LOS ANGELES -- They fell 10 games below .500, then roared back into contention. Their star closer suffered a heart scare, their ace pitcher dealt with back issues and their promising young shortstop was lost for the season, but their unrivaled wealth of depth, talent and resources made up for it. They struggled to hit with runners in scoring position and could never find the ideal setup reliever, but they mashed home runs at an alarming rate and had enough starting pitchers to help late in games. The 2018 Los Angeles Dodgers are a bizarre, enigmatic, boisterous, supremely talented marvel. Somehow, once again, they are also division champions. The Dodgers claimed their sixth consecutive National League West title with a 5-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies in a tiebreaker game on Monday afternoon, getting another excellent outing by young pitcher Walker Buehler and a couple of two-run homers from Max Muncy and Cody Bellinger to capture their 92nd win in Game 163. "We went through a lot of downs this year; a lot more downs than we expected," Bellinger said. "But we have a really, really good team." The Dodgers (92-71) will now have home-field advantage against the Atlanta Braves in the National League Division Series, which doesn't begin until Thursday. The Rockies (91-72) must travel to face Jon Lester and the Chicago Cubs from Wrigley Field in the NL wild-card game on Tuesday, an elimination contest that will be started by Kyle Freeland. The Dodgers -- 16-26 on May 16 -- are only the sixth team in history to win the division in the same season that saw it fall 10 games below .500. "A lot of work," Justin Turner said of what it took. "A lot of work, a lot of tough times, a lot of battling, a lot of adjustments, a lot of conversations to talk about getting better. And a lot of guys in here got better all year long. Couldn't be prouder of a ballclub." Dave Roberts, the Dodgers' manager, never wavered in his confidence. He declared on April 29, just as the season was beginning to unravel, that his team would sit at the top of the division when the dust settled. The Dodgers sported a 2½-game lead when they swept the Rockies at home from Sept. 17 to 19. But the Rockies recovered by winning nine of their next 10, forcing the Dodgers to sweep the San Francisco Giants over the weekend to set up this scenario -- which ended in a champagne-soaked Dodger Stadium clubhouse. "A lot of work, a lot of tough times, a lot of battling, a lot of adjustments, a lot of conversations to talk about getting better," Justin Turner said of what it took the Dodgers to win the division in the same season that saw them fall 10 games under. Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports "I just believed in our guys," Roberts said, with goggles on his face and a bottle of champagne in his hand. "I just felt that we could overcome anything." "It's a grateful feeling," said Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, who overcame a balky back and a dip in velocity to deliver a 2.73 ERA in 161⅓ innings. "I feel grateful to get to be a part of this organization. It's not the ultimate prize; obviously we're still searching for that. But not too many organizations can say they've done this six years in a row." Buehler, the precocious rookie right-hander who does not lack in confidence, sat 98 mph early and wound up allowing only four baserunners through 6⅔ innings. He exited after a two-out walk in the seventh inning, drawing a raucous standing ovation from a crowd of 47,816 that grew in size as the day prolonged. "This is just the start, man," Buehler said. "We have a long way to go. We have another month to play." Over his last 12 regular-season starts, which spanned 75⅓ innings, Buehler has allowed only 13 earned runs on 41 hits, issuing 23 walks and striking out 87 batters. The 24-year-old finished his rookie year with a 2.62 ERA, a 0.96 WHIP and a 4.35 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 137⅓ innings. "I don't know if I can say this on air," Turner said, "but huge set of balls." "I can't say enough good things about him," said Kershaw, who is expected to start the postseason opener. "You just have to say it behind his back so that he doesn't get too big a head. But it's a really special thing to watch him pitch. His talent level is just -- I mean, it's unbelievable. Some of the best stuff I've ever witnessed." The Dodgers did just enough against right-hander German Marquez, who was named NL Pitcher of the Month moments before the game. Bellinger, the reigning NL Rookie of the Year, turned on a 1-0, 95-mph fastball with one on and two outs in the fourth and drove it out to right-center field. With one out and one on in the fifth, Muncy, one of baseball's most improbable performers this season, hammered a full-count, 99-mph fastball out to left-center, giving the Dodgers their NL-leading 235th home run this season. The defending NL champions finished the regular season with a plus-193 run-differential, by far the best in the NL. Bellinger believes they're a "dangerous" postseason opponent. "I think we have one of the best lineups in the whole league," he said. "We proved it today. We hit the long ball and we have good pitching. It's going to be hard to beat us." The only real concern, perhaps, is Kenley Jansen, who struggled mightily early in the season, then missed time with an irregular heartbeat and has been inconsistence since. He began the ninth by serving up back-to-back home runs to Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story, giving him 13 home runs allowed this season -- four more than the previous two years combined. But Jansen retired the next three batters, igniting a celebration that was subdued on the field but turned lively inside. He was all smiles postgame. "What happened in the ninth?" Jansen asked, repeating a media member's question.