Dodgers win NL West division title after getting past Cincinnati Reds

[p]The reigning Major League Baseball champions, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/news/la-dodgers-make-mlb-postseason-for-14th-straight-year-after-beating-cincinnati-reds/6HekF4z9/"]who had already secured their ticket to the playoffs[/a], clinched their 13th NL West title in 14 seasons with an [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/baseball/cincinnati-reds-EkWXj6U9/los-angeles-dodgers-nwPDBpVc/?mid=OjawOHCr"]8-2 defeat[/a] of the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/cincinnati-reds/EkWXj6U9/"]Cincinnati Reds[/a].[/p][p]The divisional crown means the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/los-angeles-dodgers/nwPDBpVc/"]Dodgers[/a] are guaranteed home-field advantage if they go into the wild card round of the playoffs.[/p][p]However, the Dodgers (93-60) are now looking to secure a first-round bye in the playoffs with nine games of the regular season remaining.[/p][p]"[b]It has been a grind,[/b]" Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after Thursday's clincher. "[b]We've worked hard since the middle of February, and here we are.[/b][/p][p]"[b]It's another box that's checked but there's still a lot of work to be done.[/b]"[/p][embed guid="85be2c05-140f-41d5-9794-d852845d6c12" url="https://x.com/MLB/status/2100666577125273770?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]The Dodgers, World Series champions in 2024 and 2025, are aiming to become the first team to complete a hat-trick of MLB titles since the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/new-york-yankees/SrC4LDIT/"]New York Yankees[/a] in 1998-2000.[/p][p]Roberts, though, urged his star-studded team not to be distracted by three-peat talk.[/p][p]"[b]Like I said the other day, just keep the blinders on,[/b]" Roberts said. "[b]There's a lot of expectations and a lot of talk that shouldn't affect the games going forward.[/b][/p][p]"[b]I just want to keep our guys focused on baseball.[/b]"[/p][p]Despite wrapping up the division with several games to spare, the Dodgers have looked less than convincing in recent weeks.[/p][p]Japanese superstar [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ohtani-shohei/QoeWGRko/"]Shohei Ohtani[/a] is injured, while the team were swept in series by the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/chicago-cubs/j7ZnBQFi/"]Chicago Cubs[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/boston-red-sox/zaXTinF3/"]Boston Red Sox[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/atlanta-braves/0UPxbDYA/"]Atlanta Braves[/a] last month.[/p][p]The team also dropped three of four games to the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/milwaukee-brewers/CGzqC60o/"]Milwaukee Brewers[/a], who are poised to be NL top seeds in the playoffs.[/p]