Wednesday, July 29, 2026

Copyrighted by Sarah Morris, 2026

For the first time since April, Edwin Dìaz collected a save to finish the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 4–2 victory over the Seattle Mariners on another hot Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium.

Eric Lauer was sharp in his six innings and hasn’t lost a game in a Dodger uniform. He took advantage of the Mariners’ aggressiveness by getting thirteen whiffs out of the strike zone. He used his off-speed pitches effectively to baffle the opposition. He allowed one hit while striking out four and walking one.

Many pundits think Lauer wouldn’t pitch for the Dodgers if Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and Shohei Ohtani were able to pitch. He has been an invaluable addition since Andrew Friedman obtained him from the Toronto Blue Jays in May. The Dodgers can use Lauer after Snell and Glasnow return to the rotation. He would enable the Dodgers to rest Justin Wrobleski and Yoshinobu Yamamoto before the postseason. He has experience pitching in relief, valuable for the Dodgers in the bullpen.

Alex Vesia was sharp in the seventh. Tanner Scott allowed a run in the eighth. Dìaz didn’t have his usual good command in the ninth inning when he allowed a run, but his velocity was much better than when he pitched in April. He should be successful as the Dodgers’ closer.

The top of the Dodgers’ lineup exploded on Wednesday. Slumping since the All-Star break, Andy Pages hit a first-inning, solo home run.  Ohtani, Pages, and Freddie Freeman went 7-for-11 and drove in four runs.

Teoscar Hernández made an outstanding, leaping catch in the eighth inning to prevent a big inning. This past offseason, Hernández worked hard to improve his defense in left field, a new position for him. He has drastically improved his defense.

On Wednesday, Snell pitched four innings and struck out nine during his rehabilitation assignment. Depending upon how he feels, he could join the major league rotation this weekend.

Roki Sasaki will try to continue his recent dominance on Thursday as the Dodgers will try to win another series.