Dodgers Clinch Fifth Straight NL West Title by Beating Reds

Los Angeles defeated Cincinnati 8-2 on Thursday to claim its fifth consecutive NL West crown and a record-tying 14th straight playoff berth.

The Dodgers reclaimed the NL West crown with an 8-2 victory over the Reds on Thursday afternoon at Great American Ball Park, three days after toasting a postseason berth. Kyle Tucker led the offense with a four-hit, three-RBI day, finishing a triple shy of the club's first cycle since 2017, with Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, Josue De Paula and Miguel Rojas also driving in runs. In a bullpen game, Justin Wrobleski opened with three perfect innings, Landon Knack added four scoreless frames, and Blake Treinen and Seth Halvorsen each allowed a run. Sal Stewart homered for Cincinnati.

This is the Dodgers' fifth consecutive division title and 13th in the past 14 seasons, with the 2021 Giants the only team to unseat them during that span. It also marks a record-tying 14th straight postseason appearance. Since divisional play began in 1969, Los Angeles now leads all major league teams with 24 division titles, one more than the Braves and three more than the Yankees, according to mlb.com. Manager Dave Roberts, who has overseen 10 of these crowns, acknowledged that anything short of a World Series title counts as failure. "But that's kind of part of what you signed up with the Dodgers," he said.

The clincher came with the roster far from full strength. Shohei Ohtani, the team's best hitter, is on the 15-day IL, juggling issues with his biceps, left knee and neck, per Yahoo Sports, while first-time All-Star Andy Pages is also out as he returns from a fractured left hand. Lefty Blake Snell left Wednesday's start after one inning with a groin injury, Yahoo Sports reports, and the six-man rotation has thinned to four stretched-out starters. Muncy noted the pattern: guys go down, others step up, and the Dodgers survive.

At 93-60, Los Angeles holds the NL's second-best record behind Milwaukee (95-58) and a four-game lead over Atlanta for the No. 2 seed, with a first-round bye and a direct trip to the NL Division Series within reach over the final nine games. The larger prize is a third straight World Series title, which would be the sport's first three-peat since the 1998-2000 Yankees. Deadline addition Tarik Skubal said the group showed no panic during a seven-game skid, and Mookie Betts summed up the mindset: it is the same goal every year, and how you get there matters less than getting there.