The Dodgers are rolling into Miami with momentum to spare, but this trip brings a different kind of test. Los Angeles has won seven straight and arrives at 89-57 after back-to-back sweeps of the Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals. The Marlins, meanwhile, are trying to stop the skid after getting swept by the New York Mets and dropping six of their last seven.
Friday’s opener also comes with a couple of notable changes for the Dodgers. It will be their first official series without Shohei Ohtani, who is headed to the injured list because of lingering knee, biceps and neck injuries. It also marks the debut of top prospect Josue De Paula, who is being called up directly from Double-A and will serve as the designated hitter on Friday.
This is also a rematch of sorts. The clubs met for three games in Los Angeles from April 27-29, and Miami took two of them.
The series starts Friday, Sept. 11 with left-hander Blake Snell against right-hander Ryan Gusto. Snell has been sharp since coming off the IL on Aug. 11, going 3-0 with a 0.93 ERA and 38 strikeouts across 29 innings in five starts.
He has not given up more than one run in any of those outings. Gusto enters at 1-4 with a 4.23 ERA, 62 strikeouts and 72.1 innings over 20 appearances, including 15 starts.
Saturday, Sept. 12 brings a matchup of right-handers Tyler Glasnow and Tyler Phillips. Glasnow has made three starts since returning from the IL on Aug. 25, and the results have been uneven.
He’s thrown 18 innings, allowed eight runs for a 4.00 ERA, and struck out 21 while walking four. His last full start against the Marlins came on April 29 before his early-season back injury, and he worked 5.2 innings that day, giving up two runs with nine strikeouts and a tied-for-career-high six walks.
Phillips has been used in a variety of roles this season, appearing in 34 games with 17 starts. Overall, he has a 3.51 ERA in 115.1 innings.
As a starter, that number sits at 4.23, with 60 strikeouts and 13 home runs allowed over 78.2 innings. He faced the Dodgers twice in April as a reliever, covering 1.1 innings and allowing two hits with one strikeout.
The finale on Sunday, Sept. 13 features Emmet Sheehan against Eury Pérez. Sheehan is set for his second start since being called back up this week to rejoin the rotation, and he looked strong against the Reds, giving up one run over 5.2 innings with 10 strikeouts. After that outing, manager Dave Roberts said, "Good to get him back here throwing the baseball like he did tonight," and added, "I thought he did a nice job through five, certainly holding his velocity, his stuff and getting into the sixth inning was big.”
Pérez has taken the ball 26 times this season and is 7-11 with a 3.94 ERA and 150 strikeouts over 139.1 innings. But he’s been hit hard lately, allowing 16 earned runs, 18 runs total, over his last three outings in just 11.2 innings.
Friday’s game begins at 4:10 p.m. PT/7:10 p.m.
ET, Saturday’s at 1:10 p.m. PT/4:10 p.m.
ET, and Sunday’s finale at 10:40 a.m. PT/1:40 p.m.
ET. All three games will be broadcast on SportsNet LA and in the MLB app.
In Other News...
Dodgers Have A Shohei Ohtani Problem Fans Wont Ignore
Shohei Ohtanis latest stretch has turned into something the Dodgers can no longer treat like a short-term slump. Los Angeles placed him on the 15-day injured list after he had already been benched for most of the recent games and had struggled at the plate, a sequence that has only sharpened the scrutiny around how the club has handled one of the sports biggest stars. Ohtani has been working through knee and biceps issues, and for a team built to chase a title, his availability has suddenly become a much bigger part of the nightly conversation than anyone expected.
Dave Roberts and members of the front office have already acknowledged how difficult it has been to manage the situation, and the real concern now is not just the injury itself but the way the decisions around it were made. The Dodgers were trying to balance performance, health and the long view, but the communication issues between Ohtani and the team suggest there was more uncertainty behind the scenes than fans were led to believe. For a club that needs him at his best, sorting out the next step may matter as much as the recovery timetable. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Depth Battle Looks All But Over For Two Young Players
The Dodgers late-season roster picture keeps narrowing, and for two young infielders, the path to October already looks blocked. Alex Freeland and Hyeseong Kim are both on the 40-man roster, but the current read is that neither is in line for a postseason spot unless the club gets hit by injuries. Freeland has drawn the more favorable internal buzz thanks to his plate discipline and youth, and he is with the big club now, while Kim remains in Triple-A.
For Kim, the timing is especially tough because the bat has not yet forced the issue in the minors. Freelands case has become the cleaner one as the Dodgers sort through depth and versatility, but even that has not translated into a real playoff role. At this point, the more intriguing question is not which of the two makes the cut, but whether either player can do enough before October to turn an already thin opening into something real. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Prospect Josue De Paula Is Forcing A Bigger Conversation
Josue De Paula has turned Double-A Tulsa into a very loud stop on the Dodgers prospect track, and not just because of the numbers. The 2026 standout has been drawing attention for an offensive profile that keeps checking every important box: he makes contact, he controls the strike zone, and he brings real power to the table. When a player in the system starts producing at a .303 clip with a 145 wRC+ in the upper minors, the conversation stops being about whether he belongs on lists and starts shifting toward what kind of major league hitter he can become.
For the Dodgers, the intrigue goes beyond the bat. Evaluators are increasingly circling around the same question, namely where De Paula fits defensively and how that might shape his long-term value. The comparisons being tossed around with prospects such as Kevin McGonigle and Sal Stewart only underline how quickly his profile has risen, because this is no longer just a good year in the minors. It is the kind of season that forces a bigger conversation about ceiling, role, and how soon the organization may have to make room for a player whose offensive promise is getting harder to ignore. [Read more 🡒]