MLB Playoff Picture 2024: Dodgers Clinch NL West; Updated Bracket, Standings

The Los Angeles Dodgers have won the NL West for the 11th time in 12 years after Thursday's 7-2 win over the San Diego Padres.

The work still isn't done for the Dodgers in the regular season. They hold a one-game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies for home-field advantage in the NL postseason.

Philadelphia won five of six meetings between the two clubs this season, so in the event they finish with identical records, the Phillies would get the tiebreaker.

The Dodgers will play three games against the Colorado Rockies in Denver this weekend, while the Phillies will travel to Washington D.C. for a series with the Nationals.

L.A. won the West from 2013-2020. A 107-win season from the San Francisco Giants prevented the 106-win Dodgers from locking up the division in 2021.

Now the Dodgers will look for their 25th NL pennant, eighth World Series title and first of each since 2020.

Here's a look at the current playoff matchups and bracket if the season ended today as well as up-to-date standings.

Projected MLB Playoff Bracket

• AL Wild Card Series: No. 3 Houston Astros vs. No. 6 Kansas City Royals; No. 4 Baltimore Orioles vs. No. 5 Detroit Tigers
• NL Wild Card Series: No. 3 Milwaukee Brewers vs. No. 6 Arizona Diamondbacks; No. 4 San Diego Padres vs. No. 5 New York Mets
• First-Round Byes: No. 1 New York Yankees and No. 2 Cleveland Guardians (American League); No. 1 Los Angeles Dodgers and No. 2 Philadelphia Phillies (National League)

MLB Standings

AL East

1. New York Yankees (93-66); clinched division 
2. Baltimore Orioles (88-71, 5 GB); clinched playoff berth
3. Boston Red Sox (80-79, 13 GB) 
4. Tampa Bay Rays (78-81, 15 GB) 
5. Toronto Blue Jays (74-85, 19 GB)

AL Central

1. Cleveland Guardians (92-67); clinched division 
2. Kansas City Royals (85-74, 7 GB) 
3. Detroit Tigers (85-74, 7 GB) 
4. Minnesota Twins (82-77, 10 GB) 
5. Chicago White Sox (39-120, 53 GB)

AL West

1. Houston Astros (86-73); clinched division
2. Seattle Mariners (82-77, 4 GB) 
3. Texas Rangers (75-84, 11 GB) 
4. Oakland Athletics (69-90, 17 GB) 
5. Los Angeles Angels (63-96, 23 GB)

NL East

1. Philadelphia Phillies (94-65); clinched division
2. New York Mets (87-70, 6 GB) 
3. Atlanta Braves (86-71, 7 GB) 
4. Washington Nationals (69-90, 25 GB) 
5. Miami Marlins (59-100, 35 GB)

NL Central

1. Milwaukee Brewers (91-68); clinched division 
2. St. Louis Cardinals (81-78, 10 GB) 
3. Chicago Cubs (81-78, 10 GB) 
4. Cincinnati Reds (76-83, 15 GB) 
5. Pittsburgh Pirates (74-85, 17 GB)

NL West

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (95-64); clinched division
2. San Diego Padres (91-68, 4 GB); clinched playoff berth
3. Arizona Diamondbacks (88-71, 4 GB) 
4. San Francisco Giants (79-80, 16 GB) 
5. Colorado Rockies (61-98, 34 GB)

The Dodgers entered the regular season as the clear World Series favorite after acquiring generational talent Shohei Ohtani via free agency. But L.A. also loaded up its pitching staff, trading for Tampa Bay Rays starter Tyler Glasnow and adding Japanese pro baseball star Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Ohtani has been everything as advertised and then some en route to a certain third MVP award. He became the first player in MLB history to amass 50 or more home runs and 50 or more stolen bases in the same season.

He's been the catalyst for the Dodgers' success amidst a season that has seen a host of players land on the injured list. Mookie Betts missed two months with a fractured left hand, and Max Muncy sat three months with a strained oblique.

The pitching staff has had a nightmarish season. Glasnow is out for the year with elbow tendinitis after landing on the injured list in August. A right rotator cuff strain sidelined Yamamoto for nearly three months. Offseason shoulder surgery and a bone spur in his left toe have limited Clayton Kershaw to seven starts.

Gavin Stone is likely out for the year with shoulder soreness, and Walker Buehler has missed time due to Tommy John surgery and then a right hip injury.

Overall, 17 Dodger pitchers have made starts for the team this year.

The main pitching constants this season have been out of the bullpen. Namely, Alex Vesia, Daniel Hudson and Blake Treinen have fared quite well to help L.A. form one of the best relief staffs in the bigs.

In spite of the rotating pitching crew, the batting lineup has still excelled. Ohtani has turned in another tremendous year, but Will Smith, Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernández and Mookie Betts all made the All-Star Game. They've all been the catalysts for a powerful offense that's second in the National League in OPS and No. 1 in home runs.

Ultimately, the Dodgers look like powerhouses once again heading into the playoffs despite the pitching concerns. They could very well slug their way to another World Series, led by playoff newcomer Ohtani. L.A. has struggled in the past despite coming into the playoffs as favorites, but this year could very well be different with a generational talent aboard.