<doc-sep>It took one extra day and two extra games, but the National League postseason field is now set. Monday evening, a few hours after the Brewers beat the Cubs in their Game 163 tiebreaker to win the NL Central, the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies in a Game 163 tiebreaker at Dodger Stadium to clinch the NL West title. The final score was 5-2 (box score). Here, finally, is the NL postseason picture: Wild Card Game: Rockies at Cubs (on Tuesday) Rockies at Cubs (on Tuesday) NLDS: Wild Card Game winner at Brewers (starts Thursday) Wild Card Game winner at Brewers (starts Thursday) NLDS: Braves at Dodgers (starts Thursday) The Dodgers and Rockies finished the 162-game regular season with identical 91-71 records, which necessitated the Game 163 tiebreaker. Never before had MLB needed two tiebreaker games in one season. Although these were not traditional do-or-die tiebreakers because of the Wild Card Game, winning the division is such a big advantage, so these games were very important. Here are six things to know about the Dodgers vs. Rockies Game 163 tiebreaker. Dodgers win sixth straight division title The Dodgers are the third team to win six consecutive division titles since MLB switched to a four-division format in 1969. Only the Braves and Yankees have longer division title streaks. Braves: 14 straight years (1991-2005) 14 straight years (1991-2005) Yankees: 9 straight years (1998-2006) 9 straight years (1998-2006) Dodgers: 6 straight years (2013-18) Even if they didn't win Monday's tiebreaker, Los Angeles would've been in the postseason as a wild card team. Prior to this run, the Dodgers had never gone to the postseason in more than two consecutive seasons. That dates back to their Brooklyn days. Now they've won six straight division titles. Remarkable. Rockies still looking for their first NL West title After 25 years of existence, the Rockies are still looking for their first division title. Colorado joined the league as an expansion team in 1993 and they have yet to claim an NL West championship. This is the fourth time they finished in second place. 1995: 77-67 (one game behind Dodgers) 77-67 (one game behind Dodgers) 2007: 90-73 (half-game behind Diamondbacks) 90-73 (half-game behind Diamondbacks) 2009: 92-70 (three games behind Dodgers) 92-70 (three games behind Dodgers) 2018: 91-72 (one game behind Dodgers) Even last season, when the Rockies played in the Wild Card Game, they finished third in the NL West (87-75) behind the Dodgers (104-58) and D-Backs (93-69). The Rockies are still looking for their first division title, but they have made the postseason in back-to-back years for the first time in franchise history, and that's not nothing. Buehler took a no-hitter into the sixth Rookie right-hander Walker Buehler, a breakout star for the Dodgers this season, took a no-hitter into the sixth inning Monday evening. Charlie Blackmon broke the no-hit bid up with a shift-beating single with one out in that sixth inning. The Dodgers were up 4-0 before the Rockies even recorded a hit. Walker Buehler LAD • SP • 21 Oct. 1 vs. Rockies IP 6 2/3 H 1 R 0 ER 0 BB 3 K 3 View Profile Buehler allowed 15 balls in play Monday and his average exit velocity allowed was 81.6 mph. Only three of those 15 balls in play were hit 90 mph or better. Statcast hit probability says Buehler allowed one ball in play that had better than a 40 percent chance to fall in for a hit. That is domination. It was soft contact all game long. Oh, and by the way, Buehler also drew a walk and slapped a run-scoring single at the plate. It was the first RBI of his career. Buehler was a two-way threat Monday night. What a performance. A cross-up cost the Rockies German Marquez struck out the first three batters he faced in the fourth inning and still allowed two runs. He and catcher Tony Wolters got crossed up on Max Muncy's strikeout. Wolters was expecting something soft, Marquez threw a heater, Muncy swung through it for strike three, and the pitch went to the backstop. That allowed Muncy to reach base. Marquez bounced back to strike out Manny Machado and Yasmani Grandal, but a two-seam fastball ran back across the plate to Cody Bellinger, and Bellinger swatted it over the right field wall for a two-run home run and a 2-0 lead. Who knows how the inning plays out if Marquez and Wolters don't get crossed up, and Muncy doesn't reach base on the strikeout. Maybe the Dodgers don't score that inning. Or maybe the Dodgers have a nine-run inning instead of a two-run inning! It would've changed everything. Either way, Marquez struck out four batters in the inning and allowed a two-run home run. It was the most 2018 inning ever. Marquez gave up a two-run home run to Muncy in the fifth inning, but, prior to that, he was really good. Nine strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings