Which National League team can actually beat the back-to-back champion Dodgers?

The National League has spent most of the 2026 season trying to answer the same question: Who can stop the Dodgers? The Los Angeles franchise enters the final stretch of the regular season as the defending World Series champion for the second consecutive year, having become one of only 14 teams in MLB history to win back-to-back titles.

And the Dodgers did not exactly make the challenge easier for everyone else. At the trade deadline, Los Angeles added reigning American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal to an already loaded roster, giving the champions another formidable weapon for October. But the National League does have legitimate challengers.

The Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers and Dodgers currently lead their divisions, while the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies occupy wild-card positions and the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks remain locked in a fight for the final postseason berth. So, which team has the best chance of ending Los Angeles' reign?

If there is one team that has earned the right to believe it can beat Los Angeles, it is Atlanta. The Braves just swept the Dodgers in a three-game series, winning the finale 1-0 behind a brilliant complete-game performance from Chris Sale . Sale struck out 11 and allowed only five hits without issuing a walk. That sweep was significant for another reason: Atlanta had not swept Los Angeles since 2013.

The Braves also clinched the season series against the Dodgers, adding another layer of confidence to a potential October matchup. Atlanta currently sits near the top of the NL standings and has been playing outstanding baseball late in the season. The Braves entered Sunday riding a seven-game winning streak. More importantly, they have the kind of roster that can win a playoff series in multiple ways.

If Atlanta is the obvious challenger, Milwaukee might be the most dangerous team nobody wants to face. The Brewers currently own the best record in the National League, sitting at 85-52 entering Sunday's action. They also boast a remarkable +177 run differential. That is not the profile of a team simply benefiting from a favorable schedule.

Milwaukee has consistently played winning baseball throughout the season and has enough pitching, defense and offensive balance to create problems in a short playoff series. The Brewers also have something every Dodgers challenger needs: confidence. They are not intimidated by Los Angeles, and their consistency gives them a legitimate path to earning home-field advantage deep into October.

Philadelphia presents a different type of challenge. The Phillies are currently holding a wild-card position and have been one of the hottest teams in baseball recently, entering Sunday with an 8-2 record over their previous 10 games. Their biggest advantage is experience.

Philadelphia has been built to contend in October, with a veteran-heavy roster accustomed to the intensity of postseason baseball. When a series becomes a battle of stars and big moments, that experience can become extremely valuable. The Phillies may not have the same regular-season dominance as Milwaukee, but nobody should be eager to face them in a five- or seven-game series.

The Cubs might be the most explosive team in the wild-card picture. Chicago has scored 720 runs this season, ranking among the National League's most productive offenses, and Pete Crow-Armstrong has emerged as a major power threat with 36 home runs entering Sunday's action. He just blasted three homers and drove in six runs during a 17-5 demolition of Cincinnati.

That type of offensive firepower can make a playoff series unpredictable.

The Cubs would need their pitching to hold up against Los Angeles, but if their lineup gets hot at the right time, they could turn any series into a slugfest.

The Padres remain in the fight for the final National League wild-card position, battling the Diamondbacks. That alone makes them difficult to dismiss. San Diego has enough talent to cause problems if it gets into the postseason, although injuries have become a concern. The Padres placed Gavin Sheets and Luis Rengifo on the injured list Sunday while remaining tied with Arizona for the crucial playoff berth.

Their biggest challenge is simply getting there. If San Diego survives the wild-card race, however, it would enter October with nothing to lose, and plenty of talent capable of changing a series. Less likely than Atlanta or Milwaukee, but potentially dangerous if it gets healthy at the right time.