The Dodgers have already locked up the NL West, but the last stretch of the regular season still has a few boxes left to check. A playoff bye is one of them. The NL’s best record is another possibility, especially with Milwaukee only two games ahead after losing to the Pirates yesterday.
Los Angeles opens its final homestand of the regular season against the Giants, and Friday’s matchup puts a spotlight on two Dodgers who have been moving in opposite directions lately: Kyle Tucker and Tyler Glasnow.
Tucker has been the club’s hottest bat over his last eight games. In that span, he has 12 hits in 29 at-bats and four homers, which is the most he has hit in any short stretch this season.
He also gave the Dodgers a strong road trip, and now the question is whether he can keep that momentum going as the team returns to Dodger Stadium. That park has not been kind to him in 2026, though, where he carries a .572 OPS.
Glasnow, meanwhile, comes in trying to steady himself after a rougher patch. When he first returned from the IL, his command was sharp - he walked just one batter across his first two starts back. Since then, he has issued seven walks over his last two outings and allowed eight runs combined.
The matchup gives him a good test. San Francisco owns the lowest walk rate in baseball at 7.5% BB%.
For the Dodgers, Tucker and Glasnow are stars, even if their jobs look a little different from the outside. Tucker is trying to stay locked in at the plate.
Glasnow is trying to get back to the level he showed right after returning. And both will be part of the picture as the Dodgers try to keep stacking wins, with the Giants arriving as a fourth-place team in the West and the second-worst club in the National League.
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Dave Roberts Just Raised A Dodgers Question Fans Will Hate
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Roberts praised De La Cruzs talent and the way he handles big moments, which only adds to the sense that this is the sort of player every contender notices. For Dodgers fans, the uncomfortable part is that De La Cruz is still early in his team control window, with three years of arbitration left before he can hit free agency in 2030, and Cincinnati has not yet locked him into a long-term deal. That leaves plenty of time for a player already looking like one of the sports more electric names to remain a problem for Los Angeles. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Rehab Concern Emerges After Pitcher Exits Triple A Game Fast
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The Dodgers have been monitoring Cousins as part of his return process, so any interruption in that buildup is worth watching closely. Oklahoma City still got plenty from the rest of the roster, with Alex Thomas, Matt Gorski and Zach Ehrhard standing out offensively across the two games, but the bigger question now is how the club handles Cousins next steps after such a brief outing. [Read more 🡒]
Josue De Paula Just Changed A Real Dodgers October Debate
Josue De Paulas first turn at Dodger Stadium came in a game that looked a lot like the kind of October test the Dodgers have been chasing all season. Los Angeles beat the Giants in the opener of its final homestand, kept rolling in the season series, and did it with a power display that included five home runs. Tyler Glasnow gave them six solid innings, allowing two runs while striking out six, and the bullpen finished the job without much fuss.
De Paulas contribution in his home debut adds another layer to a lineup already built for October noise, and its the kind of performance that can make a front office pause when the calendar tightens. The Dodgers have spent much of the season sorting out how their best version looks, and games like this only sharpen the conversation about who belongs in the mix when the stakes rise. [Read more 🡒]