DENVER (AP) —weeks ago in Los Angeles Kevin Long Jersey , and their NL West title hopes looked all but finished.Well, look who’s back.The Rockies have a chance to end the Dodgers‘ five-year reign as division champions in a tiebreaker game Monday in Los Angeles. Colorado has never celebrated an NL West crown in franchise history.“At this point, I think everybody understands the magnitude of the game,” said Rockies slugger Matt Holliday, whose team trails the season series 12-7. “Take a deep breath and go out there and try to execute and just do what you can do.”The winner hosts Atlanta in a best-of-five Division Series starting Thursday; the loser is on the road for the NL wild-card game Tuesday against the loser of Monday’s Brewers-Cubs NL Central tiebreaker.Not many saw this sort of scenario shaping up when the Dodgers won three straight over Colorado on Sept. 17-19. But the Rockies won nine times in 10 games to force a game 163, part of the first season in major league history with a pair of tiebreakers.“We put ourselves in a good position,” Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado said. “After we got swept by the Dodgers, it seemed everybody was thinking the Dodgers are going to lock it up. It’s crazy how the tides turn and how baseball works.”Both teams are coming off blowouts. The Rockies pounded Washington 12-0 on Sunday and Los Angeles routed San Francisco 15-0. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts subbed many of his starters to get them rest and also use some of his reserves so they got some at-bats before Monday.“It’s a game where obviously it’s not do-or-die, but I think that it’s a must-win game,” said Roberts http://www.nationalsfanproshop.com/authentic-matt-adams-jersey , whose team lost to Houston in Game 7 of the World Series last season. “To win the game and get a couple days off, to host the Division Series is very important.”The Dodgers fell out of the division lead with a loss Wednesday at Arizona before taking all three from the injury-plagued Giants to close out the final weekend of the regular season. A sixth straight division title by the Dodgers would be the third-longest streak since divisions started in 1969 behind Atlanta’s 14 consecutive from 1991-2005 and nine in a row by the Yankees from 1998-2006.“All the teams in the playoffs are really good. We’d rather not win the wild card and win the division,” Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp said. “That’s what we’ve got our eye on right now.”Walker Buehler (7-5, 2.76 ERA) gets the start for the Dodgers and getting scratched from Sunday’s outing. The Rockies will counter with German Marquez (14-10, 3.76 ERA), who struck out eight straight to begin his last start.“It’s two of the best young starting pitchers in the big leagues pitching in this type of game,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “It’s great.”Colorado was missing shortstop Trevor Story for most of the Dodgers series after he hurt his elbow in the opener. He ended up missing five games.“We’ve got our good lineup back,” Arenado said.And Arenado has rediscovered his swing. He homered twice Sunday to take over the NL lead with 37. He’s looking forward to getting booed when his name is announced at Dodger Stadium.“That’s when you know you’ve done something,” Arenado said.Monday marks the 11-year anniversary of Colorado’s 9-8, 13-inning win over San Diego in a tiebreaker for the wild card Ryan Zimmerman Jersey , back when there was one wild card per league. There was some controversy over whether Holliday actually touched home plate with a hand when running home on Jamey Carroll’s game-ending sacrifice fly against Trevor Hoffman. Black was in charge of the Padres then and kiddingly contends Holliday never hit home plate.“Luckily for Buddy,” Holliday cracked, “he’s got me on his side this year.” Los Angeles had hoped to have right-hander Ross Stripling back from the disabled list Tuesday to help its beleaguered bullpen, but his return has been pushed back to at least the weekend when the pitcher said his lower back still wasn’t pain-free.While Stripling won’t be in action for a few more games, the Dodgers didn’t need him Tuesday, relying on their 15-hit offense that included four RBIs from Manny Machado in an 8-4 victory over Texas at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas.Los Angeles has won four straight games and is 3-0 against the Rangers this season after sweeping Texas in a two-game set at Dodger Stadium earlier in the year.Article continues below ...The Dodgers will send left-hander Alex Wood (7-6, 3.60 ERA) to the mound in the finale of the truncated series while Texas will counter with left-hander Mike Minor (10-6, 4.40). Both pitchers were a part of the Braves‘ staff in 2014.Stripling said he didn’t have a setback and he threw on flat ground Tuesday. He expects to throw a bullpen session Wednesday and said a weekend return now is a logical target. He went on the disabled list Aug. 15 and hasn’t pitched since Aug. 9.“Not pushing it,” Stripling said. “Probably could pitch http://www.nationalsfanproshop.com/authentic-matt-adams-jersey , probably be fine, but being smart about it and give it at least one more time off the mound and go from there. It’s not like a re-emergence of symptoms. Lower-back stuff is hit or miss.“It’s tough when you’re trying to be in a race to win a division and feel like I could go and help guys out. The idea is give it a couple more days and be 100 percent, and be good to go and not have to worry about it, instead of being tentative and not trust it.”Rangers reliever Matt Bush admitted the inevitable Tuesday — he is not expected to pitch again this season. Bush has been sidelined since June 13 with a strained flexor tendon and has not yet been able to throw off a mound. He has been limited to throwing long toss.The injury goes back to spring training and has never subsided. Bush said he had tightness and discomfort in the spring when he was being converted into a starter and didn’t think anything about it.“I’m taking it easy and following the plan,” Bush told MLB.com before Tuesday’s game. “That’s all I can do. I’d like to be in the game, it’s tough not being out there. But I have to stick with the plan. I had Tommy John (surgery) in the past (2007), and we are just being smart about it.”Bush began the season in the bullpen, but was sent to Triple-A Round Rock on April 25 with a 3.97 ERA. He came back up to the Rangers on May 21 and struggled with a 5.40 ERA in eight appearances before going on the disabled list.Wood last pitched Aug. 20 at home against the Cardinals when he allowed three runs on seven hits in four innings and did not factor into the decision in the Dodgers’ 5-3 loss. In 24 starts, he has struck out 117 batters against 33 walks, while posting a 1.19 WHIP.Wood has made one start against the Rangers on Sept. 12 Bryce Harper Jersey , 2014 as a member of the Braves, allowing one run on four hits in seven innings.Minor will make his 24th start of the season Wednesday and will be working on extended six days’ rest after earning the win in Rangers’ 4-2 victory at Oakland on Aug. 23. Minor faced the minimum, allowing one hit and one walk in six shutout innings, and ended that start by retiring the last 11 batters faced. It was his 10th quality start of the season and third in his last four outings.Minor has gone 1-2 with a 2.56 ERA in seven games, six of them starts, in his career versus the Dodgers. He has not started against the Dodgers since Aug. 12, 2014 when he was with Atlanta in what ended up as a 4-2 Braves’ defeat at Turner Field.