Thursday, July 30, 2026

Copyrighted by Sarah Morris, 2026

A three-run homer by Dalton Rushing supported Roki Sasaki’s brilliance while Shohei Ohtani rested.

On a hot Thursday night at Dodger Stadium, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 6–2 win over the Seattle Mariners allowed them to win their fourth consecutive series since the All-Star break.

The Dodgers began the game with a good offensive performance. In the first inning, after Tommy Edman walked and Andy Pages singled, Mookie Betts brought them home with a double. In the fourth inning, Rushing hit a 400-foot home run. Slumping since coming off the IL, Teoscar Hernández hit an opposite-field homer.

Since the All-Star break, when he made a mechanical adjustment, Sasaki has been sharp. His splitter was unhittable because he could repeat his mechanics. His fastball let him change speeds effortlessly until the sixth inning, when he allowed two runs because he ran out of gas. In his 5.1 innings, he struck out seven while walking three.

Jack Dreyer came into a jam in the sixth inning and escaped it effortlessly.

Since the middle of June, Eduardo Henriquez has struggled, and Thursday, he needed to get one out to finish the seventh inning. He struggled with his command, allowing two base runners before retiring the out.

Tanner Scott allowed a single in the eighth inning. Edwin Dìaz, despite giving up a single, performed better than last night and collected two strikeouts.

Because of his sore left knee, Ohtani didn’t play on Thursday. Although the Dodgers are downplaying Ohtani’s knee issue, it is concerning. During the All-Star break, he received a lubricant shot in the troublesome knee, and the knee is still bothering him. In Tuesday’s interview, Ohtani mentioned his right biceps is bothering him. His nagging injuries sparked a discussion about whether he should be on the IL to give him time to heal.

On Friday, the Dodgers start a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox, who have had the best record during the month of July in their history. The Dodgers are undecided which pitcher will start on Friday.