Through the Brewers’ Sept. 23 game, the Dodgers need one of 10 outcomes to go their way to finish ahead of Atlanta and secure at least the NL’s No. 2 seed and an NLDS bye. They need seven of nine outcomes to finish with the league’s best record.
Los Angeles has no tiebreaker against either Milwaukee or Atlanta, so it must finish with a better record to earn a higher seed. Milwaukee stood at 99-59, the Dodgers at 97-60 and Atlanta at 92-65. The Brewers need three of nine outcomes to go their way to finish with the NL’s best record.
The top two division winners receive a bye into the NL Division Series, which begins Oct. 3; the wild-card round starts Sept. 29. The Dodgers clinched their fifth straight NL West title on Sept. 16 and secured a 14th consecutive playoff berth on Sept. 14, tying the major-league record held by the Braves.
