Dodgers’ Magic Number for First-Round Bye Drops, Close Gap on Brewers

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ magic number for a first-round bye dropped by two games to just one after LA beat the San Diego Padres and the Atlanta Braves lost.

The Dodgers need to beat the Padres on Wednesday or have the Braves lose to the Reds to clinch a Wild Card round bye.

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Entering Tuesday, the magic number sat at three games, but the Dodgers beat the Padres 7-0, while the Braves lost 4-0 to the Cincinnati Reds.

Now, with five games left for the Dodgers and Braves, LA is practically guaranteed a break for its veteran roster.

Sep 22, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts (50) celebrates with third baseman Max Muncy (13) after the win against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images

Where do the Dodgers sit in the standings?

The Dodgers are on the heels of the Milwaukee Brewers, just one game back in the standings with five games left.

The Brewers are on the road against the Phillies, and they have already lost the first game of the series. If the Dodgers can string together another three or four wins, they will be in the running for home-field advantage.

The Dodgers are also five games ahead of the Atlanta Braves. The Braves hold the tiebreaker in the standings, which means they can still secure the top spot if the Dodgers lose all their games and Atlanta wins all theirs.

MLB: New York Mets at Los Angeles Dodgers — Apr 14, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Miguel Rojas (72) crosses the plate to score a run on a single by right fielder Kyle Tucker (23) in the eighth inning against the New York Mets at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)

The Dodgers close out their season with three games in San Francisco, one of the league’s weaker teams, putting them in a good spot to win all three and reach 1000 wins for the season.

With another start left for Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and Tarik Skubal, the Dodgers have plenty of firepower to win out or at least win four out of five games.

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Nelson Espinal

Nelson Espinal lives and breathes sports. He previously wrote for the San Bernardino Sun and the Daily Express. His dream of writing about sports began at 16, when he started writing for a Lakers fans blog, and his passion for sports writing has grown since. He has his Bachelor's degree in Political Science and a minor in writing literature from the University of California, San Diego.

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