Photo via MLB.com

Dodgers left to ponder state of team core as cracks emerge in NLCS sweep

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ hopes of a three-peat were erased Thursday night as the Milwaukee Brewers completed a sweep in the 2026 National League Championship Series, ending the Dodgers’ season with a 3-0 series loss at home. The Brewers became the first team in MLB history to sweep their opponent in a postseason rematch after the same side had swept the other in the prior postseason, joining the 1923 New York Yankees as the only teams to achieve this feat.

The Brewers’ victory also secured their first National League pennant in franchise history, capping a postseason in which they neutralized the Dodgers’ vaunted rotation and exposed their offensive vulnerabilities in high-leverage moments.

The Dodgers’ offensive struggles were on full display throughout the series, scoring just seven runs in three games. They managed only one run in a 2-1 loss in Game 1 and went entirely silent in a 6-2 defeat in Game 3, where Milwaukee left-hander Robert Gasser held them scoreless for five innings before reliever Abner Uribe allowed two runs.

Jake Bauers delivered the decisive blow in Game 3, hitting a go-ahead, two-run homer off Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell in the seventh inning to extend the Brewers’ lead to 3-0.

The sweep concluded with Miguel Rojas, the Dodgers’ retiring infielder, announcing his departure from the game in the clubhouse after Game 4. Rojas, who began his career with the Dodgers in 2014 before being traded to the Miami Marlins, returned to Los Angeles ahead of the 2023 season and capped his career with a solo home run in the ninth inning of Game 7 of the 2025 World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Speaking to reporters after the loss, Rojas reflected on the bittersweet end to his playing days, stating, *'This is it as a player,'* and adding, *'It’s not the way that I wanted to end it, because we always wanted to win the last game of the season.'* He also acknowledged the unpredictability of postseason success, noting, *'In baseball nothing is guaranteed, even though you have a really good team and a lot of talent.'* Rojas indicated he will remain with the Dodgers organization, shifting his focus to his future in baseball beyond playing.

The Brewers’ dominance in the series was underscored by their ability to suppress the Dodgers’ offense while leveraging their own pitching staff. Manager Dave Roberts, along with teammates Mookie Betts, addressed the team after the Game 4 loss, as the Dodgers grappled with the end of their season.

Max Muncy, the Dodgers’ third baseman, offered a blunt assessment of the team’s performance, telling reporters, *'We’re playing like s---, they’re playing great,'* after the Game 3 defeat. While Kyle Tucker, despite a four-year, $240 million contract, emerged as the Dodgers’ most consistent hitter in the NLCS, the team’s broader offensive failures defined their postseason run.

This report also draws on coverage from Yahoo Sports, Fox Sports, CBS Sports.

Up nextMLB· 54m ago

Shohei Ohtani faces major questions after Dodgers' NLCS disaster