This was one of the toughest series of the year for the Dodgers, and it was because of the weather. Another rain delay was not enough to hold down this offense from scoring at will. 

This lineup played well all series, although there were some issues with RISP, the Dodgers accumulated 14 hits on Sunday to go along with 7 runs. Miguel Rojas led the team with his first four hit game of the season and his first since 2021, while Freddie Freeman, Jason Heyward, and Austin Barnes each had multi-hit games themselves. 

There was finally a good starting pitching performance out of this team and it was at the hands of usual “piggybacker” Ryan Yarbrough. He went four innings, striking out five, and only giving up two earned runs to set the tone for the rest of the bullpen. It was great to see the Dodgers try something new with Yarbrough throwing first as a traditional starter and letting the bullpen take over after. We will probably be seeing this combination more down the stretch through the starting pitching struggles.

The Dodgers are now 87-55,13 games up in the National League West and their magic number is down to 7.

Here are my three takeaways:

Kiké Is On Fire 

Over his last four games, Hernandez is 6-13 with an RBI in four straight games with an incredible .529 OBP. Not only has he been hot at the plate, he is giving the Dodgers much needed versatility at positions with thin depth. We have seen Kiké play the infield and outfield, and with the Dodgers starting to rest players earlier than usual, he will be crucial to keep stacking wins when the usuals are out. 

Mookie Returns and Peralta Leaves  

Thankfully for the Dodgers, Mookie Betts returned to the lineup after a scary few days of waiting for scans and MRI results. Once all of those came back clean, Betts used a few days off to rest from the bruise and came back to play Sunday. Although he went 0-4 Sunday, it was a huge relief to see him healthy enough to suit up.

As for David Peralta, he was hit by a pitch on the inside of his left elbow and had to leave the game immediately right before the weather delay. He seems to have avoided a serious injury, with the X-Ray’s coming back negative, and he is now considered day-to-day.

Magic Number Dwindling 

After a series win, the Dodgers magic number is now down to seven, and they could wrap up the division this week or early next week. For a season that has included so many injuries and unknowns, they are in line to win a division that most thought they wouldn’t earlier than expected. If they do, we will see players rest more and more going towards the postseason and I believe that the Dodgers will want to end the season with much more momentum than they did last season. 

The Dodgers take on their division rival Padres Monday and will send Gavin Stone to the mound to face Pedro Avila. First pitch is set for 7:10 PM PST.