The Los Angeles Dodgers entered Monday at 90–59 and within reach of another National League West title. A 6–4 walk-off loss to the Miami Marlins on Sunday interrupted an eight-game winning streak, but it did not change the larger picture. Los Angeles owns a nine-game lead over the San Diego Padres with 13 games left on its regular-season schedule.
The Dodgers open a four-game series against the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night. Tarik Skubal is scheduled to start the opener as Los Angeles looks to reset after Miami took two of three. The club’s immediate focus is simple: finish the division race, manage injuries, and protect its position for a first-round postseason bye.
The Dodgers odds on Hard Rock Bet have reflected that standing all season. Los Angeles remained the World Series favorite on the Hard Rock Bet futures board at +160 on Sept. 10, ahead of Milwaukee and the rest of the National League field. Those numbers can move daily, but the Dodgers’ strong record and division cushion have kept them at the front of the market.
Dodgers Close To National League West Title
Los Angeles left Miami at 90–59. San Diego stood 81–68, while Arizona was 79–71. The Dodgers’ lead over the Padres was nine games, and their advantage over the Diamondbacks was 11 1/2 games.
The club’s magic number to clinch the NL West was four entering Monday’s action. Los Angeles also held the inside track for the National League’s No. 2 seed, which would deliver a first-round bye. The Milwaukee Brewers controlled the league’s top seed, while the Atlanta Braves remained the Dodgers’ closest competition for the other bye.
The Dodgers built that margin with one of their best stretches of the season. They won eight consecutive games before the series in Miami, including a three-game sweep of the Washington Nationals and three straight wins against Cincinnati at Dodger Stadium. The Reds then return as the next opponent, this time at Great American Ball Park.
Los Angeles won 6–2 in Miami on Sept. 11. It dropped the next two games, 4–3 on Saturday and 6–4 on Sunday. The Sunday loss was costly because the Dodgers carried a 4–2 lead into the ninth inning. Agustín Ramírez ended the game with a two-run homer off Brock Stewart after Miami scored four times in the final frame.
Still, the loss did not erase the work that came before it. The Dodgers have outscored opponents 741–571 this season, a plus-170 run differential that ranks among baseball’s strongest marks. Their 47–28 home record and 43–31 road record have given them balance across the schedule.
De Paula Delivers In First Start
Josue De Paula supplied the defining Dodgers moment in Sunday’s loss. The 21-year-old outfielder recorded his first Major League hit with a three-run home run in the fourth inning against Miami right-hander Eury Pérez.
De Paula also doubled and walked. He reached base three times in his first start, which came in left field after he served as the designated hitter in his first two big league games. The homer traveled an estimated 416 feet and gave Los Angeles a 3–0 lead.
The Dodgers promoted De Paula from Double-A Tulsa on Friday after placing Shohei Ohtani on the 15-day injured list. De Paula arrived as the organization’s top prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 6 overall prospect. He hit .303 with a .401 on-base percentage, a .948 OPS, 27 home runs, 104 RBIs, and 31 stolen bases in 124 Double-A games before his call-up.
Manager Dave Roberts has indicated that De Paula will receive regular opportunities while Ohtani recovers. His early at-bats have shown why Los Angeles moved quickly. De Paula has laid off pitches outside the strike zone, worked walks, and produced impact contact without appearing overmatched.
The rookie’s emergence gives the Dodgers another option at designated hitter and in the corner outfield. It also provides the club with needed lineup flexibility during the final two weeks of the regular season.
Ohtani, Freeman, and Sasaki Updates
Ohtani went on the injured list because of lingering left knee and right biceps issues. The Dodgers initially hoped several days of rest would solve the problem, but he continued to experience setbacks after returning to the lineup. Because Ohtani is a two-way player, he must serve a 15-day injured list stint rather than the standard 10 days used for position players.
The earliest Ohtani can return is Sept. 23. That timetable would put him back for the final series of the regular season if his knee and biceps respond well. The Dodgers have not presented his absence as a long-term concern, but they have reason to be careful with a player expected to carry a major workload in October.
Freddie Freeman has also played through right knee tendinitis. Roberts said the Dodgers plan to manage Freeman’s workload with regular days off rather than place him on the injured list. Freeman turned 37 on Saturday and has only three hits in 27 at-bats since Sept. 1, a stretch that underscores the need for rest before the postseason.
The Dodgers expect Freeman to remain active during the Cincinnati series. His health matters beyond his production at first base. Freeman remains one of the lineup’s central left-handed bats, and Los Angeles wants him moving well by the time postseason games begin.
Roki Sasaki is on the 15-day injured list with a blister on his right middle finger. Roberts ruled him out for the Cincinnati series as the right-hander continues his recovery. The Dodgers have not established a firm date for his next outing.
Kyle Tucker has also dealt with recent health and performance concerns, including time out of the lineup earlier this month. His late-season production remains important, especially while Ohtani is unavailable. The Dodgers signed Tucker before the season to lengthen an already deep offense, and the final stretch gives him time to build momentum.
Skubal Starts Cincinnati Series
Skubal’s scheduled start on Monday gives the Dodgers a high-end option to open the Cincinnati series. The left-hander joined Los Angeles at the trade deadline and immediately raised the ceiling of a rotation that already featured Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, and Tyler Glasnow.
The Dodgers do not need to chase the division standings. They need to finish with purpose. That means protecting Freeman’s knee, allowing Ohtani and Sasaki to recover, and giving players such as De Paula a chance to contribute.
The path is clear. Four games in Cincinnati begin Monday, followed by three games in Arizona. Los Angeles then returns home for the final six games of the regular season. Every win reduces the pressure, shortens the division race, and brings the club closer to October.
