Major League Baseball will stage two games on Monday that defy classification. Officially, they will count as regular-season games. At stake will be the championships of the National League Central and West divisions, so they could be called one-game playoffs. Yet how can they really be one-game playoffs if none of the teams face elimination? All 10 teams in the 2018 postseason field had been determined before the final Sunday of the regular season. But because N.L. Central and West featured ties at the top — the Chicago Cubs and the Milwaukee Brewers in the Central, and the Colorado Rockies and the Los Angeles Dodgers in the West — there was lots to be decided. Status quo would set up a chaotic Monday, and that is just what happened. The Cubs, Brewers, Rockies and Dodgers all won easily, meaning that the division rivals will meet on Monday to settle the standings. The Brewers visit Wrigley Field in Chicago at 1:09 p.m. Eastern, and the Rockies play at Dodger Stadium three hours later. The winners of those games will advance to the N.L. division series, which start on Thursday, and the losers will meet in the N.L. wild card game on Tuesday. The winner in Chicago will hold the top seed and home-field advantage in the N.L. playoffs, while the loser will host the wild-card game. The winner in Los Angeles will be the No. 2 seed and play the N.L. East champion Atlanta Braves in the division series.<doc-sep>Just two days remain in the 2018 Major League Baseball regular season. Many postseason races have already been decided, but a few remain up in the air, which means we're in for an exciting weekend. Here's an update on the postseason races. (World Series probabilities are via SportsLine) Current playoff bracket Mike Meredith/CBS Sports What's done The Red Sox (107-53, 17.01% World Series champs) are the AL East champs and top seed. The Astros (101-58, 13.35%) are the AL West champs and No. 2 seed. The Indians (90-70, 11.67%) are the AL Central champs and No. 3 in the AL. The Yankees (99-61, 10.04%) and Athletics (96-64, 2.45%) will meet in the AL Wild Card Game at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday. The AL postseason field is settled. Those races are over. Over on the NL side, the Braves (90-70, 4.17%) are the NL East champions. The Cubs, Brewers, and Rockies have clinched playoff spots. The worst-case scenario for the Cubs and Brewers right now is home-field advantage in the NL Wild Card Game. What's almost done With just two games to play, the Dodgers hold a two-game lead over the Cardinals for the second NL wild-card spot. Los Angeles will clinch a postseason spot with their next win or the next Cardinals loss. In play Everything else! We'll go by team: The Cubs (94-66, 8.68%) are clinging to a one-game lead over the Brewers in the NL Central, which will provide the top NL seed. The Cubs won their series opener against the Cardinals on Friday and have won 10 of their last 15 games. They can clinch the division title as soon as Saturday with a win and a Brewers loss. If only one of those two things happens, the Cubs are ensured at least a Game 163 tiebreaker for the division title. The Brewers (93-67, 4.19%) have been amazing since a mid-August funk. Since Aug. 18, they are 25-10, which is easily the best mark in the NL in that span. They are facing the hapless Tigers this weekend and, to win the NL Central outright, they need to win Saturday and Sunday while the Cubs lose Saturday and Sunday. The Brewers have already secured home-field advantage in the NL Wild Card Game, should they not win the division. The Rockies (90-70, 5.30%) have won eight games in a row to seize control of the NL West from the Dodgers. Much like the Central, this is a one-game lead with two to go, so the division title can be wrapped up as soon as Saturday. Their magic number is two. The Rockies are hosting the Nationals this weekend and will clinch the NL West title with a win and a Dodgers loss on Saturday. Colorado has never won a division title in franchise history. They're on the verge of winning their first. The Dodgers (89-71, 23.05%) are currently in the second NL wild-card slot, holding a one-game lead over the Cardinals. Los Angeles will clinch a postseason spot with its next win or the next Cardinals loss. That said, the Dodgers are focused on catching the Rockies in the NL West. They need to win Saturday and Sunday while the Rockies lose Saturday and Sunday to win the division outright. It's worth noting Los Angeles has clinched a 163rd game. It'll either be a tiebreaker game, the Wild Card Game, or Game 1 of the NLDS, but the Dodgers will play beyond Sunday. The Cardinals (87-73, 0.09%) have their backs up against