The Los Angeles Dodgers saw their quest for a three-peat come to a halt when they were swept in four games by the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series. With a 6-4 defeat in Game 4 at Dodger Stadium, the club exited the postseason without the trophy for the first time in three years, triggering a difficult winter of evaluation for the club.
Milwaukee completed the series sweep to capture the National League pennant and advance to the World Series for the first time since 1982, as reported. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts acknowledged the outcome candidly after the final out. “At the end of the day, they beat us. They outperformed us in every facet. Those guys played impeccably,” Roberts said.
Early Promise Fades as Brewers Complete Late-Inning Comeback
Game 4 began with the energy Los Angeles needed. The Dodgers jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second inning when Shohei Ohtani launched a three-run home run, snapping a power drought that dated back to August 18. The blast brought the Dodger Stadium crowd to its feet and gave the home team early momentum.
Tonight's #NLCS Game 3 Dodgers lineup vs. Brewers: pic.twitter.com/oc1NUwJgFZ
Milwaukee systematically chipped away at the deficit. William Contreras and Jake Bauers hit consecutive doubles in the fourth inning to make it 4-2. In the fifth, Sal Frelick walked, stole a base, and scored on David Hamilton’s RBI single before Bauers drew a bases-loaded walk to tie the game. Garrett Mitchell delivered the decisive blow in the sixth with a home run off Tanner Scott to put the Brewers ahead 5-4, and Hamilton added an insurance run in the ninth.
Bauers earned NLCS Most Valuable Player honors after driving in six runs during the series and hitting safely in all four games. His six RBIs matched the most for a Milwaukee player in a postseason series, joining Jackson Chourio, Ryan Braun, Cecil Cooper, and Robin Yount.
Structural Flaws Exposed Beneath the Surface of an Aging Roster
Structural vulnerabilities had been masked by victories over recent seasons. Chief among them is the roster’s advanced age. The Dodgers carry the highest collective age in Major League Baseball—a reality that Teóscar Hernández acknowledged with a shout of “We are dinosaurs!” during postemporada celebrations.
Age has begun to translate into declining production and persistent injuries. Mookie Betts batted .257/.326/.454, marking his second year with an OPS below .790 compared to his .874 career mark, and went through an eight-game postseason stretch without an RBI. Freeman posted a 118 OPS+ against a career 140 mark, going 1-for-14 in the series.
Health has also strained the depth chart. Players combined for 34 stints on the injured list resulting in 2,318 missed days—the second-highest total in the majors. While the team led the league in injured list days in the three previous years, the sheer volume of absences complicates roster management alongside an aging core.
Financial commitments face equal scrutiny. Kyle Tucker signed a four-year, $240 million contract but endured a regular season hitting line of .233/.330/.385 with 17 home runs and 70 RBIs across 154 games, though he performed as the team’s top hitter in the NLCS. Edwin Díaz, signed to a three-year, $69 million deal, finished with an 8.68 ERA and seven saves in 11 opportunities following April elbow surgery and a stint on the IL. Díaz did not pitch in the first three games of the NLCS because the Dodgers never held a late lead.
Ohtani’s Dual-Threat Limitations Shape Future Outlook
Shohei Ohtani’s unique profile remains central to the franchise’s trajectory, yet physical constraints altered his workload. Across three seasons in Los Angeles, he has been unable to complete a full year operating simultaneously as a frontline pitcher and an elite hitter. After missing his first year entirely on the mound and rehabilitating through 2025, Ohtani returned to pitching in 2026 before physical fatigue shut down his pitching arm midway through the season.
His offensive production dipped concurrently. While pitching alongside his bat earlier in the year, he went 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA. From July 3 onward, once removed from the rotation, his batting line slipped to .257/.336/.495 with an .831 OPS, 12 home runs, and 31 RBIs over 54 games. In the postseason, he batted .192, collecting his only three RBIs on the home run in Game 4.
Roberts praised Ohtani’s resilience despite his physical state. “I will always trust Shohei. I think he’s the best player on the planet, and he’s not completely healthy. But I have a lot of respect for him not running away, for wanting to continue to participate and play when he’s not at 100 percent,” Roberts said.
