The Nationals snapped the Rockies’ eight-game winning streak with a 12-2 defeat of Colorado on Saturday at Coors Field, a loss that dropped the club into a dead heat with the Dodgers heading into the final day of the regular season.
Colorado and Los Angeles have already clinched playoff berths and each sits at 90-71 on the season, tied atop the National League West. Los Angeles made up a game deficit with a victory over San Francisco on Saturday afternoon.
Should both teams win or both teams lose on Sunday, they would meet Monday at Dodger Stadium for a tiebreaker game. Los Angeles would host since it won the season series, 12-7.
The Rockies face right-hander Erick Fedde opposite left-hander Tyler Anderson for the series finale against the Nationals on Sunday, while the Dodgers go for a sweep of the Giants in San Francisco.
Here are all the potential postseason scenarios for Colorado:
— If the Rockies win the NL West, either outright or via a tiebreaker Monday, they will play the NL East champion Braves in the NL Division Series, which will start Thursday.
— If the Rockies lose the division either on Sunday or Monday, they will travel Tuesday to play either the Cubs or the Brewers in the NL wild card. Those two teams are tied atop the NL Central at 94-67 heading into Sunday. Chicago plays the Cardinals (eliminated on Saturday) and Milwaukee plays the 97-loss Tigers on Sunday. Should those two teams tie in the Central, they’d play a one-game tiebreaker on Monday at Wrigley Field.
— The Rockies are also keeping an eye on Atlanta. After Saturday’s games, the Rockies and Braves had identical records. If both teams win their Sunday games, the Rockies would have home-field advantage in the NL division series by virtue of their 5-2 record against the Braves during the regular season. That potential series would begin at Coors Field on Thursday.
