34–47
Cincinnati Reds	81	81	0.500	7	46–35	35–46
Chicago Cubs	76	86	0.469	12	43–38	33–48
Pittsburgh Pirates	73	89	0.451	15	36–44	37–45