Hoskins' decisive home run brings the Brewers even closer to the division title

The Milwaukee Brewers are inching closer to their second consecutive NL Central title. They are on their final West Coast tour and have begun a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, a likely playoff team.

Like many of the Brewers' recent games, it was a low-scoring affair, but the Brewers were able to get a two-run home run from Rhys Hoskins in the bottom of the inning to take a 2-1 victory over the Diamondbacks. Freddy Peralta got into trouble but made it through five innings, then the bullpen of Joel Payamps, Jared Koenig, Trevor Megill and Devin Williams made things clear.

They started the day with the magic number seven. That win and the Cubs' 9-5 loss to the Colorado Rockies dropped the Brewers' magic number to five.

Brewers magic number: 5

The magic number means that any combination of five Brewers wins and Cubs losses will result in the Brewers winning the NL Central. That could mean one Brewers win and four Cubs losses, but it could also mean the Brewers winning five in a row if the Cubs also win five in a row.

With 15 games remaining, the Brewers only need to win a third of them and they would have a firm grip on the division even if the Cubs somehow win.

The Brewers had more good news on the scoreboard last night. Both the Phillies and Dodgers lost their games, helping Milwaukee clinch one of the top two spots in the National League playoffs and avoid the Wild Card round. The Phillies lost 11-3 to the Mets, while the Dodgers lost 6-2 to the Braves.

Milwaukee is now just two games behind the Dodgers in second place and three games behind the Phillies in first place. After this series in Arizona, the Brewers return home to American Family Field to face the Phillies, giving them a great opportunity to make up some ground in the race for the top spots.

The earliest the Brewers can win is Monday, and that's if the Brewers beat the Diamondbacks and the Cubs beat the Rockies. With a week-long homestand beginning Monday, Milwaukee looks very likely to win the NL Central title at home, but there's still plenty of work to do to grab one of the top two NL spots.