Maybe it's not a bad thing if the Phillies lose today?

Before you start coming at me with the torches and pitchforks, hear me out, ok? The playoffs are going to start in Philadelphia on Wednesday, regardless of what happens today. However, thanks to the Phillies beating the Braves with their B-squad, and the Padres taking the first two in their series against the Giants, there are some interesting tiebreakers that are now out there.

The biggest, most complicated and most useful for the Phillies would be if both the Padres and Braves win their games today. That would tie San Francisco, San Diego and Atlanta at 91-71, with only two of those teams able to make the playoffs. That would lead to two one game playoffs on Monday and Tuesday.

First, the Padres and Giants would face off on Monday night to determine the National League West champion. The winner of that game gets their ticket punched into the playoffs. Then, the loser of that game would fly all the way across the country to Atlanta, where they would play the Braves to determine the National League Wild Card. If the Braves win, then they will more than likely have to fly back across the country to take on the NL West winner. If the Padres or Giants win, they will fly to Philadelphia to start the NLDS against the Phillies.

Now, here's how all of this benefits the Phils. Basically, the Giants, if they end up tied with the Padres after today, will have to throw Tim Lincecum on Monday in the NL West playoff. That means that he wouldn't be available to start Game 1 against Roy Halladay if the Giants end up playing the Phillies. If, somehow, the Padres beat Lincecum, then Matt Cain would end more than likely get the nod on three days rest for Tuesdays game in Atlanta. If it's not Cain, then 21 year old Madison Bumgarner should get the call for the Giants.

The same scenario falls into place for the Padres. Mat Latos is pitching today for San Diego, so that leaves him out of the one game playoff scenarios no matter what. Instead, it would likely be Jon Garland or Chris Young pitching on Monday and Tuesday, if things got that far for the Padres. That's how this helps the Phillies. Having this series of one game playoffs leading up to the NLDS on Wednesday means that the Phils might end up playing a team that has already had to throw its two best pitchers on back to back days after coming all the way across the country. That can't be a bad thing for the Phils, that's for sure.

Is it fair? Not exactly, but that's why you try and get the best record in your league. This way, you can sit at home and not worry about anything like this. The Phillies have their rotation set, everyone is as healthy as you can be this late in the season, and they are ready to roll again. All they have to do to make things even easier for them is to take a dive today. It's not the most fun thing in the world to see, but it would make things even easier for them, especially if they have to play the Giants in the NLDS.