LEADING OFF: NL race down to final day — and maybe Monday

A look at what's happening around the majors today:

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LET'S GET IT SETTLED

St. Louis, Milwaukee, San Francisco and Philadelphia enter the last day of the regular season competing for two postseason spots, and the biggest game of the day pits Christian Yelich's Brewers against Yadier Molina's Cardinals.

A team-by-team breakdown of what each club needs to clinch:

Cardinals (29-28) — Qualify with a victory over Milwaukee or a loss by the Giants. If St. Louis loses and San Francisco wins, the Cardinals would make up two games against Detroit on Monday that were postponed this season due to St. Louis' coronavirus outbreak.

Brewers (29-30) — Qualify with a victory over St. Louis, or with losses by the Giants and Phillies.

Giants (29-30) — Qualify with a victory over San Diego and a Brewers loss. If the Giants and Brewers win, San Francisco needs St. Louis to lose both games against the Tigers on Monday.

Phillies (28-31) — Qualify with a win over Tampa Bay and losses by the Brewers and Giants.

BACKING IN

The Astros, Brewers or Phillies could become the first team in baseball history to qualify for the postseason with a losing record. The 2005 San Diego Padres made the playoffs at 82-80, the lowest winning percentage among postseason participants. Of course, that was before MLB expanded the field to 16 teams as part of this pandemic-altered season.

Houston (29-30) has already punched its fourth straight postseason ticket, and first-year manager Dusty Baker is already assured of a playoff visit with his fifth different franchise in that role. The Astros close their season at Texas.

FINGERS CROSSED

The NL West champion Dodgers hope Mookie Betts checks out OK after the star outfielder was hit in the left hip by a pitch and exited Saturday night’s game against the...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/LEADING-OFF-NL-race-down-to-final-day-and-15600494.php