The Los Angeles Dodgers are chasing a three-peat this season, but three National League contenders just threw a huge wrench in those plans. The Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers, and Chicago Cubs have collectively proven the Dodgers are absolutely not a lock to win it all, especially with how these recent series have played out. We’re talking about the second half of the season, and these teams aren’t messing around.
Nobody’s Scared of Dodger Pitching Anymore?
Look, the Cubs flat-out swept the Dodgers, taking a clean slate against Tarik Skubal, Justin Wrobleski, and Eric Lauer. They didn’t just win, either; they poured runs on the Dodgers’ pitching staff early and often. Then you’ve got the Brewers, who snagged three out of four games. Those guys faced Roki Sasaki, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Skubal, and Wrobleski. They didn’t just survive, they dominated the Dodgers’ offense with their own elite pitching and absolutely shredded that Dodgers’ bullpen. Seriously, what’s going on with that bullpen? It is *not* very good.
Braves Bring the High-Octane Punch
And then there are the Braves, who have already taken the first two games of their three-game series in Atlanta. They’ve seen Tyler Glasnow and Sasaki, with Yamamoto still on deck for Thursday. The Braves are doing what the Cubs did: getting runs on the board early. But they’re also letting their bullpen lock it down, holding the Dodgers’ offense to limited runs. This isn’t just a fluke; the Braves have a genuinely high-octane offense that can get after any pitcher in the league. The Cubs, with Pete Crow-Armstrong leading an elite defense, also proved they can put up runs in bunches. It’s clear these teams are capable of picking apart the Dodgers.
The Brewers, on the other hand, bring a totally different vibe. They’re the only team that seems to have the pitching staff capable of going toe-to-toe with the Dodgers’ best. Their offense is something else, too: patient, relying on speed, contact, and walks. It might not look like a modern formula for winning, but against the Dodgers, it clearly works. The biggest takeaway here is how these teams are winning. They’re exposing weaknesses. The Dodgers’ pitching staff, for all its talent, is far from perfect, and that bullpen is a massive liability. Both the Braves and the Brewers even own the season series against the Dodgers, which means they hold the tiebreaker. These teams have all shown they can beat LA, but now comes the real test: they’ll have to prove it again in October.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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