The Dodgers had their Thursday night celebration before a pitch was thrown in Los Angeles. Cincinnati’s 7-6 win over Atlanta locked Los Angeles into one of the National League’s top two records, giving the defending champions a first-round postseason bye and home-field advantage for the NL Division Series.
The best-of-five NLDS opens Oct. 3, and the Dodgers will arrive with something they badly needed as much as they wanted: time. Five days away from the daily grind could be especially useful for a roster carrying plenty of late-September wear.
How the bye came together
- The Reds beat the Braves, 7-6, on Thursday, clinching a top-two National League finish for Los Angeles.
- That result assured the Dodgers of a Wild Card Series bye and home field for the Division Series.
- Los Angeles can still chase the league’s No. 1 seed, but Milwaukee entered the final four games with 100 wins and a 2 1/2-game lead.
- The Brewers also own the head-to-head tiebreaker after taking the regular-season series, leaving the Dodgers with little room to make up ground.
The top seed would carry home-field advantage through at least the NL Championship Series. For now, the Dodgers know they will not have to navigate the Wild Card round before beginning their title defense.
Rest is part of the October plan
The bye lands at a useful time. Freddie Freeman has been managing right patellar tendinitis, while Shohei Ohtani and Andy Pages have recently returned from the injured list. The extra break offers a chance to get regular at-bats into players who need them, then let the club reset before Game 1.
Freeman said earlier in the week that the benefit is obvious for a group reaching the finish line with physical issues. “A lot of us are kind of limping toward the end,” he said, noting the club can use the time to get players back in the lineup, give them some rest and continue preparation work before the Division Series opener.
For a team trying to extend a championship run, that recovery window is more than a perk. The Dodgers earned a bye in 2024, then had to play through the Wild Card round in 2025. With another bye secured in 2026, they will need 11 postseason victories to complete a third straight title.
No Major League club has won three consecutive World Series since the Yankees did it from 1998 through 2000.
The bracket remains unsettled
Los Angeles does not yet know its Division Series opponent. If the Dodgers finish as the No. 2 seed, NL East champion Atlanta would sit on their side of the bracket. The Wild Card picture, however, will not be settled until the final regular-season weekend.
The Cubs, Phillies and Padres remain among the central clubs in that race, leaving the Dodgers to watch the final standings while they work toward getting healthy for Oct. 3.
