This regular season hasn't been nearly as smooth a journey as Los Angeles Dodgers fans were anticipating back in the spring, when another star-studded offseason had many wondering whether this would be the most talented team in MLB history. From injuries to ineffectiveness to an outright bullpen collapse, 2025 has brought far more adversity than expected, leaving L.A. in a dogfight for a division title as we approach the season's final weekend.
Things were once again teetering on the brink on Wednesday night, as Dodgers relievers once again coughed up a late lead against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Unlike Tuesday, though, this time Los Angeles was able to right the ship, securing a 5-4 win in 11 innings thanks to an RBI single from Tommy Edman (and some big innings in relief from unexpected sources like Roki Sasaki and Clayton Kershaw).
At this point, a first-round bye is out of reach, an outcome that pretty much no one saw coming on Opening Day. But Wednesday's win loomed very large in the quest for a fourth straight NL West crown (and the team's 12th in the last 13 years). How close are Shohei Ohtani and Co. to putting the San Diego Padres for good? Let's break down L.A.'s magic number for the NL West in addition to the tiebreaker situation.
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Dodgers magic number in the NL West, tiebreaker vs. Padres
The Padres fell to the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday afternooon to fall to 87-72 — 2.5 games back of the Dodgers (and three in the loss column). With three games remaining for San Diego, the best record they can finish with is 90-72. Given that Los Angeles right now sits at 89-69 and holds the head-to-head tiebreaker by virtue of winning the season series, that means that the Dodgers' magic number in the NL West has now been reduced to 1. One more Dodgers win or Padres loss for the rest of the year, and the division is guaranteed to once again run through Chavez Ravine.
Here's a look at how the playoff seeding looks entering play on Thursday.
- Milwaukee Brewers (96-63, NL Central champs)
- Philadelphia Phillies (93-65 NL East champs)
- Los Angeles Dodgers (89-69, NL West champs)
- Chicago Cubs (89-69, No. 1 NL Wild Card)
- San Diego Padres (87-72, No. 2 NL Wild Card)
- New York Mets (81-77, No. 3 NL Wild Card)
In the hunt: Cincinnati Reds (80-78) and Arizona Diamondbacks (80-78)
The Padres are off on Thursday before welcoming the D-backs to town for a three-game set this weekend, while the Dodgers have one more in Arizona before heading to Seattle for a tough season-ending series against the AL West-leading Mariners. While San Diego definitely has the easier road from here on out, Los Angeles is one step away from wrapping up the division and the No. 3 seed in the NL playoffs.