The Atlanta Braves beat the Chicago Cubs 6-3 on Tuesday night, and the Philadelphia Phillies lost 6-3.
The Phillies' loss gets the Braves a little closer to winning the National League East, but losses by the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks has brought the magic number to clinch a postseason berth down to just two.
Wednesday Night Clinching Scenarios
The Braves can secure their spot in the dance with a win and a loss by either the Diamondbacks or Padres on Wednesday night. The Braves are playing the Cubs again, while the Diamondbacks are taking on the Miami Marlins and the Padres are facing off against the Colorado Rockies.
Braves fans should not worry about making the postseason, as it would take a historic collapse for the Braves to miss the postseason at this point. However, they do need to keep a close eye on the Phillies as they look to win the division.
Magic Number To Win NL East: 5
The Phillies losing and the Braves winning on Tuesday night was a best-case scenario. Any combination of Braves wins and Phillies losses that equals five will secure the Braves as National League East champions.
The Braves are in the driver's seat right now, but there will be no champagne celebration until that magic number hits zero. The Phillies are playing the Nationals again on Wednesday and will head to Citi Field to face the New York Mets on Thursday.
The Braves will head to Houston after their game against the Cubs on Wednesday. It's possible that they could win the division there, but if they don't, they will most likely secure the division back home in Atlanta against the Cincinnati Reds.