Two National League division races have come down to tiebreakers that will be played Monday, as both the NL Central and NL West finished in dead heats at the end of the 162-game regular season.
Both the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers won 95 games in the Central, while the Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Dodgers stand tied at 91 wins apiece in the West.
Winners Advance, Losers Get Second Chance
Neither of these tiebreakers is a true must-win situation for any of the four teams involved. The two winners will claim their divisional crowns and move directly to the NLDS, while the losing teams will face off in the NL Wild Card Game.
Essentially, the four teams are playing in a double-elimination tournament to reach the NLDS: win one of the next two games, and you’re in.
“You are managing two games [on Monday],” Cubs manager Joe Maddon told reporters after a 10-5 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday. “Of course you want to win [Monday’s game]. But if it gets more bleak, then you have to start considering the next day.”
The Cubs will host the Brewers in the tiebreaker game, and will have Jose Quintana take the mound. While his season has been average – he has compiled a 13-11 record with a 4.09 ERA – he has been very good over the last month, and has a 1.60 ERA lifetime against the Brewers.
The Brewers announced that they will be starting Jhoulys Chacin (15-8, 3.56 ERA). Milwaukee knows they have two chances to advance, but plan on doing what they can to avoid a one-game playoff on Tuesday.
“We’re going in there with the mindset that it’s a must win,” said Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich after Milwaukee’s 11-0 win over the Detroit Tigers on Sunday. “They are a great team. We’ve played each other tough all year. It’s only fitting that we have to do one more.”
Dodgers Look for Sixth Straight Divisional Title
Meanwhile, the Dodgers will play host to the Rockies later on Monday afternoon, with the NL West crown at stake. The Dodgers are looking to win a record sixth consecutive NL West title, while the Rockies are trying to win the division for the first time in franchise history.
Both teams are starting young pitchers on Monday, with Dodgers rookie Walker Buehler (7-5, 2.76 ERA) facing off against German Marquez (14-10, 3.75 ERA). According to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, the prospect of getting some rest and guaranteeing a spot in the NLDS should be more than enough motivation for his team to play well in the tiebreaker.
“It’s a game where obviously it’s not do-or-die, but I think that it’s a must-win game,” Roberts told reporters. “To win the game and get a couple days off, to host the division series is very important.”
The Rockies managed to catch the Dodgers by winning nine of their last 10 games, and hope their hot streak can continue heading into the tiebreaker.
“It seems like we’ll have a tough series or whatever, a tough stretch, and we’ll always come back stronger,” Rockies second baseman DJ LeMahieu told the Denver Post. “When our back’s against the wall, we play our best. I don’t expect that to change.”
According to Bovada, the Cubs (-128) are slight favorites over the Brewers (+108), while Los Angeles (-166) is a significant favorite over Colorado (+143) in their tiebreaker.
