The Los Angeles Dodgers remain among the leading teams in the 2026 World Series race, but their bid for a third consecutive championship has become more complicated. September is a month that generally features NFL betting, and wagering action on the World Series usually peaks. Los Angeles will reach that stretch with enormous upside, but also with enough recent issues to make its pitching staff central to any October run.
The Dodgers made their clearest statement of intent in early August, when they acquired Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers. The deal gave them another front-line starter for a postseason rotation that already featured elite names. It also revealed the club’s most logical path forward. If the Dodgers win another title, their starting pitching will likely have to carry them.
The offense has fallen flat for extended stretches, including a 25-run total over the first 17 days of August. The Dodgers also dropped three of four games to the Milwaukee Brewers at Dodger Stadium. They entered the Colorado Rockies series having gone 5–10 in August, while Kyle Tucker and Edwin Díaz remained major concerns after signing expensive free-agent contracts last winter.
Tarik Skubal Raises Dodgers’ Ceiling
The Dodgers paid a significant price to acquire Skubal. Detroit received outfielder Zyhir Hope, right-hander River Ryan, and right-hander Brady Smith. Hope was the Dodgers’ No. 5 prospect and No. 25 overall prospect on MLB Pipeline at the time of the trade. Ryan ranked seventh in the organization, while Smith ranked 17th.
That return reflected Skubal’s standing in the game. He joined the Dodgers as a two-time reigning American League Cy Young Award winner and one of baseball’s most difficult left-handed starters to face. Before the trade, Skubal had recorded a 2.03 ERA in five July starts, striking out 41 batters in 31 innings.
His early results with the Dodgers have been encouraging, even if the team has not supported him. Skubal allowed two earned runs over six innings in his Aug. 4 debut against the Chicago Cubs, but the Dodgers lost 5–1. He followed with another quality effort in his home debut, and he gave up one earned run over six innings against the Brewers on Aug. 16. Los Angeles still lost that game, 6–2.
Through three starts, Skubal had posted a 3.18 ERA with the Dodgers. The club went 1–2 in those appearances. That contrast says plenty about where the Dodgers stand. Skubal has delivered competitive outings, but the offense and bullpen have not consistently converted them into wins.
The Dodgers did not trade for Skubal to solve August problems. They acquired him for October. A postseason series can change when a team can open with Skubal, then turn to Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell, or Tyler Glasnow. That group gives Los Angeles power arms, strikeout ability, and several different looks.
Health will decide which starters are available and how manager Dave Roberts aligns them. Still, no contender can reasonably ignore the Dodgers’ rotation depth. Skubal gives them another pitcher who can handle Game 1 or Game 2 of any series and limit the workload placed on the bullpen.
Kyle Tucker’s Struggles Continue
The Dodgers signed Tucker to a four-year, $240 million contract in January. The move was supposed to add a patient left-handed hitter with impact power to a lineup already built around Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman.
Instead, Tucker’s first season in Los Angeles has created questions that will follow the club into September. He entered the Brewers series with a .700 OPS, down from his .833 career mark. The broader offensive slump has affected several Dodgers hitters, but Tucker’s home numbers have stood out.
Tucker carried a .566 OPS at Dodger Stadium through Aug. 17. He was hitting .192 at home, compared to a .275 average and .840 OPS on the road. The split has made an already frustrating season more difficult to explain. Dodgers fans expected a middle-of-the-order fixture. They have often seen a hitter searching for timing and confidence.
The Dodgers also held Tucker out of the lineup during the Milwaukee series as his struggles mounted. His established track record leaves room for a late turnaround, and a strong postseason can reshape a season quickly. But the Dodgers cannot wait for Tucker to become the hitter they expected before constructing their October lineup.
Ohtani, Betts, and Freeman still provide a championship-caliber core. Will Smith (when he returns) and Max Muncy can supply depth when healthy and productive. Yet Tucker’s performance matters because Los Angeles signed him to eliminate the need for its other stars to carry the offense every night.
Edwin Díaz Adds Bullpen Uncertainty
Díaz has created the Dodgers’ most pressing late-inning question. The club signed him to a three-year, $69 million deal in December, expecting one of baseball’s premier closers to stabilize the ninth inning.
His season has not followed that script. Díaz missed roughly three months with an elbow injury, then returned in late July. His results have been rough since coming back. He owned a 10.66 ERA as of Aug. 17 and had blown three of his past five save opportunities.
Díaz’s fastball velocity has dipped, adding concern beyond the ERA. A reliever can survive a few difficult outings, particularly after a long injured-list absence. But the Dodgers have less time to wait for him to recover his form. October exposes unreliable bullpen roles faster than any other part of the season.
Roberts has indicated Díaz could lose the closer’s job if the problems continue. That would force the Dodgers to find answers elsewhere, whether through matchups, committee work, or another reliever taking over the highest-leverage innings.
The uncertainty reinforces why the Dodgers need their starters to work deep into games. Quality length from Skubal, Yamamoto, Ohtani, Snell and Glasnow would reduce the number of high-pressure outs required from a bullpen still looking for a dependable finish.
Pitching Will Define The Three-Peat Chase
The Dodgers still have one of baseball’s most talented rosters. Their World Series odds reflect that talent, their resources, and the upside of a lineup built around multiple MVP-level players. But the roster has flaws that cannot be dismissed simply because October remains weeks away.
The offense ranks 23rd in MLB in runs scored since July 1. The team scored only 10 runs in four games against Milwaukee. Tucker has not met expectations, while Díaz has not given Roberts a consistent closer. Those issues make the margins thinner in a postseason series.
Starting pitching remains the Dodgers’ best answer. Skubal gives the club another ace-level option at the precise moment it needs one. Yamamoto brings precision and durability. Ohtani can change a game as a hitter and starter. Snell and Glasnow provide high-strikeout upside, while other capable arms offer depth behind them.
Los Angeles does not need a perfect roster to win the World Series. It needs its best players available and its rotation healthy. If the Dodgers can hand the ball to Skubal, Yamamoto, and the rest of their starters in October, they will have a legitimate chance to become the first team since the 1998–2000 New York Yankees to win three straight World Series.
