The Los Angeles Dodgers will continue getting their house in order when they face the San Francisco Giants on Sunday afternoon to complete the Dodgers’ next-to-last home series of the regular season.
Los Angeles will use a bullpen game Sunday when it seeks a three-game series sweep, while the Giants will send left-hander Matt Wilkinson (1-3, 4.58 ERA) to the mound for his first appearance against the Dodgers.
Los Angeles has a lot of uncertainty heading into its 14th consecutive playoff appearance — including the rotation because Blake Snell is working through groin discomfort — while the offense has Shohei Ohtani (biceps inflammation, knee soreness) and Andy Pages (left hand fracture) nearing a return from the injured list.
The revival of Mookie Betts, along with the arrival of Josue De Paula from the minor leagues, has brought renewed energy after a mid-summer swoon.
The Dodgers still do not have a return date for Ohtani, with Betts the latest to claim the star’s leadoff spot. Betts had two home runs among his three hits as the leadoff hitter Friday, then returned to the top spot Saturday and went 4-for-4 with three doubles and a walk. He has 10 hits over his past three games.
“The main thing is doing it when it counts,” Betts said. “So right now, we just keep laying the foundation, and then when playoffs come, just need it to show up (offensively).”
Betts had an RBI single in the second inning and an RBI double in the fourth Saturday as the Dodgers earned a 10-4 victory over the Giants.
“He’s not a chase guy anyway, but he’s cut that down considerably,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “The quality of contact is considerably higher. And then now you’ve got that attitude, that confidence, that we’re used to seeing with Mookie.”
The Dodgers’ Will Smith also is rounding into form after missing three months with neck inflammation. Smith returned at the start of September and has three home runs over his past nine games, including one in each of the past two games.
Smith started consecutive games Friday and Saturday for the third time since he returned, although he is expected to be used off the bench, if at all, on Sunday.
The Giants have their own injury concerns. Ace Logan Webb was the latest to see his season end early, due to a blister on his right middle finger.
On Saturday, first baseman Bryce Eldridge missed his second consecutive game with a head laceration. The 6-foot-7 rookie bumped his head on a low overhang at the team hotel.
“He’s still feeling the implications of that deal,” Giants manager Tony Vitello said Saturday. “It’s kind of a weird spot in the hotel. I checked it out. (Friday) it was a little bit more about just his comfort. But now, stemming from last night and this morning, those guys have been monitoring him like crazy. Just some lingering effects.”
Giants rookie Victor Bericoto hit a two-run home run Saturday in his second game since returning from the injured list and now has five homers in 35 career games.
With a win Sunday, the Dodgers can earn their first three-game sweep over the Giants since April 2024. Los Angeles leads the season series 5-4, with one game remaining in L.A. and three games at San Francisco to end the regular season.
–Field Level Media
