The Los Angeles Dodgers got absolutely rocked, swept in four straight games by the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS, and just like that, their shot at becoming baseball’s first three-peat champion since the 1998-2000 New York Yankees is gone, kaput, finished. It’s wild to think the Brewers, who the Dodgers swept in the 2025 NLCS, turned around and returned the favor in such a brutal way this year. Talk about a gut punch for the Dodgers faithful.
The Brewers Just Played Better. Period.
Look, as much as everyone wants to point fingers at specific Dodgers players, the cold, hard truth is the Brewers were just *better*. And not by a little bit. They flat-out outplayed the Dodgers in every single phase of the game. We’re talking better starting pitching, a lights-out bullpen, superior defense and baserunning, and an offense that could both string together hits for rallies *and* launch bombs out of the park. Even Pat Murphy out-managed Dave Roberts. It was a complete domination, top to bottom. Max Muncy, the Dodgers infielder, didn’t mince words after Game 3, saying, “It’s a pretty simple answer. We’re playing like shit. They’re playing great.” You can’t argue with that. The regular season records back it up too: Brewers at 103-59 compared to the Dodgers’ 100-62, and their run differential was stronger, +214 to +201. The better team absolutely won this series, no doubt about it.
Shohei Ohtani Was A Ghost When They Needed Him Most
Alright, let’s talk about the biggest name on that star-studded Dodgers roster, Shohei Ohtani. The guy who’s supposed to be baseball’s brightest star was just… dimmed. He wasn’t himself for the last two months of the season, battling through knee and biceps injuries. He was so unproductive that Dave Roberts even had a “conversation” about sitting him in Game 3. While he did manage to go 1 for 2 with a walk and a hit-by-pitch in Game 3, and then hit a home run in Game 4 to put the Dodgers up 4-0, that’s pretty much all she wrote. The Dodgers didn’t score again after that homer, and Ohtani was a non-factor until it was way too late. It’s incredibly tough to win in the postseason when your best player is clearly diminished like that. His postseason stats tell a rough story: AVG .192, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 10 Ks, and 4 walks. He’s clearly not healthy, but he kept pushing. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough, and the team paid the price.
So, where does this leave the Dodgers? Swept out of the NLCS, their dreams of a three-peat shattered, and left with a lot of questions about how their biggest stars performed under pressure. What a brutal way to end the season.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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