Zigeunerzelt » Harry How/Getty ImagesThe Los Angeles Dodgers are National

League West champions for the sixth straight season.Los Angeles defeated the Colorado Rockies 5-2in Monday's divisional tiebreaker game at Dodger Stadium behind a brilliant performance from starter Walker Buehler. He allowed just one hit and three walks in 6.2 scoreless innings while striking out three to ensure the Rockies didn't win their first NL West crown.Cody Bellinger and Max Muncy provided much of the offense with two-run homers Yunel Escobar Jersey , and Buehler even helped himself with an RBI single. One-Two Punch of Walker Buehler and Clayton Kershaw Makes Dodgers NL FavoritesThe emergence of Buehler in the Dodgers' rotation means the team that represented the National League in last year's World Series is primed to do so again this year.Buehler came out firing heat while mixing in filthy breaking balls to keep hitters off balance. It may have been the biggest start of his young career, but he has done nothing but thrive in the pressure-packed division race as evidenced by the two combined earned runs he allowed in his final three September starts.Jon Morosi jonmorosiWalker Buehler first eight pitches were fastballs. The slowest traveled 97 mph. The Dodgers ascendant ace looks sharp early. MLBNetwork MLBChad Moriyama ChadMoriyamaBuehlers new slider is filthy. Not necessarily cause of the movement but you have to cover 99 mph four and 93 mph cut as well.MLB MLB.buehlersdayoff can do it all. #Game163 ClrGL9Rp6pRockies manager Bud Black knew what he was up against."This kid is a really good pitcher big fastball at 97, 98 miles per hour with a good curveball, and he's athletic with a good feel for the slider while also mixing in the change," Black said, perKyle Newmanof theDenver Post. "He's a [first-round] pick, a college pitcher who's been built the right way."The right-hander entered Monday's game with a 2.76 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 148 strikeouts in 130.2 innings and gives the Dodgers another ace alongside Clayton Kershaw.The one-two punch of Kershaw and Buehler can control a series by starting up to four games. They need little run support as it is, and a powerful Dodgers lineup featuring the likes of Justin Turner, Muncy and Manny Machado, among others, is capable of providing it in spades.There is plenty of talent on the Rockies Martin Maldonado Jersey , Milwaukee Brewers, Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs, but any of them face an uphill battle dealing with Buehler and Kershaw multiple times throughout a series while attempting to trade punches with the Los Angeles lineup.Rockies' Offensive Road Woes Will Cost Them Shot at World SeriesSometimes sports narratives are based on truth, and the idea the Rockies can't hit away from Coors Field was on full display Monday with the division title hanging in the balance.Colorado was second in the National League in runs scored this season, but playing in the thin Denver air bolstered that production. Buehler silenced the visitors' bats throughout the game, and the Rockies couldn't get to Pedro Baez or Kenta Maedafrom the bullpen either before Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story homered off Kenley Jansen.Rick Krajewski Rick_K21The Rockies averaged 5.50 runs/game in the month of September...however most of that production took place at homeRockies offense (in September)At home =7.12 runs/game amp;lt; - - 1st in NLOn road = 3.00 runs/game amp;lt; - - 13th in NL#Dodgers have held them to 0 so far todayMcCovey Chronicles McCoveyChronRockies since August 1st:HOME: 5.833 runs/gameROAD: 3.58 runs/game (shutout 3x)The Rockies won't have home-field advantage against the Cubs in the Wild Card Game or the Brewers in a potential Division Series, meaning their offensive woes on the road will linger over them as they pursue their first World Series championship in franchise history.DJ LeMahieu, David Dahl, Carlos Gonzalez and Ian Desmond combined for zerohits in Monday's loss, which is a formula that cannot happen if Colorado hopes to play deep into October.Unfortunately for Rockies fans, that decreased offensive production away from home is a familiar formula.Jon Lester, Schedule Leave Rockies in Even Bigger HoleColorado's offensive road woes will be under the spotlight again with its back against the wall heading into Tuesday's elimination contest.Not only do the Rockies have to fly to Chicago from Los Angeles in an immediate turnaround following a disappointing showing http://www.angelsfanproshop.com/authentic-zack-cozart-jersey , but they also have to face Cubs ace Jon Lester in a must-win scenario. They won't be able to counter with German Marquez after he started Monday's contest and allowed four runs (two earned) and struck out nine in 4.2 innings.Tony Andracki TonyAndracki23What gives Steve Cishek confidence the Cubs are gonna win the wild-card game?Two words: quot;Jon Lester.quot;Chris Emma CEmma670Daniel Murphy: quot;Well come out tomorrow at 7:00 and hand Jonny Lester the ball, [and] I dont know if theres anybody better in the big leagues in a situation like this.quot;Colorado would love to have him at its disposal after he wasnamedNational League Pitcher of the Month in September for posting a 2.14 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 