Dodgers magic number to clinch a bye to NLDS

Los Angeles won again in Cincinnati on Tuesday , which eliminated the Arizona Diamondbacks from National League West contention. Then the Dodgers beat the Reds on Thursday, clinching their fifth consecutive division title and 13th in the last 14 years .

The two division winners with the best records get a bye directly into the National League Division Series, which means beginning the postseason on Saturday, October 3 instead of in the wild card round on Tuesday, September 29.

The Dodgers do not have the tiebreaker with either the Brewers or Braves, which means they have to have a better record to gain a higher seed. The Dodgers' magic number to clinch at least the No. 2 seed over Atlanta is six , or put another way the Dodgers need six of 17 outcomes to fall their way in order to finish with a better record than the Braves. Meanwhile, Atlanta needs 12 of 17 outcomes to claim the No. 2 seed.