CINCINNATI -- Try as they might to view 2026 as its own season, everything the Dodgers have done this year is impossible to separate from the larger context of what they have accomplished in more than a decade of excellence.

Fourteen straight postseason berths. Five consecutive division titles. The rare chance to vie for a World Series three-peat.

The Dodgers hit another key milestone in their title defense by reclaiming the NL West crown with an 8-2 victory over the Reds on Thursday afternoon at Great American Ball Park. Three days after their traditional champagne toast in honor of clinching a postseason berth, winning the West brought on a wild clubhouse celebration -- which they hope will be the first of many over the next several weeks.

In their record-tying 14 consecutive postseason appearances, the Dodgers have 13 division titles. The only team to unseat them was the 2021 Giants, who edged them in one of the most highly contested NL West races in recent memory.

The Dodgers' offense, whose inconsistency has been a perpetual concern over the course of the season, provided plenty of early support to back a scheduled bullpen game. Kyle Tucker led the way with a four-hit, three-RBI showing, finishing a triple shy of the Dodgers’ first cycle since 2017. Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, Josue De Paula and Miguel Rojas also knocked in runs.

Justin Wrobleski opened the bullpen game with three perfect innings, and while Blake Treinen surrendered a solo home run in the fourth, Landon Knack pitched four scoreless frames before Seth Halvorsen allowed a run in the ninth.

With nine games remaining in the regular season, the Dodgers are far from full strength. Their best hitter, Shohei Ohtani, is on the 15-day IL, as is first-time All-Star Andy Pages. The six-man rotation they carried for most of the season has been reduced to four fully stretched-out starters on the active roster, necessitating Thursday's bullpen game.

The Dodgers are expecting reinforcements back before the postseason, and would greatly benefit from securing a first-round bye to advance directly to the NL Division Series -- giving them five days off after the end of the regular season. They hold a four-game lead over the Braves for the No. 2 seed in the National League.

This edition of the Dodgers is not without its flaws, but then again, neither were the back-to-back champion teams in 2024 and '25. After becoming the first team in a quarter-century to defend their title last year, they will vie for the Majors' first three-peat since the 1998-2000 Yankees.

"We’re just as hungry as we were in ‘24 and ‘25," manager Dave Roberts said. "This is a separate season. Our guys understand.”