The Dodgers are eight wins from a three-peat after eliminating the Atlanta Braves in four games in the National League Division Series.

Andy Pages broke a 1-1 tie with a two-run single in the seventh inning of Game 4 on Wednesday, Oct. 7, at Truist Park. Max Muncy added a solo home run, and four relievers held Atlanta scoreless to close out a 4-1 victory. The Dodgers advance to the NLCS for the ninth time in 14 seasons.

Milwaukee awaits.

The Brewers, who posted baseball's best record in both 2025 and 2026, eliminated the San Diego Padres in four games to set up a rematch of last year's NLCS. The Dodgers swept that series. Game 1 is Sunday.

As the Los Angeles Times' Bill Shaikin detailed, the Dodgers carry real strengths and real vulnerabilities into this round.

Why the matchup favors LA

Finishing the NLDS in four games gave the Dodgers' roster three days of rest instead of one. The Dodgers field the oldest group of position players in the majors. Mookie Betts, who turned 34 on Wednesday, Oct. 7, put it plainly after the clinch.

"We're all old. So we need a little rest going into these postseason games," Betts said. "They're a lot. … They're a lot more than what people think."

The early finish also preserved the rotation. Because Tarik Skubal did not need to start a potential Game 5, he slots into NLCS Game 1, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 2. That setup allows Skubal and Yamamoto to combine for four starts across the series.

Dodgers pitching dominated the Braves. Atlanta batted .145 in the NLDS, collected 18 total hits and scored eight runs across four games. The Dodgers outhomered the Braves 8-2, with Muncy accounting for three by himself.

Manager Dave Roberts has won more postseason games than any manager except Joe Torre, who led the last team to three-peat, the 1998-2000 New York Yankees.

Why it won't be easy

The Dodgers went 1-for-16 with runners in scoring position during the NLDS. In the first three games, every LA run came on a home run. Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said the team needs to convert those chances, noting it "would sure help if we could cash some of those opportunities in."

Shohei Ohtani is grinding through the postseason with discomfort in his left knee and right arm. In 13 at-bats against Atlanta, he managed two singles and struck out four times. He has not homered since Aug. 18. Roberts dropped him to fifth in the batting order for NLDS Game 3, the lowest Ohtani has ever hit in a Dodgers lineup. As the Times reported Oct. 6, Ohtani told Roberts he had been thinking about asking to hit seventh.

The top five hitters in the LA lineup combined for a .176 batting average in the NLDS. Betts, Freddie Freeman, Ohtani, Teoscar Hernández and Will Smith managed just 13 hits between them.

Then there is Jacob Misiorowski. The Brewers ace, described by Shaikin as the presumptive NL Cy Young Award winner, beat the Dodgers 4-1 in his lone regular-season start against them. Three of the five hits LA managed that day came from players who did not appear in the NLDS. Misiorowski will start NLCS Game 1 on seven days of rest after the Brewers held him out of their NLDS Game 4, according to ABC7.

The bullpen delivered

Alex Vesia, Edgardo Henriquez, Tanner Scott and Edwin Díaz combined for the final 13 outs of Game 4 without allowing a run. Henriquez hit 100 mph or higher on 11 of his 15 pitches and retired five of six batters.

Díaz posted an 8.68 ERA during the regular season and spent time on the injured list with neck and elbow injuries. He gave up just one hit in three postseason innings and earned two consecutive saves. After his NLDS Game 2 appearance on Oct. 6, Díaz said the turnaround meant everything, reflecting that he "was nowhere, basically this season" before the Dodgers gave him a chance in the final week of the regular season.

ESPN simulations give the Dodgers a 51% chance to advance and the Brewers 49%. The last time these teams met in October, Milwaukee scored four total runs in a four-game sweep.

Skubal faces Misiorowski in Game 1 on Sunday.