The Dodgers head into October with real questions hanging over the offense, and that’s not a small issue for a team built on defense and pitching. The good news is that a handful of bats are arriving at the postseason in strong form, giving Los Angeles at least some reason to believe the run production can show up when it matters.
Mookie Betts is leading that charge. No Dodger has been better at the plate late in the season, and Betts has started looking like the MVP-caliber hitter the club knows so well.
He was punishing fastballs, driving the ball with authority, and producing a huge September line of .337/.438/.674 across 105 plate appearances. His 202 wRC+ and his 15.2% walk rate paired with just a 10.5% strikeout rate tell the same story: he was locked in.
That matters even more because Betts has the kind of bat that can keep an offense afloat if other stars don’t immediately catch fire. If Freddie Freeman or Shohei Ohtani don’t get going right away, Betts has shown he can still carry a lineup.
Will Smith is in that same conversation, too, even after spending months on the injured list with neck inflammation. He came back and hit .290/.400/.548 in September, good for a 160 wRC+ that ranked fifth on the team in the final month.
Smith’s plate discipline was as clean as it gets, with a 14.7% walk rate and a 14.7% strikeout rate. Regular-season numbers don’t always tell the full story with a player like Smith, especially one who should handle 99% of the catcher workload in the postseason, but the signs are encouraging.
Andy Pages gave the Dodgers another positive note in a very small sample. He appeared in just six games before the season ended after missing a month with a hand fracture suffered when he was hit by a pitch.
The layoff raised obvious questions about timing and rust, but he answered with a .333/.458/.722 line, a 210 wRC+, two homers and five RBIs. Pages has had a rough time in the last two postseasons, but 2026 gives him a fresh start.
Teoscar Hernandez rounds out the group, and he has been part of the reason the offense stayed afloat through its lowest stretches in August and September. Since August 24th, Hernandez has posted a 165 wRC+ and hit .340/.421/.538.
Even over the last two weeks, he’s still been productive with a 110 wRC+. He has already come through for the Dodgers in each of the last two Octobers, and he remains the kind of hitter who can swing a postseason game when the lineup needs a jolt.
In Other News...
Dodgers Face A Miguel Rojas Postseason Wrinkle They Didn't Expect
Miguel Rojas is juggling more than the usual October pressure as the Dodgers get ready for the National League Division Series. The veteran infielder is scheduled to take his U.S. citizenship test on Oct. 2 in Miami, a timing quirk that could pull him away from the club at the exact moment the postseason begins. Rojas is hoping to make it back in time for Game 1, but the Dodgers are once again being asked to plan around a player whose value goes beyond the box score.
There is also a bigger layer hanging over the situation, one that makes this more than just a travel inconvenience. Rojas has said he would only keep playing if the Dodgers offer him a contract, and his current deal runs out after the World Series, leaving his future unsettled even as the club tries to line up for October. For a team that has leaned on experience and versatility all season, it is a reminder that the roster questions do not stop when the bracket does. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Finally Know When Their NLDS Opener Will Begin
The Dodgers finally have a start time for their NLDS opener, and it comes with the usual October combination of anticipation and uncertainty. Major League Baseball set Game 1 of Los Angeles Division Series for Saturday at 1 p.m. PT at Dodger Stadium, giving the club a clear target as it waits to learn whether its opponent will be the Braves or the Phillies.
The broader playoff picture also tightened up Wednesday, when the Padres beat the Cubs 4-1 to finish a two-game sweep in the wild card series and move on to face the Brewers. For the Dodgers, the next step still depends on the result of the Atlanta-Philadelphia game, and while the first pitch is locked in, the remaining schedule for the series has yet to be determined. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers NLDS Opener Comes With A Tough Twist Fans Will Feel
The Dodgers now know their NLDS opener will arrive Saturday at 1 p.m. PT, and the matchup will come against either the Braves or the Phillies once the deciding game is settled Thursday. San Diegos sweep through the Wild Card round cleared the path for Los Angeles, but the first step of this next series carries an immediate test before a pitch is even thrown.
Forecasts are calling for temperatures near 100 degrees for the opener, a brutal backdrop that could shape how the game is played. Heat this extreme can wear on hitters and lengthen the challenge for both clubs, making the start of the series feel less like a normal October afternoon and more like a survival test. [Read more 🡒]