and a lot of really ugly swings. Since this goes in the books as a regular season game, the nine strikeouts Monday give Marquez 230 strikeouts on the season, fourth most in the NL. Only Max Scherzer (300), Jacob deGrom (269), and Patrick Corbin (246) had more. The Dodgers overcame a big deficit to win the division On May 8, the Dodgers were nine games back of first place in the NL West. They were 4 1/2 games back as recently as Aug. 22. It's been a few years since a team erased a nine-game deficit to win the division. Those 2015 Rangers were as far back as 9 1/2 games in the standings, including nine games back as late as July 22. The Rockies are going to Chicago next Even with Monday's loss, the Rockies do get to play another game. They'll face the Cubs at Wrigley Field in the NL Wild Card Game on Tuesday night. Here's the Rockies' travel schedule: Sunday: Beat the Nationals in Colorado Beat the Nationals in Colorado Monday: Lose to the Dodgers in Los Angeles<doc-sep>The Colorado Rockies play the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday to decide the 2018 winner of the National League West. Just win one game and earn the first division title in franchise history. On the other hand, that means the division now comes down to the randomness of one baseball game. All it takes is one weird half-inning to throw predictions and keys to the game out the window, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t fun to consider. Let’s look at how the Rockies can win against the Dodgers on Monday afternoon. Good start Any excited announcer will breathlessly tell you that a good start is a key to victory for any given game as a corporate-sponsored graphic shows the cliche in writing at the bottom of the screen. In this case, there are specific reasons it’s important for the Rockies on the road against the Dodgers. Start with the well-documented struggles of Rockies starting pitchers in the first inning. An early deficit would feel like a gut-punch both in terms of momentum in a big game and for an offense that struggles on the road, especially when they are dealing with the “Coors hangover.” It will be huge if German Márquez can come out sharp and avoid early damage. The other thing is unique to Dodgers Stadium. Maybe it will be different for a one-game playoff, with an afternoon first pitch to boot, but generally speaking that park tends to be empty and quiet at the beginning of the game. The energy builds over the course of the game as the seats fill up, and it is louder than heck by the late innings. I just have this gut feeling that I have watched multiple heartbreakers in Los Angeles that go something like this: the Rockies have a great scoring chance or two early in the game when that park is still kind of sleepy. They don’t come through, and as the energy builds for the Dodgers and in the stands, everything tightens up and runs are nearly impossible to come by. Whatever the arc of this one game, runs will likely be scarce on Colorado’s side. Getting a couple early would be huge. Pressure on Nolan The aforementioned randomness of a single baseball game makes it hard to say it will come down to any single player. The only reason I mention Nolan Arenado is because of his current status as the face of the franchise. He is also the guy who is putting himself out there as the star player who just wants to play for a winner. That puts extra attention on him in a game like this, and the Rockies need him to play well. I imagine Arenado wouldn’t have it any other way. How Bud Black manages the expanded roster Here’s one more introduction that mentions the randomness of a single baseball game. I don’t know what the decision will be that forces Black to make a tough call, let alone what the call will be. But there will be a tough decision or a few, and Black needs to push the right buttons. I will say this: even though he has access to the expanded September roster, I imagine Black would love for this game to only require the go-to guys who will be on the playoff roster anyway. That would mean a longer start from Márquez, bucking the trend for starting pitchers in recent postseasons. It would mean a couple pinch hitters like Gerardo Parra and Matt Holliday. And it would mean handing it to Scott Oberg, Adam Ottavino and Wade Davis in the bullpen. This type of game often consists of a flurry of managerial moves, but it seems like the best-case scenario for Black would require just a handful of moves. Before you say that’s true for any manager, I imagine the contrast will be in the other dugout Monday given how aggressive Dave Roberts has shown himself willing to be early and often in big games. Be on the right side of the weird This probably comes down to luck. Close games in September and October often hinge on a weird sequence or a lesser known player coming through. To be clear, the Rockies need to play well to be close enough to be one side of this or the other. Hopefully they do that, and then hopefully the key moment that involves Drew Butera or Andrew Toles or whatever comes up in favor of the Rockies. What else are you looking for from the Rockies to win their first division title on Monday?