Monday, September 7, 2026

Copyrighted by Sarah Morris, 2026

On a night when Shohei Ohtani returned to the lineup, Teoscar Hernández was the hero with a seventh-inning, three-run homer. Emmet Sheehan returned from Triple-A to dominate for 5.2 innings.

For the first time since the Dodgers swept them in last year’s National League Wild Card series, the Cincinnati Reds returned to Dodger Stadium. On a hot and humid Labor Day at Dodger Stadium, the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Reds, 6–3.

For the first time since the Colorado series in late August, Ohtani addressed the media. He said he has been doing supplementary work during his time off. He also said he was “most likely not pitching again this year.” During the interview, he was smiling. On Monday, he went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and a walk. If he plays on Tuesday, he will have enough time to regain his offensive production before the postseason.

Emmet Sheehan was brilliant in his return to the major leagues. During spring training, he didn’t pitch much because of an illness, and he hadn’t looked like himself until Monday. After the Dodgers acquired Tarik Skubal, they demoted Sheehan.

While in Oklahoma City, Sheehan dominated, earning Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Month honors. He continued his greatness on Monday. His fastball command was excellent. His off-speed pitches were sharp. He had ten strikeouts and one walk. According to Dave Roberts, he will start Sunday in Miami.

The bullpen was great. Seth Halverson was the only reliever who allowed a run. Evan Phillips earned his first save since having Tommy John surgery, and his velocity was excellent at 99 miles per hour.

The Dodgers had only three hits, and Hernández had two of them. The Dodgers took advantage of walks and two errors.

On Tuesday, with Tarik Skubal on the mound, the Dodgers will try to lengthen their winning streak to six games.