The Dodgers wasted no time turning their penultimate road trip of 2026 into another statement night, riding Kyle Tucker’s big bat and a steady outing from Blake Snell to an 8-2 win over the Miami Marlins. The victory stretched Los Angeles’ winning streak to eight, a new season high, and pushed the club’s magic number to clinch the National League West to five.
That streak keeps building on itself. Before Wednesday, the Dodgers’ best run of the season had been six straight.
They had already topped that with seven, and now they’ve moved it out to eight. The Marlins, meanwhile, have been a tricky matchup at times this year - Miami took two of three from the Dodgers earlier in the season in Los Angeles - but the Dodgers have still won 11 of the last 15 meetings between the teams.
Last year in South Florida, Los Angeles also took two of three.
Tucker was the difference maker throughout the night. The right fielder finished 3-for-3 with two runs scored and five RBI, coming up in the biggest spots and turning a tight game into a runaway. He got the Dodgers on the board first with a sacrifice fly in the third inning after Tommy Edman worked a walk and Max Muncy singled to start the frame.
Tucker showed up again in the sixth. This time he tripled and later scored on Will Smith’s RBI single, giving Los Angeles a little more breathing room.
Then came the swing that broke things open in the seventh: Edman drew a two-out walk, Muncy singled, and Mookie Betts walked to load the bases. Tucker then launched a grand slam, his 14th home run of the season, to make it 6-1.
By the end of the night, Tucker was a double shy of the cycle and one of two Dodgers with multiple hits. Muncy matched him with three hits of his own.
Snell gave the Dodgers exactly the kind of start they needed, even if it wasn’t the cleanest or most economical outing. He worked 5.2 innings, allowed one run on four hits, struck out eight and walked two, but needed a season-high 101 pitches to get through it. It was just the second time since coming off the injured list that he didn’t finish six full innings.
Snell kept Miami off the scoreboard through five, then ran into trouble in the sixth when he allowed a two-out single that ended his night. Evan Phillips came on and gave up a double that brought the run home, but he answered with a strikeout to keep the Dodgers in front, 2-1.
The night also brought a new face into the lineup. Earlier in the day, the Dodgers called up top prospect Josue De Paula for his MLB debut, and he batted seventh as the designated hitter.
The 21-year-old went 0-for-3, but he did draw a walk in his second plate appearance and made contact in all three trips to the plate. He never looked out of place.
With Shohei Ohtani on the injured list, De Paula is expected to be the Dodgers’ primary designated hitter, and he’ll now try to build a case for a postseason roster spot.
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