the wall after losing four straight games. They are currently two games behind the Dodgers for the second wild-card spot and that means the Cardinals have to win Saturday and Sunday while the Dodgers lose Saturday and Sunday just to force a Game 163 tiebreaker. A tall order, to be sure. They need help from the Giants, who are hosting the rival Dodgers this weekend. We know on the NL side that the NL Central champion will be the top seed and host the Wild Card Game winner. We know the Braves will play the NL West champion, but we don't know which division champ there will have home-field advantage. Only two games remain, but there are still lots of potential scenarios in play. It's all kinds of fun and, for fans of teams involved, nerve-wracking. It's what you sign up for as a fan. It should be noted the potential exists for two tiebreaker games on the NL side. It's enough of a possibility that MLB sent out a schedule for potential tiebreaker scenarios earlier this week: It is still possible for the Cubs and Brewers to tie for first place in the NL Central at 94-68 or 95-67, and for the Dodgers and Rockies to tie for first place in the NL West at 90-72 or 91-71. In that case, the following tiebreaker games would happen: Brewers at Cubs to decide NL Central champion. Rockies at Dodgers to decide NL West champion. The losers of the NL Central and NL West tiebreaker games would be the two wild card teams. The Cubs and Dodgers would host the tiebreaker games because they won the season series over the Brewers and Dodgers, respectively. The second-place team in the NL Central will host the Wild Card Game regardless of opponent.<doc-sep>
Sunday marks the final day of Major League Baseball's regular season. While all the playoff entrants have been determined, and the bracket has been set in stone on the American League side, there remains some unfinished business as it pertains to the National League. Because the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers are tied atop the NL Central, and the Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Dodgers are knotted in first in the NL West, only the Atlanta Braves know for sure they won't be playing on Monday or in Tuesday's Wild Card Game. Everyone else could conceivably play on either or both days. However, the Braves are also tied with the Rockies and Dodgers, meaning home-field advantage in the NLDS is on the line for them on Sunday as well. Atlanta loses the tiebreaker to both teams, meaning the only way for them to earn the No. 2 seed is to win and see both NL West clubs lose on Sunday. The American League bracket is all set. The Yankees will host the A's in the Wild Card Game, and the winner will face the Red Sox in one ALDS. The other ALDS will feature the No. 2 seed Astros against the No. 3 seed Indians. Let's recap the potential outcomes in the NL Central and NL West. NL Central Winner earns No. 1 seed, home-field throughout NL playoffs If … Cubs win and Brewers lose : Cubs win the division; Brewers host the Wild Card Game; : Cubs win the division; Brewers host the Wild Card Game; Brewers win and Cubs lose : Brewers win the division; Cubs host the Wild Card Game; : Brewers win the division; Cubs host the Wild Card Game; Both teams win or lose: Cubs host tiebreaker on Monday; loser hosts the Wild Card Game. NL West Winner earns No. 2 seed, unless both teams lose and Braves win Sunday If... Rockies win and Dodgers lose : Rockies win the division; Dodgers play in the Wild Card Game; : Rockies win the division; Dodgers play in the Wild Card Game; Dodgers win and Rockies lose : Dodgers win the division; Rockies play in the Wild Card Game; : Dodgers win the division; Rockies play in the Wild Card Game; Both teams win or lose: Dodgers host tiebreaker on Monday; loser plays in the Wild Card Game. On paper, the Brewers and Dodgers would seem to have the advantage. They're both playing against bad teams, in the Detroit Tigers and San Francisco Giants. But the Cubs and Rockies are each hosting teams with nothing to play for, in the St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Nationals, and one can never be certain what kind of lineup or effort level will be put forth on the final day of the season. In other words, who knows. Note that the Cubs and Dodgers secured home-field advantage in the tiebreaker games by virtue of winning the season series against the Brewers and Rockies. Also note that no matter what happens, the Braves will play the NL West champion, while the NL Central champion will host the NL Wild Card Game winner. Once Sunday comes and goes, we may know what teams fit those descriptions. Or we may not -- and we may have baseball on Monday after all.