LOS ANGELES – With yet another chance to put the nail in the coffin for the Giants, the Dodgers came through in extra innings. Lance Lynn had another solid outing and the bullpen backed him up once again with a steady five shutout innings to give the offense a chance.

There wasn’t much offense on either side, but there was some fine defense played by the Dodgers all around the diamond. Mookie Betts made two spectacular plays at second base (which isn’t even his primary position), Chris Taylor and Freddie Freeman turned an athletic double play in the clutch, and Jason Heyward was as solid as always in right field. This defense has been an underrated part of an amazing year for the Dodgers. 

This lineup continues to chug along, even when having low score games. The Dodgers were out hit by the Giants in this one, and despite that, it seemed like they had control the entire game. J.D. Martinez continued his amazing stretch, adding two more hits to have the only multi-hit game of anyone on the Dodger offense. James Outman also added a two-run home run early which ended up being the only runs of the game until Chris Taylor’s walk-off single in the 10th. 

The Dodgers are now 96-59 and have 6 games remaining in the regular season.

Here are my three takeaways:

Dodgers Finish At Top of Attendance List    

With a total of 3,837,079, the Dodgers had their fifth largest attendance in club history in 2023. This also led the entire MLB in that same category. For a team that was considered to have a “down year,” the fans showed up and showed out throughout the entirety of the season, ups and downs included. So major props to all of the Dodger fans for supporting the team in the regular season, because we all know that in a few weeks, Dodger Stadium will be packed for the playoffs. 

Lance Lynn Has Promising Finish  

Lynn went six innings and allowed two runs, while striking out six on Sunday. Lynn finished his year with 10 starts with the Dodgers, posting a 4.50 ERA. While it was a bit of a rollercoaster, Lynn has proven to be a guy that can go deep into games and limit the opposing offense to miniscule runs to give the Dodger offense a chance. Honestly, that is all this team needs in the playoffs. They do not need Lynn to be the Cy Young candidate he has proven to have been in years past, and the momentum he is carrying into October is a positive sign. 

The Postseason Is Near 

With the home schedule wrapped up, that means that there are only a few series left for the Dodgers before presumably playing the Brewers in the NLDS. The Brewers are no joke, even in the National League Central being viewed as a weak division. The fact is the National League Central has three teams in playoff contention and Milwaukee has been fantastic in September. While the names on their roster may not pop out at you, they still have excellent talent on offense, defense and the pitching staff. Their starting rotation has been among the best in baseball and their offense has been crushing the baseball as of late. This will not be an easy route with any matchup the Dodgers face in October. 

The Dodgers have an off day before heading to Colorado. Both teams have yet to announce starters for the doubleheader Tuesday. First pitch for game one is set for 12:10 PM PST.