Dodgers ensure NL West pennant race will come down to final day

The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 8-3 on Saturday, forcing the NL West pennant race to come down to the final day of the season.

Earlier in the day, the San Francisco Giants lost 3-2 to the San Diego Padres in 10 innings.

Heading into Game 162, the Giants hold a one-game lead over the Dodgers and can clinch the division with a win Sunday. If Los Angeles loses, San Francisco will also automatically clinch its first division title since 2012.

If the Dodgers win and the Giants lose, the historic rivals will be forced to meet in a tiebreaker game Monday in San Francisco. The contest would take place at Oracle Park because the Giants won the season series 10-9.

The winner will qualify for the NLDS, holding the Senior Circuit's best record. The loser will host the St. Louis Cardinals in the wild-card game, with the winner of that contest facing the club with the NL's best record in a best-of-five series.

Whichever club places second is already guaranteed to be the winningest second-place team in MLB history with at least 105 victories.

Julio Urias earned his 20th victory of the season Saturday, becoming the first 20-game winner in the NL since Max Scherzer in 2016. He's also the first Dodgers pitcher to reach the mark since Clayton Kershaw in 2014. Both won the Cy Young those seasons.

The Dodgers are currently on a 14-game winning streak at home, tying a 100-year-old franchise record set by the Brooklyn Robins in 1921.