Andy Cross, The Denver Post
The Colorado Rockies pose for a group photo in the clubhouse after defeating the Washington Nationals 5-2 earning themselves a playoff birth at Coors Field Sept. 28, 2018. 
Getting your player ready...
Unfinished business.
The Rockies beat the Nationals 5-2 Friday night to clinch a playoff spot. But winning their first National League West title would be huge, and it would come with the important bonus of getting to bypass the risky one-and-done wild-card game.
“At this point, we want the division for sure,” third baseman Nolan Arenado said late Friday night.
So what’s next for the Rockies as they enter Saturday night’s game against the Nationals with two games remaining in the regular season?
Here’s a breakdown:
- Friday’s victory reduced Colorado’s “magic number” over the Dodgers to two games to capture an NL West title. The Rockies entered Saturday’s play with a one-game lead over Los Angeles. If the teams should end up in a tie, they would meet Monday at Dodger Stadium for a tiebreaker game. Los Angeles would host since it won the season series, 12-7.
- If the Rockies win the NL West, either outright or via a tiebreaker, they will play the NL East champion Braves in the NL Division Series, which will start Thursday.
- If an NL West tiebreaker is needed, the loser will be the second NL wild card and will travel Tuesday to play either the Cubs or the Brewers. Those two teams are still batting for the NL Central title, but either the Cubs or Brewers would host the wild card because of better records.
- The Rockies are also keeping an eye on Atlanta. After Friday’s games, the Rockies and Braves had identical 90-70 records. If both teams win their final two games, the Rockies would have home-field advantage in the NL division series by virtue of their 5-2 record vs. the Braves during the regular season. The series would begin at Coors Field.
