The Dodgers have shaken off their usual late-summer drift, and the calendar is finally offering them a real test.
Los Angeles is 14-5 in September, but most of that damage has come against teams below .500 - the Washington Nationals, Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants. Starting Tuesday, the Dodgers get one last chance to measure themselves against a club with a winning record before the postseason arrives: the San Diego Padres.
That matters for both sides. San Diego comes into the series having won 13 of its last 14 games and needing two more victories to lock up a wild-card spot. The Padres have never reached the playoffs three years in a row in franchise history.
“I feel like the whole team is in a good spot right now,” San Diego’s Fernando Tatis Jr. told the San Diego Union-Tribune on Sunday. “We’re playing really good baseball.
We’re checking in when we have to. The entire lineup is in a good spot right now.
So when it’s going like that, it’s … a good time.”
The Dodgers, meanwhile, have their own business to finish. They hold a magic number of three to clinch the second bye, a prize that would help shape the rotation they want to set up for October.
“I think it’s going to be a good kind of (playoff) primer,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of the upcoming series. “They’re a very talented team.
They’re playing as good as anyone in all of baseball. I’m looking forward to playing those guys and just kind of ramping it up a little bit more for our guys.”
There’s also a roster wrinkle worth watching in the final stretch. Andy Pages is expected to come off the IL on Tuesday, and the hope is that he’s fully healed and ready to help add to the Dodgers’ offensive firepower.
But the bigger question hanging over the last six games may be Edwin Díaz.
Díaz is back from the IL after returning Friday and has thrown two scoreless outings, but that doesn’t automatically settle his playoff case. He was sidelined earlier this season after surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow, then came back with the idea of jumping right back into leverage innings. That plan didn’t go smoothly.
“It’s been really disappointing,” Díaz said of his season. “But now I’ve found growth to come back and perform the way everyone was expecting.”
In the weeks after his first return from the IL, Díaz was hit hard. Across nine outings, his ERA ballooned to 11.85, and he eventually landed back on the IL with neck inflammation. Now, he has another small window to show he’s ready for October - with only three to four games left to make his case in a postseason bullpen race that still isn’t settled.
“Everybody was telling me I have a new elbow, so just keep going, keep climbing the ladder,” Díaz said. “You will be fine.
We trust you. They always stayed positive with me, and you know, I was positive too.
I know when I’m right, I can do really good things. I just trusted the process with them.
They stuck with me. They supported me.
So I was OK.”
He wasn’t, at least not then. The Dodgers still have a few games to decide whether he is now.
In Other News...
Dodgers Just Got An October Boost Fans Have Been Waiting For
The Dodgers got a familiar September jolt with two important reinforcements coming off the injured list as the club heads into the final week of the regular season. Dave Roberts said right-hander Tyler Glasnow is healthy and ready to help when October arrives, a welcome development for a team that has spent much of the year trying to keep its pitching group intact for the stretch run.
Los Angeles also had to make room on the roster by sending two players back down, another reminder of how quickly the picture can change at this time of year. Beyond the immediate playoff implications, there is already some offseason intrigue swirling around the Dodgers, with ESPNs Jeff Passan reporting that pitcher Tarik Skubal could be in line for a massive free-agent deal this winter, a detail that will only add to the teams long-term planning conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Fans Just Got A New Reason To Watch Tarik Skubal
Tarik Skubal showed up at SoFi Stadium on Monday night with another Dodgers star in tow, as he and Mookie Betts took in the Rams-Giants matchup. Skubal was down at field level while Betts watched from a suite that also included Myles Garrett and Aaron Donalds wife, a small but notable reminder that the Dodgers biggest names do not exactly disappear when the baseball schedule pauses.
For Los Angeles, Skubals appearance comes at an interesting moment. He was recently placed on the Dodgers bereavement list and is currently expected to start the final regular-season game, though that could still change. Even with the season winding down, the Dodgers are keeping an eye on anything that might affect the rotation, and a night out around the NFL only added another layer to the intrigue around Skubals week. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Letting Ryan Ward Go Took An Unexpected Turn
Ryan Wards exit from the Dodgers organization moved quickly. Just six days after being designated for assignment, he agreed to a contract with the Chunichi Dragons of Nippon Professional Baseball, ending a run that had kept him in the Dodgers system for his entire professional career. It was a familiar kind of roster churn for this time of year, but the destination made the move stand out.
For the Dodgers, Wards recent minor league production had already made his standing uncertain, and the roster rules created an unusual layer to his departure. He was only eligible to play for the Dodgers in the 2026 postseason, which meant Los Angeles still had some control over his future in a narrow sense, even as the organization opened the door for him to continue his career abroad. [Read more 🡒]