The Dodgers checked the biggest box on Monday night.
A 3-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds not only opened their three-game set on the right foot, it also clinched Los Angeles a postseason berth for the 14th straight season. That ties an MLB record set by the Atlanta Braves from 1991-2005.
Los Angeles came in carrying the sting of a rough weekend in Miami, where they dropped two games to the Marlins. The final loss was the tougher pill to swallow: the Dodgers had a lead the whole way after Josue De Paula launched his first MLB home run 416 feet, only to watch the Marlins steal the game with a ninth-inning walk-off.
This time, Tarik Skubal made sure there was no late drama.
Skubal delivered his sharpest outing since arriving from the Detroit Tigers at the trade deadline in August, carving through seven scoreless innings. He struck out nine, allowed just three hits and a walk, and did it all on 90 pitches. Since joining the Dodgers, Skubal has posted a 2.52 ERA with 57 strikeouts over 50 innings.
Kyle Tucker got the offense moving in the second inning after the Dodgers were retired in order in the first. He drove an inside fastball near the top of the zone to right field for a solo homer, his 15th of the season and his fourth in the last 10 days. The ball traveled 398 feet and would have left every ballpark in baseball.
Tucker’s swing kept paying off on the road. Heading into Monday, he owned a 122 wRC+ away from home compared to a 64 wRC+ at home this season. He stayed involved after the homer, too, drawing a walk in his next plate appearance to help set the table for Teoscar Hernandez.
Hernandez kept the power surge going in the fourth. He jumped on the first pitch he saw and sent it over the wall for another Dodgers run, pushing the lead to 3-0. Through the first 12 games of September, Hernandez had been scorching hot, batting .410 with a 1.115 OPS and a 205 wRC+.
He wasn’t done there. In the top of the seventh, Hernandez worked a walk to start the inning, then stole a base for just the second time on the road this season. Kiké Hernandez followed with a single to bring him home and stretch the advantage to 4-0.
After Sunday’s bullpen collapse in Miami, the relievers answered the call.
Alex Vesia took the eighth and breezed through the Reds’ lower half of the order, starting with a pop up from JJ Bleday and then striking out Ke’Bryan Hayes. Hector Rodriguez finished the inning with another pop up.
Even Phillips handled the ninth until Elly De La Cruz made noise. Phillips struck out rookie Carlos Jorge before De La Cruz came to the plate and battled to a full count. On the seventh pitch, De La Cruz launched an elevated fastball 457 feet beyond the bleachers in right-center for Cincinnati’s only run.
That was as close as the Reds got. Sal Stewart and Tyler Stephenson both grounded out to end it.
With the playoff spot now secure, the Dodgers’ next target is the bigger seed race. They sit at 91 wins and are chasing a Top 2 seed that would earn a bye in the Wild Card round. Monday also left them with a chance to build a three-game cushion over the Braves if Atlanta lost to the Chicago Cubs.
For now, though, the Dodgers can exhale. The next step comes Tuesday at 3:40 p.m. PT.
In Other News...
Dodgers Just Made A Bullpen Move That Could Sting Fans Too
The Dodgers got another piece back in the bullpen mix by activating left-hander Kris Bubic off the 60-day injured list and adding him to both the 28- and 40-man rosters. Bubic, who came over from the Royals at the trade deadline, is expected to give Los Angeles a left-handed relief option as it continues sorting through the back end of its staff.
To clear space, right-hander Paul Gervase was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City and outfielder Ryan Ward was designated for assignment. The roster shuffle fits the kind of August management the Dodgers have leaned on all year, but the move also comes with the usual cost of squeezing out a depth piece to make room for a pitcher the club clearly wants available now. [Read more 🡒]
Shohei Ohtani Return Buzz Just Got Very Real For Dodgers Fans
The Dodgers kept rolling against the Reds by winning the first two games of the four-game set, and they did it with the kind of balance that can travel deep into October. Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tarik Skubal each turned in strong pitching performances, while Teoscar Hernndez supplied the thunder with a pair of two-run homers that helped keep Los Angeles in control.
Amid the current momentum, the bigger buzz for Dodgers fans is Shohei Ohtani, who is still working back from injuries but has recently taken batting practice. The team remains optimistic he could return before the end of the regular season, which would add another layer to a lineup already getting key production at the right time, even as everyone waits to see just how soon that final piece can fall into place. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Suddenly Have A Real Josue De Paula Dilemma
Josue De Paula keeps giving the Dodgers another reason to think hard about the future. The top prospect homered against the Miami Marlins, a reminder that the 19-year-old has the kind of power and plate discipline that has drawn comparisons inside the organization to past Dodgers rookie-of-the-year types, including Mike Piazza. For a club that always seems to be balancing present contention with the next wave, De Paulas rise is becoming harder to ignore.
The timing, though, is what makes this interesting. Los Angeles also has to figure out where he fits once Shohei Ohtani comes off the injured list, and that sort of roster puzzle tends to say as much about a prospect as any scouting report does. De Paula is forcing the issue now, and the Dodgers may soon have to decide whether his bat is ready for a bigger stage or whether his path has to wait behind an even larger return. [Read more 🡒]