The Dodgers left Yankee Stadium on Sunday night without the sweep, and the decisive swing came in the eighth inning of the nightcap. Jazz Chisholm Jr. turned on an Evan Phillips fastball and sent the Yankees past Los Angeles, 2-1, with a go-ahead homer that changed the game in one crack of the bat.
Chisholm’s shot came on a 97 mph heater at the bottom of the strike zone and carried over the left-center field wall for his 14th homer of the season. Afterward, Phillips walked through the pitch selection and made clear he’s still finding his footing after a long layoff.
“I think I just went to a pitch where I had less room for error,” Phillips said. “I’m trying to throw a strike in that situation, get back in the count.
Jazz likes the ball, middle-down, down and in, and I was trying to go away, obviously. But it just crept back to the middle of the plate, somewhere he can handle it and put a good swing on it.
“I think I’m still just getting used to pitching in games again. … Rehab mindset is just to go out there and physically feel good. I tried to rewire that a little bit my final few games on my rehab stint, but you just can’t simulate the major-league environment, a major-league competition.”
That adjustment period makes sense. Phillips missed more than a year while working back from Tommy John surgery, and the path back included the full 30 days allowed on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City before he rejoined the Dodgers earlier this month.
Sunday’s outing was also his first in a high-leverage spot this season, and while it didn’t go the way he wanted, the Dodgers still expect him to be a key bullpen option for manager Dave Roberts.
Phillips made his 2026 debut on July 7 against the Colorado Rockies and threw a scoreless ninth inning. Since then, he has now allowed one run in three consecutive appearances.
Through four games, Phillips is 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA, 1.75 WHIP and 11.3 strikeouts per nine in four innings.
In Other News...
Dodgers Make Concerning Will Smith Move Before Phillies Game
The Dodgers made a pair of roster moves ahead of their game against the Phillies, optioning right-hander Landon Knack to Triple-A and bringing left-hander Charlie Barnes back onto the active roster. Barnes is being used as a multi-inning relief option, giving Los Angeles another arm to lean on as it manages the pitching staff through a busy stretch.
The more notable shuffle came on the catching side, where Will Smith was moved to the 60-day injured list to clear space on the 40-man roster. Smith has been dealing with neck stiffness, and manager Dave Roberts offered an update on his condition while also addressing Barnes recent work, leaving the Dodgers to navigate a lineup and bullpen picture that keeps changing as August approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Mookie Betts Just Put A Real End Date On His Career
Mookie Betts has already built a rsum that would make a Cooperstown case on its own, and with four World Series rings to his name, three of them in Los Angeles, he has long since cemented his place in Dodgers history. Even in a season that began slowly and included time missed with an oblique injury, Betts has remained the kind of productive, driven presence the Dodgers have come to count on.
The bigger question now is how long that presence lasts, especially with Betts still under contract through 2031 and still playing with the edge of someone who knows exactly what he wants out of the rest of his career. There is a clear sense that the end is coming into view on his terms, not anyone else's, and for a player whose value goes well beyond the box score, that makes every remaining season feel a little more meaningful. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Face A Surprising Deadline Test As Injuries Keep Mounting
Shohei Ohtani and Will Smith landing on the injured list would normally send most contenders straight to the trade market, but the Dodgers do not sound ready to change course. Multiple team sources say their deadline plan is still centered on preserving depth and looking for ways to strengthen the organization long term, even with two important pieces suddenly unavailable and the roster a little thinner than it looked a week ago.
Will Smiths absence has naturally raised the question of whether Los Angeles will chase catching help, especially with Dalton Rushing now in the lineup, but there does not appear to be a rush to force that move. The bigger picture remains the same: the Dodgers believe their farm system has enough top-end talent to matter, even if the overall depth still needs work at several spots, and they seem willing to let that guide the deadline rather than react to every injury scare. [Read more 🡒]