<doc-sep>With 161 games of the baseball season in the rear-view mirror, the Dodgers and Rockies sit in a flat-footed tie atop the National League West. The final day of the season is going to be wild with all 15 games on the schedule starting at 12:05 p.m. PT. The Nationals beat the Rockies 12-2 at Coors Saturday night, giving the Dodgers control of their own destiny to stay out of the wild card game Tuesday. All they have to do now is win two more games and they win their sixth consecutive division title. Only one win is necessary should the Rockies happen to lose Sunday. Rich Hill will take the ball Sunday at AT&T Park, pushing Walker Buehler to a potential one-game playoff Monday against Colorado at Dodger Stadium. Meanwhile, Cy Young hopeful Max Scherzer will look to spoil the Rockies hopes of their first division title when he toes the rubber in Colorado. There’s also a tie in the NL Central between the Cubs and Brewers, leaving the door open for those two clubs to join the Game 163 party. If both divisions are not decided on Sunday, the Cubs and Brewers will play at 10:05 a.m. PT Monday at Wrigley Field. The Dodgers and Rockies will play at 1:09 p.m. PT at Dodger Stadium. Should only one division need to be determined, the game would be at 1:09 p.m. PT no matter who the two teams are. The teams that win the division get a pass until Thursday when the NLDS begins. The losers play on Tuesday night in the wild card game for the opportunity to advance to play the NL Central division winner. It will be critical for the Dodgers to come away with the division title if they don’t want to be put in a tough spot of either having a starter go on short rest, or a bullpen game in a wild card situation. After Hill and Buehler pitch, the Dodgers would have to decide to go with Hyun-jin Ryu on three days rest, or hand the ball to Ross Stripling or Alex Wood Tuesday on the road. Either scenario is less than ideal and it’s almost a guarantee the Dodgers would stay away from using Ryu on short rest. The best thing that could happen for the Dodgers is the Nationals beating the Rockies, giving Los Angeles the division outright if they sweep San Francisco. In that case, the Dodgers would open the playoffs at home against the Braves on Thursday in the NLDS. UPDATE<doc-sep>
They may have needed 163 games to do it, but the Los Angeles Dodgers claimed their sixth consecutive National League West division title with a 5-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies. As a result of Monday's two tiebreaker games, the NL playoff picture is finally set with the Dodgers hosting the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of the Division Series on Thursday, while the Rockies travel to Chicago to face the Cubs in a one-game wild-card playoff tomorrow. The Dodgers finish the regular season 92-71, the Rockies 91-72. Breaking down the tiebreaker: The game: Cody Bellinger's two-run homer off Rockies starter German Marquez broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fourth and provided all the offense the Dodgers needed for rookie right-hander Walker Buehler. Max Muncy followed with a two-run homer of his own an inning later and effectively close the book on Marquez, who struck out nine in 4 ⅔ innings. Buehler, meanwhile, held the Rockies without a hit for the first 5 ⅓ innings before giving up a clean single to Charlie Blackmon in the top of the sixth. That was the only hit he allowed before leaving to a standing ovation with two outs in the seventh. He walked three and struck out three, throwing 93 pitches. Buehler even helped his own cause with an RBI single in the top of the seventh. Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story hit back-to-back home runs off Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen to start the ninth inning, but it was too little too late. State of the Dodgers: Winning the division title will give the Los Angeles a welcome two-day break at home before the Division Series begins at Dodger Stadium. Ace Clayton Kershaw (9-5, 2.73) will start Game 1 on full rest. Manager Dave Roberts said he plans to have Hyun-Jin Ryu go in Game 2, with Buehler available to take the mound for Game 3 in Atlanta. State of the Rockies: Colorado had to lean heavily on its best starters to even get to the point of playing for the division title. In the wild-card game vs. the Cubs, they could start their ace this season, lefty Kyle Freeland (17-7, 2.85 ERA), on three days' rest. Or they could counter with No. 4 starter Antonio Senzatela (6-6, 4.38) and have the bullpen ready to take over at any sign of trouble. Although a loss is never easy, the Rockies can take comfort in the fact that they finished the regular season with nine wins in their last 11 games. They'll face Cubs left-hander Jon Lester in the wild-card game – which should be somewhat encouraging because they have the National League's highest OPS against lefties (.798). Man of the moment: Walker Buehler. The Dodgers managed the workload of their prized rookie right-hander throughout the season to give him the opportunity to perform in games of this magnitude. He came into Game 163 with a total of 146 ⅔ innings under his belt. Although he appears destined to finish third in the NL Rookie of the Year award voting, Buehler has played a huge role in the Dodgers' success. In 24 appearances (23 starts) he compiled a stellar 2.62 ERA – and he pitched perhaps the game of his life (so far) in the team's biggest game of the season. Follow Gardner on Twitter @SteveAGardner MORE MLB: