How the Brewers can secure their spot in the NLDS during upcoming Orioles series

Just nine regular-season games separate the Milwaukee Brewers from their much-anticipated 2026 postseason run. However, when exactly that postseason run begins has yet to be determined.

The Brewers, by virtue of already clinching their fourth consecutive NL Central title, have ensured that postseason games will be played at American Family Field this year. At worst, the Brewers have clinched the No. 3 seed in the National League, which hosts the third Wild Card team in a best-of-three series before the NLDS and ALDS commence. It's a position the Brewers have been in before -- in both 2023 when they were swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks and 2024 when they lost in heartbreaking fashion to the New York Mets -- and one they certainly want to avoid in 2026.

Thankfully, the Brewers, for the second consecutive season, are in position to secure a first-round bye, which would send them directly to the National League Division Series (NLDS). While Pat Murphy's squad has not yet officially clinched a first-round bye, they have a chance to do so before the weekend comes to an end.

With a Magic Number of 4 to clinch a first-round bye, Brewers could secure a spot in the NLDS before the end of the weekend

The Brewers are fending off the Atlanta Braves when it comes to the race for a first-round bye in the National League. Entering play on September 18, the Brewers, owners of a 95-58 record, hold a 6.0-game advantage over the Braves, who currently sport an 89-64 record.

Since the two teams split their season series (3-3) and currently have identical records with three games remaining against their respective divisional opponents, neither the Brewers nor the Braves has officially secured the tiebreaker over the other at this point in the season. Therefore, at this moment in time, it's assumed that the Brewers will have to finish with a better record than the Braves, not an identical one, to secure a first-round bye. As a result, the Brewers' Magic Number to clinch a first-round bye, and therefore a spot in the NLDS, is four.

Any combination of Brewers wins and Braves losses that adds up to four secures Milwaukee a spot in the NLDS, meaning Pat Murphy's squad could have a first-round bye clinched as early as Saturday night. The Brewers kick off a three-game weekend series against the Baltimore Orioles tonight, while the Braves begin a three-game series against the Houston Astros. Houston, sitting one game clear of the Texas Rangers atop the AL West standings, has plenty to play for this weekend, as do the Orioles, who are three games out of the AL Wild Card picture.

The Brewers have Dustin May and Robert Gasser lined up to start the first two games in Baltimore, and have yet to announce a starting pitcher for Sunday's series finale, which is this week's Sunday Night Baseball matchup on NBC. The Braves, meanwhile, will send Tyler Mahle, who has been one of the best trade deadline acquisitions this year, Grant Holmes, and Martin Pérez to the mound for their three-game series in Houston.

Whether or not the Brewers clinch a first-round bye this weekend, their chances of doing so before the end of the regular season are high. Assuming the Brewers win at least one game in each of their three remaining series, which would give them a 98-64 record in the worst-case scenario, the Braves would have to finish the season with nine consecutive wins just to tie them in the standings. Therefore, the Brewers themselves shouldn't get caught up in first-round byes and Magic Numbers. Rather, they simply need to take care of business on the field, and the rest will follow.

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