LOS ANGELES (AP) No matter which opponent emerged from the seven-game AL Championship Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers could watch from home knowing they're sitting pretty.

The Dodgers earned a four-day break before the World Series through their quick resolution of the NLCS, which ended Thursday in Chicago with Los Angeles' seventh win in eight playoff games. The extended breaks between their two brief playoff series have allowed the 104-win Dodgers to keep their starting rotation in order and on full rest, and to give plenty of recovery time to their dominant bullpen.

"It's crucial, not only in setting the rotation," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Saturday before the Yankees and Astros played Game 7. "Knowing what goes into the (playoffs), to come back home and reset mentally and physically has been a huge benefit to us."