The Dodgers are heading back home with momentum after taking a series from the Tigers, and now they turn to a three-game set with the Cardinals that opens Tuesday at Dodger Stadium.
Los Angeles enters September at 82-55, sitting 9.5 games ahead of the second-place Diamondbacks in the NL West. Even with that cushion, the Dodgers are still slotted as the No. 3 seed in the National League behind the Brewers and Braves, which would send them into the wild-card round.
St. Louis, meanwhile, arrives at 68-70 and has dropped three straight series. The Cardinals are 3-7 over their last 10 games and trail Arizona by five games for the final NL wild-card spot.
These teams have already seen each other once this season. In that May 1-3 series, the Cardinals won two of three.
The calendar works in the Dodgers’ favor this time around. Both clubs are off Monday before the series begins Tuesday, which lets Los Angeles keep its six-man rotation intact without needing to summon an extra arm. Rosters also expand Tuesday, and one of the additions will be All-Star catcher Will Smith.
The opener features left-hander Eric Lauer for the Dodgers against right-hander Michael McGreevy.
Lauer was shifted to the bullpen last weekend but is back in the rotation after the injury to Roki Sasaki. He owns a 3.78 ERA in 69 innings with the Dodgers this season, and his last appearance came Aug. 26, when he threw two innings in relief.
McGreevy has made 26 starts and carries a 3.86 ERA over 142.1 innings. He already faced Los Angeles on May 2, when he worked six shutout innings in a 3-2 Cardinals victory.
The Dodgers will send Yamamoto to the mound in the second game, and he’s coming off a scorching August. In five starts last month, Yamamoto posted a 1.95 ERA with 35 strikeouts across 32.1 innings. For the season, he is 12-8 with a 2.56 ERA and 153 strikeouts in 158 innings.
St. Louis has not announced its starter for Wednesday. The last time that spot in the rotation came up, the Cardinals used a bullpen game begun by right-hander Gordon Graceffo, who threw three perfect innings against the Baltimore Orioles.
The finale on Thursday brings Tarik Skubal back to the mound for the Dodgers against left-hander Quinn Mathews.
Skubal is coming off an emotional outing in Detroit, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that one more stop has now been crossed off his list.
“There was a lot of heavy heart, emotions. So I think this was the last box he had to check," Roberts said.
"I think he’s got four or five starts with us. So now we can push forward and all feel good about it.”
Skubal has a 3.00 ERA with 37 strikeouts in 30 innings since joining the Dodgers. Overall this season, he has a 2.84 ERA and 153 strikeouts over 126.2 innings.
Mathews will make the fifth start of his career Wednesday after debuting on Aug. 1. He has given up 11 runs in 19.2 innings for a 5.03 ERA, with 20 strikeouts and eight walks.
All three games are set for 7:10 p.m. PT/10:10 p.m. ET, with broadcasts on SportsNet LA and the MLB app.
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