CHICAGO — Only one Division Series remains after three series closed on Wednesday, with the Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers both advancing in four games to set up an NLCS rematch starting Sunday, while the Tampa Bay Rays await the winner of the American League series between the Cleveland Guardians and Chicago White Sox in Game 4 at 5:00 p.m. on TBS/truTV.
Milwaukee and Los Angeles will meet in the NLCS again after facing off last year. Milwaukee is 0-3 in NLCS appearances, including losses to Los Angeles in 2026, to Los Angeles in 2018 and to the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011. It has been 44 years since the Brewers' last World Series appearance, with only the Pittsburgh Pirates at 47 years and the Seattle Mariners, who have never appeared, carrying longer pennant droughts.
In the American League, the Rays have advanced and will not play again until Monday as they wait for the winner of Guardians-White Sox. Chicago leads the series 2-1 heading into Game 4 in Chicago, with Cleveland facing elimination after staying alive in Game 3.
The stakes for Friday are straightforward. If the White Sox win Game 4, the series ends and there will be no baseball until the NLCS begins Sunday. A Guardians victory would extend the ALDS and provide postseason baseball over the weekend before the Rays learn their opponent.