How Mets-Braves DH determines D-backs' postseason fate

PHOENIX -- Sometime late morning or early afternoon Monday, D-backs players will begin arriving at Chase Field. Whether they will eventually be on a chartered flight to Milwaukee later that night or packing up their lockers for the winter will be determined thousands of miles away in Atlanta, where the Braves and Mets will play a doubleheader.

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Here's what you need to know for Monday:

How the D-backs can get into the postseason

There have been a lot of scenarios discussed all week with all kinds of different options. Monday, though, it's simple.

If the Mets and Braves split their doubleheader, the D-backs would wind up in a three-way tie with those teams and because Arizona loses the tiebreaker against both teams, the D-backs' season would be over.

If either the Mets or the Braves sweep the doubleheader, the D-backs would nab the No. 3 Wild Card spot and be the No. 6 seed in the NL and open a best-of-three series with the Brewers in Milwaukee on Tuesday beginning at 2:32 p.m. MST.

Regardless of which team sweeps the other, the best the D-backs can do is be the No. 6 seed and play the Brewers in Milwaukee.

Details about Monday's doubleheader

The Braves and Mets are playing the doubleheader because rain forced the postponement of two of their three games last week in Atlanta.

Game 1 of the doubleheader will begin at 10:10 a.m. MST and Game 2 will start after a brief break.

The Braves will start Spencer Schwellenbach in the first game and if they lose, they will go with ace Chris Sale in Game 2. If they win the first game, thereby clinching a postseason spot, they will save Sale for Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series.

On the Mets' side, Tylor Megill will start Game 1 of the doubleheader, according to a source. Luis Severino will start Game 2 if the Mets lose Game 1. If they win Game 1, the Mets will save Severino for the Wild Card Series.

D-backs' plans for Monday

The D-backs will have a light workout at Chase Field at some point during the day just to stay sharp and will watch whatever is left of the second game of the doubleheader when they're done.

If they make the postseason, they will have a champagne celebration in the clubhouse before heading to their charter flight to Milwaukee.

If they're eliminated, they will pack up their lockers for the winter.

What they're saying

"It's weird because we don't even know who to root for. You just wait to see who wins the first game and then root for them in that second. But you know, we're gonna have a little workout here tomorrow and be ready to go if we get in." -- Corbin Carroll

"I might not even watch the first game. It's just all about the second one. It's either going to be really fun or it's going to be awful, but it's definitely unique. Like the season's over, and we still don't know if we're in the playoffs or not. It's definitely not a common situation to be in." -- Jake McCarthy

"We're going to hope for the best. I know they're two great franchises. They have two great managers, and I don't think either have the gene of laying down in either one of those games. That's my gut feel of knowing the players on the teams, knowing the managers and knowing those franchises. I know that in my gut, they're going to go out there and do it the right way and play 18 of their best innings." -- Torey Lovullo