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          SweetSpot

          What's at stake for the final weekend of the MLB season

          Andrew Benintendi struck out three times in the Red Sox's 3-2 loss to the Astros in Boston on Friday night. Adam Glanzman/Getty Images
          • David Schoenfield, ESPN Senior WriterSep 29, 2017, 11:00 AM
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            • Covers MLB for ESPN.com
            • Former deputy editor of Page 2
            • Been with ESPN.com since 1995

          We have one playoff spot to be decided and a very big round number to reach. Here's what to watch this final weekend of the regular season.

          Editor's note: This article has been updated to include the results of Saturday's early games.

          National League wild-card race

          It's down to the Colorado Rockies and Milwaukee Brewers, with the Rockies two games up and hosting the Dodgers and the Brewers on the road in St. Louis. The Rockies clinch with two wins. The Rockies are halfway there after beating the Dodgers 9-1 on Friday. The Brewers stayed alive with a 5-3 win in St. Louis.

          We get a tie if the Brewers sweep and the Rockies win once. The remaining pitching matchups:

          Dodgers at Rockies: Clayton Kershaw-German Marquez; Ross Stripling-Tyler Chatwood

          Brewers at Cardinals: Aaron Wilkerson-Luke Weaver; Zach Davies-Carlos Martinez

          World Series home-field advantage

          Remember, the team with the best record gets home-field advantage in the World Series, replacing the team whose league won the All-Star Game, which had been in place since 2003. Here's how we stand heading into the weekend:

          Dodgers: 102

          Indians: 101

          Astros: 100

          Nationals: 97

          Red Sox: 92

          Diamondbacks: 92

          Cubs: 91

          Yankees: 90

          What happens if two teams with the same record meet? Based on the tiebreaker formula, this is who gets home-field advantage:

          • Dodgers over Indians (won season series 2-1)

          • Nationals over Astros (won season series 2-1)

          • Diamondbacks over Red Sox (better intradivision record)

          • Red Sox over Cubs (won season series 2-1)

          • Yankees over Cubs (won season series 3-0)

          AL East decided

          The best the Yankees could have hoped for is a tie, but the Red Sox clinched the division with their victory over the Astros on Saturday.

          Giancarlo Stanton one away from 60 home runs

          With two home runs on Thursday, the big guy is now sitting at 59. With two home runs he ties Roger Maris for the most home runs by somebody other than Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire or Sammy Sosa. The Marlins are hosting the Braves, who will throw two rookie starters on Saturday and Sunday: Lucas Sims and Max Fried.

          Stanton went 2-for-4 on Friday with a single and a double.

          NL MVP race

          Does Stanton become the favorite if he gets to 60? If Nolan Arenado or Charlie Blackmon have a monster game as the Rockies clinch, does one of them become the favorite? Is Paul Goldschmidt the favorite? I think it's probably down to those four, with Joey Votto having a strong statistical argument, but playing for a last-place team.

          Of course, Stanton also plays on a losing team. Since 2000, only Alex Rodriguez has won an MVP award playing for a sub-.500 team.

          Astros go for -- and get -- 100 wins

          With their win over the Red Sox, the Astros reached the century mark. This season marks the first season since 2003 with three 100-win teams and just the sixth in history (also 2002, 1998, 1977 and 1942).

          The Astros are still one game behind the Indians for best record in the American League, but the Indians hold the tiebreaker, so Cleveland effectively holds a two-game lead. The Indians finish up at home against the White Sox.

          Will Miguel Sano play?

          The Twins slugger has been out since Aug. 19 with a stress reaction in his left shin. Sano took 60 swings indoors on Thursday and there is still the possibility he could be included on the wild-card roster. Obviously, they'd like to get him in a game before then, but considering you need to carry only nine or maybe 10 pitchers for the wild-card game, why not take a gamble on Sano? He doesn't have to start, but could at least be a pinch-hitting option if you need a three-run homer or something late in the game.

          Jon Lester's and Jake Arrieta's starts

          The Cubs' postseason rotation order remains in question. Lester and Arrieta were the 1-2 guys last year and Lester has that sterling postseason history, but he also has been the team's worst starter in September, though he had a good outing in his last game. Arrieta was dominating until injuring his hamstring on Labor Day and gave up five runs and two home runs in three innings in his last outing. They start Saturday and Sunday. If they scuffle again -- or even if they pitch well -- don't be surprised if Kyle Hendricks gets the ball for Game 1 of the division series. He has a 2.34 ERA in the second half.

          Goodbye, Matt Cain

          Cain makes the final start of his career for the Giants on Saturday at AT&T Park. He was a World Series hero in 2010 and 2012, posting a 2.10 ERA in eight postseason starts. In three starts in the 2010 playoffs, he allowed just one unearned run. He has battled injuries in recent years and hasn't really been effective since 2012, but he'll go down as one of the key members who finally brought a World Series title -- and then two more -- to San Francisco.

          No-hitter watch

          The final weekend is always a good time for a no-hitter, when players are ready to head home to their local golf course or hunting lodge. There were no-hitters on the final day of the season in 2013 and 2014 with Henderson Alvarez and Jordan Zimmermann, while Max Scherzer threw his 17-strikeout no-hitter on the final Saturday in 2015. Back in 1984, Mike Witt threw a perfect game in a contest that took 1 hour, 49 minutes.

          Best bets: Chris Archer versus the Orioles on Saturday, Jacob deGrom versus the Phillies on Saturday, Corey Kluber versus the White Sox on Saturday (although he'll probably have a quick hook in preparation of the playoffs), Luis Perdomo versus Johnny Cueto on Sunday (double no-hitter!).

          Will Matt Olson hit a double?

          In a season of amazing accomplishments and unbelievable plots that didn't make sense, this is my new favorite freak stat of the season: A's first baseman Matt Olson has 24 home runs ... and two doubles.

          Two! His teammate Jed Lowrie has had two doubles in a game eight times this season. It's almost impossible to have as much power as Olson and not hit any doubles. From Sarah Langs of ESPN Stats & Information: The fewest doubles in a 20-homer season is four, by Mark McGwire in 2001 (29 home runs) and Wes Covington in 1957 (21 home runs). Eddie Robinson, a first baseman for various teams in the 1950s, had 16 home runs and one double in 1955 with the Yankees.

          Olson does have a low line-drive rate of 16 percent. He's not qualified for the leaderboards, but that would be the second-lowest rate, with only Hunter Pence below him. An incredible 39 percent of his fly balls have gone for home runs. Nobody else is close -- J.D. Martinez is next at 33 percent.