33.2 innings during the month.Lester has cemented his legacy with his postseason performances. He sports a World Series crown and National League Championship Series MVP on his resume and has a 2.55 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in 25 playoff appearances.He has been an anchor for Chicago's recent success, tallying a 1.88 ERA and 0.98 WHIP in three postseason appearances last year and a 2.02 ERA and 0.93 WHIP in six postseason appearances in 2016 as the Cubs won the World Series.There is nobody Chicago would rather be pitching in Tuesday's single-elimination clash, which spells trouble for the Colorado lineup.What's Next?The Rockies' season will be on the line Tuesday in the National League Wild Card Game against the Cubs at Wrigley Field, while the Dodgers turn their attention to a Division Series showdown with the Atlanta Braves. ST. LOUIS (AP) — Adam Wainwright had something to prove.Wainwright pitched two-hit ball over six innings for his first win in five months, Marcell Ozuna homered and the St. Louis Cardinals salvaged the finale of a four-game series with a 5-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday night.“You know what? Us old guys can still play, can’t we? A little bit,” the 37-year-old Wainwright said. “The main thing for me tonight was to do what I did in my entire rehab performances. It was all about executing, making my pitches. That’s probably the deepest lineup I’ve ever faced.”The Cardinals snapped a season-high four-game losing streak and moved into a tie for the second National League wild card with the Dodgers, who slipped a half-game behind Colorado for the NL West lead.The Rockies visit Dodger Stadium for a three-game series beginning Monday night, the last regular-season meeting between the teams.Wainwright (2-3), making his second start since missing almost four months with right elbow inflammation Darin Erstad Jersey , struck out a season-high nine while earning his first victory since April 16. His 101 pitches were his most since July 22, 2017.“We just had to come out and win today,” Wainwright said. “That team over there was riding some pretty good highs. They came in and just whooped us for three straight games and we really needed a big win before going to Atlanta.”Cardinals manager Mike Shildt had complete confidence in Wainwright pitching a game with playoff implications.“Clearly there’s some significance there,” Shildt said. “But that’s what guys like Adam Wainwright do. They step up. That’s what horses do and that’s what aces do and that’s what he’s been for a long time in this organization. He stepped up and it’s hard to beat a shutout.”Cardinals reliever Bud Norris left the game with a blister on his middle finger after walking the only batter he faced in the seventh. Jordan Hicks, pitching for the first time in a week, finished the inning and also worked the eighth. Carlos Martinez completed the four-hit shutout — one night after the Dodgers piled up 17 runs.“I thought that Wainwright was really good tonight,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “When any pitcher can throw his breaking ball at any point in time to get us — we are a fastball hitting team — he was doing it. He was spiking it and it had good bite and the fastball in on the lefty and the curveball off of that.”Ozuna homered to right-center to make it 1-0 in the second.Yairo Munoz sparked a two-run fourth, reaching first on a wild pitch after swinging and missing at strike three. Jedd Gyorko and Yadier Molina followed with RBI singles, chasing Dodgers starter Ross Stripling and giving the Cardinals a 3-0 lead.Ozuna singled and scored on third baseman Justin Turner’s fielding error in the sixth. Ozuna has a team-high 44 multihit games.“I was just trying to put the ball in play and the last couple of games I was struggling at the plate and I made some adjustments in batting practice and that led to success today in the game,” Ozuna said.Molina had a pair of singles and drove in another run in the eighth.Stripling (8-4) retired nine of his first 10 batters before running into trouble in the fourth. He went 3 1/3 innings, matching his shortest start of the season last Wednesday at Cincinnati.“I felt that I threw the ball better today than I did in Cincinnati,” Stripling said. “The Ozuna homer was really a good pitch down and away http://www.angelsfanproshop.com/authentic-zack-cozart-jersey , just kind of tip your cap on that one. I think the dropped third strike kind of changes the dynamic of the fourth and then three singles later, I kind of had some bad breaking balls and that was it.”TRAINER’S ROOMDodgers: LHP Tony Cingrani (left shoulder strain) and RHP John Axford (broken right leg) will be activated Monday.Cardinals: Norris was removed after throwing just seven pitches.UP NEXTDodgers: LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu (4-3, 2.42 ERA) starts Monday against Colorado RHP Jon Gray (11-7, 4.80). Ryu is 3-6 with a 5.77 ERA in nine career starts vs. the Rockies.Cardinals: RHP Miles Mikolas (15-4, 2.99 ERA) gets the opener of a three-game series in Atlanta against Braves RHP Mike Foltynewicz (11-9, 2.66 ERA) on Monday night. In his last outing, Mikolas became the first pitcher to win 15 games in his first season with St. Louis since Mark Mulder in 2005.