The Dodgers kept leaning on the same script in this Giants series: wait, weather the early damage, then turn the game over in the late innings. On Sunday, that formula was just enough for a 3-1 win and a sweep, with Emmet Sheehan doing the heavy lifting after following Jack Dreyer as the bulk man.
The Giants struck first without even putting the ball in play. In the opening inning, Jonah Cox drew a walk as Dreyer had trouble finding the strike zone, advanced on a wild pickoff throw, and then swiped third with no hesitation.
Cox, a rookie with 13 stolen bases in just 140 plate appearances, came home on a Jonah Bericoto single. That early run ended up carrying real weight, because both Matt Wilkinson and Sheehan settled in and made offense hard to find.
Wilkinson was sharp enough to keep Los Angeles off the board through five innings. The Dodgers had only a couple of chances to do damage, and both times they were held to stranded one-out doubles. Three of the four outs Wilkinson recorded with a runner in scoring position came against left-handed hitters, though one of those doubles did come from Josue De Paula, so there’s only so much to read into the matchup.
Once Wilkinson exited, the Dodgers finally cracked through. Tommy Edman tied it in the sixth with a solo homer off Carson Seymour, jumping on a pitch he clearly saw well and driving it into the Giants’ bullpen. Edman is usually more of a threat from the right side, but this one was all the way gone.
Sheehan made that swing matter by matching Wilkinson and then some. Since coming back from a one-month stay in Triple-A, he has looked like a different pitcher, and over the past couple of weeks he has strengthened his case for a meaningful postseason role. Against San Francisco, he was brilliant through 5.1 innings, using a curveball that produced six whiffs on 12 swings and piling up nine strikeouts while shutting the Giants down.
Los Angeles grabbed the lead in the seventh against the left-handed Wilkinson’s relief work, with Kiké Hernández delivering an RBI single after De Paula and Max Muncy got things moving despite the unfavorable matchup. Mookie Betts nearly added the knockout blow, but his two-out, three-run drive died at the wall, leaving the Dodgers up just 2-1.
They still added a little insurance for Tanner Scott in the ninth. In the bottom of the eighth, Max Muncy came through with a two-out RBI single to make it 3-1, and that was enough to finish off the sweep.
The Dodgers now get a rare off day at home before the Padres arrive Tuesday and try to clinch their playoff berth. Neither team has announced a starter yet, but the current schedule points to Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Robbie Ray in the opener.
First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. PT.
In Other News...
Dodgers Could Get A Massive Lift Right Before The Padres Series
The Dodgers are set up to get some much-needed reinforcement just as the rivalry heat turns up again. As they prepare for a series against the Padres, Los Angeles expects to bring designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, outfielder Andy Pages and right-hander Roki Sasaki off the injured list, giving the club a chance to deepen both its lineup and its pitching options at a pivotal point in the schedule.
Pages is targeting a return for Tuesday's opener after recovering from hand surgery, while Sasaki is expected to be available out of the bullpen in one of the games as he comes back from a blister on his hand. Ohtani, who has been progressing with running and hitting drills, is eligible to return on Wednesday and could wait until Thursday, leaving the Dodgers with a little suspense even as the lineup and staff begin to get healthier. [Read more 🡒]
Roki Sasakis New Dodgers Role Could Matter More Than Ever
Roki Sasakis return from the injured list is set to come with a different look for the Dodgers, at least at first. When he rejoins the club in its next series against the Padres, the right-hander is expected to work out of the bullpen, with Dave Roberts saying he could cover multiple innings rather than step straight into a traditional closers job.
For a Dodgers team always balancing October and the long regular season, that kind of flexibility can matter. Sasaki showed he could handle relief work late last season, and the postseason only added to that rsum, so this move gives Los Angeles another weapon while it eases him back into the mix. What remains to be seen is how quickly the Dodgers lean into the bigger late-game role his recent track record suggests he can handle. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Face One Big October Decision On Josue De Paula
Josue De Paulas sudden jump from Double-A Tulsa to the majors gave the Dodgers a fresh look at one of the more intriguing young hitters in the organization just as October came into focus. The move, prompted by Shohei Ohtanis injured-list placement, underscored how much the club valued De Paulas performance in the minors and how quickly he has climbed into the conversation for a postseason role as a designated hitter or corner outfielder.
The wrinkle is less about talent than eligibility, which can make these late-season roster calls feel like their own separate game. Because De Paula was not on the 40-man roster by Sept. 1, the Dodgers would need to go through the Commissioner's Office to have him included on the postseason roster, and that path depends on replacing an injured player who has already met the minimum injured-list requirement. For a team with championship expectations, it leaves one more October decision hanging in the balance. [Read more 🡒]