4 NL teams battling for final 2 playoff spots on last day of regular season
The postseason future of four teams in the National League will be determined on the final day of the regular season.
Entering Sunday, the Milwaukee Brewers, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, and St. Louis Cardinals are still alive for the NL's final two spots, with each team set to play.
| TEAM | RECORD | OPPONENT | START TIME |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinals* | 29-28 | MIL | 3:15 p.m. ET |
| Brewers | 29-30 | @STL | 3:15 p.m. ET |
| Giants | 29-30 | SD | 3:05 p.m. ET |
| Phillies | 28-31 | @TB | 3:10 p.m. ET |
*Cardinals can make up one or two games of a doubleheader against Tigers in Detroit on Monday if games affect who makes postseason
There are a number of scenarios for each team to make or miss the postseason.
No tiebreakers
If the Cardinals and Giants win their games, they're both in.
Two-way ties
A two-way tie for the final spot could occur if the Brewers defeat the Cardinals, Giants lose, and Phillies win. This would result in the Brewers and Cardinals heading to the postseason without St. Louis having to play additional games. The Cardinals own a tiebreaker over the Giants and a better divisional record over their past 20 games than the Phillies.
Another two-way tie might happen if the Cardinals defeat the Brewers, and the Giants and Phillies both lose. This would also result in a playoff berth for the Cardinals and Brewers because Milwaukee owns a better intradivision record than San Francisco.
Three-way ties
There are also two potential scenarios involving three-way ties.
Should the Cardinals defeat the Brewers, the Giants lose, and Phillies win, that would give the No. 7 seed to St. Louis with a three-way tie for No. 8. Because the Giants, Phillies, and Brewers don't have head-to-head records, their postseason futures would be decided by the superior intradivision record, which belongs to the Phillies. This is Philadelphia's only way into the postseason.
Secondly, if the Brewers beat the Cardinals and the Giants are victorious, Milwaukee is in with the better intradivision record, the Phillies would be out, and the Cardinals would travel to Detroit with two shots to clinch a playoff spot. They'd need just one win over the Tigers to make the postseason. The Giants would get in if the Cardinals lose both games to Detroit.
Odds of getting in
| TEAM | ODDS |
|---|---|
| Cardinals | 96.5% |
| Brewers | 66.8% |
| Giants | 23.5% |
| Phillies | 13.2% |
(Source: FanGraphs)