Monday, September 14, 2026

Copyrighted by Sarah Morris, 2026

Kyle Tucker and Teoscar Hernández’s homers gave the Dodgers a playoff berth. Tarik Skubal was fantastic.

On a warm Monday night at Great American Ball Park, the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Cincinnati Reds, 4–1.

The Dodgers tied the Atlanta Braves with fourteen consecutive playoff berths. The Dodgers should win their division shortly.

The Dodgers need to be healthy to have a successful playoff run. They don’t have a fully healthy team.

Freddie Freeman didn’t play. His right knee tendinitis is interfering with his offense and defense. The Dodgers can’t put him on the IL because he will be ineligible to play for the rest of the season. The Dodgers have eleven games to play.

After jamming his shoulder on Sunday, Miguel Rojas was in Monday’s lineup.

Andy Pages will hit in the cage with real baseballs on Tuesday. So far, he has been making good progress after breaking his hand on August 21. If everything goes well, Pages will return on the next homestand.

The Dodgers planned to activate Edwin Díaz on this road trip, but he has pitched poorly during his rehabilitation assignment. No one knows whether he will be on the playoff roster. During the 2026 season, Díaz has been a disappointment. With Tanner Scott struggling, the Dodgers are looking for a reliable closer. Lately, Evan Phillips has pitched well, reminding the Dodgers and their fans of Phillips’ dominance in 2021 and 2022.

With their health concerns, the Dodgers still took care of business. The game lasted two hours and fourteen minutes.

The Dodgers had only three hits, including Tucker and Teoscar Hernández’s homers.  In the seventh inning, Teoscar Hernández walked, stole second, and came home on Kiké Hernández’s single.

Skubal was brilliant. He had fantastic fastball command, and in his second and third trips through the lineup, he used his devastating slider and changeup. While walking one, he struck out nine.

Alex Vesia was sharp in the eighth inning.

Despite allowing a monstrous home run to Elly De La Cruz, Phillips was sharp in the ninth inning.

On Tuesday, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the mound, the Dodgers will try to win another game against the Reds. The magic number is three for the Dodgers to win the West.