The Dodgers jumped out fast and still ended up chasing the game the rest of the way, dropping a 4-3 decision to the Marlins in a night that turned on Tyler Glasnow’s roughest regular-season outing of the year.
Los Angeles opened with a jolt in the first inning, stringing together back-to-back homers from Mookie Betts and Max Muncy to grab a 2-0 lead. Betts’ blast carried extra weight, too, because it marked the 10,000th home run in Dodgers history.
But that early burst didn’t turn into a sustained threat. Against Tyler Phillips, the Dodgers didn’t record another hit after those first-inning swings, and Phillips was lifted after three-plus innings with a short leash.
The Marlins had already flipped the script by then. Glasnow spent much of the afternoon fighting his command, mixing flashes of dominance with trouble he couldn’t fully escape. He got out of a bases-loaded jam in the first, then gave up three runs in the second, starting with a two-run homer by Graham Pauley and followed by three straight singles, capped by Otto Lopez’s RBI knock.
For a brief stretch, it looked as if Glasnow had steadied himself. He worked clean third and fourth innings and struck out the side in the fourth.
But the fifth unraveled quickly. After walking the first two batters, Glasnow was pulled having recorded just 12 outs.
That handed the ball to Jack Dreyer, and the inning stayed messy. Dreyer loaded the bases with an 0-2 hit by pitch, then watched the Dodgers catch a couple of breaks to keep the damage from getting worse.
Mookie Betts’ errant throw on a routine grounder was saved by Alex Freeland, preventing multiple runs from scoring, and Kyle Tucker then made a sliding grab to keep the runners pinned. Dreyer finally ended the threat with a double play when Agustin Ramírez hammered a grounder right at Betts.
The Marlins still led, but only 4-2.
The Dodgers had another chance to get something back in the sixth, and this one felt like a missed opportunity. Kyle Tucker was up with a runner at second and one out against Tyler Zuber when he took a curveball that was clearly both outside and low.
Tucker showed his frustration, but with only one challenge left, the Dodgers stayed quiet. Tucker was retired on the next pitch, and the runner stayed put.
The bullpen kept giving Los Angeles a shot. In the seventh, Justin Wrobleski stepped into another loaded-base jam with one out and escaped it the same way Dreyer had: by striking out Esteury Ruíz and then getting a pop-up behind the plate.
The Dodgers finally scratched in the ninth. Josue De Paula drew an easy walk when Pete Fairbanks briefly lost the zone, then scored after Hunter Fedducia delivered an RBI hit, bringing home De Paula after he stole second on defensive indifference. With the tying run aboard, Will Smith came up as a pinch-hitter and squared one up, but the line drive went straight to the third baseman to end it.
That left Los Angeles with one run over five-plus innings against the Marlins bullpen, a frustrating finish after the early home run burst.
Cade Gibson earned the win, moving to 4-1 after 1.1 innings, and Pete Fairbanks picked up his 19th save despite allowing a run in one inning.
The Dodgers finish their trip in Miami on Sunday at 10:40 a.m. PT before heading to Cincinnati for the second half of the road swing.
The club hasn’t officially named a starter, but all signs point to Emmet Sheehan working in some role, either as the starter or as a bulk arm out of the bullpen after Dave Roberts turned to Justin Wrobleski in relief in this one. Miami is expected to counter with Eury Pérez.
In Other News...
Dodgers Quietly Made A Roster Move With Bigger Implications
The Dodgers made a quiet late-season roster move with bigger implications, shifting Eric Lauer from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list after elbow inflammation ended his year. It closes the book on a brief but uneven run for Lauer, who finished with a 5.23 ERA over 22 appearances and now heads into the offseason set to look for a new contract.
More important for Los Angeles, the transaction opened a spot on the 40-man roster for top prospect Josue De Paula, a name Dodgers fans have been tracking closely as the organization continues to juggle immediate depth with future upside. Even for a team that is always thinking several moves ahead, this was the kind of understated roster shift that hints at what may be coming next. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers May Have Found An Unexpected October Arm After All
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For a club that is always looking for one more usable arm when the games get tighter, the timing matters as much as the performance. Los Angeles is already adjusting its postseason plan after Shohei Ohtanis season-ending injury, and Bubics recent stretch at least opens the door to a relief role in the playoff bullpen if the Dodgers decide he is ready for that kind of October trust. [Read more 🡒]
Freddie Freemans Absence Just Raised A Bigger Dodgers Concern
Freddie Freeman sat out his second straight game with right knee soreness, and for a Dodgers team trying to keep its lineup stable, the timing is worth watching. Manager Dave Roberts said Freeman received treatment and is expected back the following day, but the bigger point is that this has not been a one-day inconvenience. It has started to show up in Freemans hitting, which makes the absence feel less like a routine maintenance day and more like something the Dodgers need to monitor closely.
Los Angeles has leaned on Freeman for middle-of-the-order consistency, so even a short stretch without him changes the look of the lineup. If the knee issue is still bothering him at the plate, the Dodgers are not just waiting for him to return to first base, they are waiting to see whether he can get back to being himself once he does. [Read more 🡒]