The Colorado Rockies have won two straight games, including Sunday's debut by Drew Pomeranz, but they are in fourth place and likely stay there for the rest of the season. Since Aug. 20-21, when they dropped back-to-back game to the Rockies, the Los Angeles Dodgers have been hot, winning 15 of 19 games. They are still in third place and are just one game under .500 at 72-73. The Rockies, however, are 69-77.
At the top of the NL West, the Arizona Diamondbacks hold an 8.5-game lead over the San Francisco Giants, who fell apart in the second half of the season. While they've won back-to-back game a few times in the second half, the Giants have managed just one winning streak longer than that, a three-gamer right after the All-Star Break (a win over the Padres and two against the Dodgers). The Diamondbacks, though, have put together seven- and nine-game winning streaks in the second half of the season.
The Rockies' elimination number is one. Should the Diamondbacks defeat the Dodgers on Monday night, the Rockies will be mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. After their current two-game road trip to Milwaukee, the Rockies return home for the final seven home games of the season. They close out the season on the road in Houston and San Francisco.