Los Angeles closed out the best-of-five matchup in Game 4 to advance in October for a third consecutive year.
The Dodgers dispatched the Braves 4-1 in Game 4 to clinch the NLDS and move on to their third straight NLCS. It is the kind of result that has become familiar in Los Angeles, a rotation and bullpen built for exactly this stretch of the schedule doing their job again in October.
Before Game 4, the Dodgers had already taken control of the series in Game 3, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivering a strong outing to help Los Angeles grab back home-field advantage.
The win keeps the Dodgers on their march toward a possible World Series three-peat, with the rotation and a star-studded bullpen now set to carry that weight into the NLCS. One complication looms over that effort: a dinged Shohei Ohtani, whose status will be something to watch as the next round begins.
Elsewhere in the postseason, the American League side of the bracket has been considerably messier. The Yankees had a rough Game 2 of the ALDS against the Rays, with defensive miscues and missed chances at the plate leaving New York in a hole. The Yankees now have to win twice at home just to force the series back to Tropicana Field for a decisive Game 5.