FRIDAY, AUG. 15
Game 1 of 3 vs. San Diego Padres
The first-place Padres came into L.A. flying high on a five-game win streak, as the Dodgers were licking their wounds after getting swept by the Angels. In the opener, the Dodgers held on to take the victory 3-2 behind a strong outing for Clayton Kershaw, who pitched six innings, giving up one run. Shohei Ohtani went 0 for 3 at the plate with a walk. He got an RBI in the third inning on a fielder’s choice, scoring Michael Conforto before getting caught stealing to end the inning.
SATURDAY, AUG. 16
Game 2 of 3 vs. San Diego Padres
The Dodgers cruised to victory 6-0 in Game 2 of the series behind six shutout innings from Blake Snell against his former team, regaining first place in the NL-West. Padres’ starting pitcher Dylan Cease got into trouble early and often, walking the first 3 batters he faced. All three eventually scored, and that was all the Dodgers needed. For good measure, the Dodgers added another two runs in the second inning, the result of another two walks. Ohtani went 1 for 2 with two walks and two runs scored.
SUNDAY, AUG. 17
Game 3 of 3 vs. San Diego Padres
The suddenly hot-again Dodgers completed the sweep against the Padres Sunday afternoon in front of 48,189 raucous fans in a 5-4 thriller. The Padres staked the Dodgers a 4-0 lead in the first inning off of Freddie Freeman’s 3-run home run and Andy Pages’ solo shot. The Padres chipped away at the Dodgers’ lead with runs in the third, fifth, and sixth innings, before tying it up in the eighth, 4-4. Mookie Betts homered to lead off the bottom of the eighth, putting the Dodgers ahead before Alex Vesia put the Padres down in order in the top of the ninth to seal the win. Shohei went 1 for 4 with a run scored, including a leadoff single in the first inning.
MONDAY, AUG. 18
Game 1 of 3 at Colorado Rockies
The Dodgers were back on the road Monday to face off against the hapless Rockies at Coors Field, but came up short as the Rockies won with a walk-off single by third baseman Warming Bernabel in the bottom of the ninth, 4-3. The win, the Rockies’ fourth in a row, snapped a 10-game losing streak against the Dodgers. L.A. starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched well, surrendering three runs over seven innings and did not factor into the decision. Ohtani had a productive night at the plate, going 2 for 4 with an RBI, raising his season average to .285. The Rockies are within striking distance of the 2024 White Sox record for the most losses in the regular season of 121. The Rockies currently have 89 losses with 37 games remaining.
TUESDAY, AUG. 19
Game 2 of 3 at Colorado Rockies
Both the Dodgers and the Rockies returned to form on Tuesday, as the Dodgers secured an easy 11-4 win behind 18 hits. Ohtani hit his 44th home run of the season in the second inning to remain tied with Kyle Schwarber for the NL lead. The Dodgers went ahead 7-0 in the third and never looked back. For the evening, Ohtani went 1 for 5 with two RBI’s and two runs scored. Emmet Sheehan got the win for the Dodgers.
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 20
Game 3 of 3 at Colorado Rockies
Ohtani (0-0)was on the mound looking for his first win of the season as The Rafu went to press on Wednesday.
Notes: The Dodgers are in San Diego for a three-game series against the Padres from Friday to Sunday. The Dodgers will pitch Snell, Glasnow, and Yamamoto against Darvish, Cortes, and Pivetta. Knowing what’s at stake and their history, it should be worth watching.
Roki Sasaki made his first rehab start for AAA Oklahoma City Aug. 14, throwing 41 pitches. His velocity was lower than what he usually musters, topping out at 95.7 mph. The Dodgers hope he can rejoin the team later this month.
–Miles Anderson