I think I'm missing something from that article. In scenario 2, on day 2, why are the Cardinals playing a game? They've already been eliminated from the Wild Card, haven't they?
So, if I'm right:
Day 1, DBacks host Rockies, with the winner hosting the Dodgers for the NL West and the loser shunted to the Wild Card tournament. DBacks win.
Day 1, Cardinals host Phillies, with the loser eliminated from the Wild Card. Phillies win.
Day 2, DBacks face Dodgers - winner wins the NL West, loser shunted to the Wild Card tournament. Dodgers win.
Day 2, Brewers host the Rockies, loser eliminated from the Wild Card. Brewers win.
Day 3 - So at this point, the Brewers & Phillies have both won a game in the Wild Card Tournament, and the DBacks are alive and haven't participated. Based on A B C D etc. designations, the DBacks would visit one of those two teams.
Day 4 - actual Wild Card game, with the Brewers or Phillies (whichever one didn't play on Day 3) visiting the winner of Day 3.... right?
Because the 5 way tie, after figuring out who won the NL West, you have to assign A B C D E. For logistical purposes, non-NL West teams must be A & B, and play on Day 1. The other non-NL West team is C, with the loser of the NL West Day 1 game slotting in at D, facing C on Day 2. The last NL West loser is team E, and visits the winner of A & B on Day 3. The winner of that game will be the host of the winner of C & D on Day 2, because they've gotten through more opponents.
Does that make sense? I'm confusing myself. In the above examples, the Cardinals are A, Phillies are B, Brewers are C, Rockies wind up at D, and DBacks wind up at E.