The Los Angeles Dodgers are going for a three-peat this season, but the Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs have proven they are not a lock to win it all in recent series.
In the second half, the Cubs have swept the Dodgers, the Brewers have taken three out of four and the Braves have won the first two games of a three-game series in Atlanta. The Cubs saw Tarik Skubal, Justin Wrobleski and Eric Lauer in their series, the Brewers saw Roki Sasaki, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Skubal and Wrobleski, and the Braves have seen Tyler Glasnow and Sasaki so far, with Yamamoto slated to pitch on Thursday.
All three teams are contenders in the National League and have won games against some of the Dodgers' best arms. Things are different in the postseason, but it's more about how the Dodgers are losing. The Cubs poured runs on the Dodgers' pitching staff early and often. Meanwhile, the Brewers dominated their offense with elite pitching off their own and destroyed the Dodgers' bullpen. The Braves have put up runs early and allowed their bullpen to hold the Dodgers' offense to limited runs.
For as good as the Dodgers' pitching staff is, they are not perfect. The bullpen, especially, is not very good.
The Braves have a high-octane offense that can get after any pitcher. The Cubs, led by Pete Crow-Armstrong, have an elite defense and an offense that can put up runs in bunches. Both are capable of getting after the Dodgers.
Meanwhile, the Brewers are the only team that seems to have the pitching capable of going toe-to-toe with the Dodgers, but their offense takes a different approach. The Brewers' offense is patient and relies on speed, contact and walks. It does not seem like a modern formula for winning, but they too have proven it works against the Dodgers.
While they are all capable of beating the Dodgers, they will have to prove it in October. The Braves and Brewers own the season series against the Dodgers as well, holding the tiebreaker.