Brewers can clinch first-round playoff bye with win vs Phillies

The Milwaukee Brewers head to Philadelphia for the final leg of a thus-far-fruitful three-city road trip, with the first game Tuesday, Sept. 22 against the Phillies.

Milwaukee already has most of its goals sewn up: A division title, a franchise record for wins and superb standing for a first-round playoff bye and the top overall seed in the playoffs.

But they don't quite have those last two items checked off the list.

Milwaukee needs one win or an Atlanta Braves loss this week to clinch a first-round bye. Though that seems relatively safe, the Brewers have only a two-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers for the top overall seed in the National League, with a magic number of four to secure it.

Here's what to know about the Brewers-Phillies series at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia:

When can the Brewers clinch home-field advantage and a first-round bye?

The latter goal requires merely one more win or an Atlanta Braves loss. Once that's in the bag, the Brewers will officially get to skip the wild-card round of the playoffs and will host the opener of the National League Division Series on Saturday, Oct. 3, followed by Game 2 on Oct. 4.

Achieving home-field advantage throughout the National League playoffs requires a little more. Milwaukee has a magic number of four to bypass the Dodgers.

Who do the Dodgers and Braves play this week?

The Braves (92-64) travel to Cincinnati (72-84) for a three-game series, starting Tuesday, Sept. 22. That's followed by three games at Miami (76-80).