Dodgers One Win Away From Fifth Consecutive NL West Title
The Dodgers are one win—or one Padres loss—away from officially securing another National League West championship.
Los Angeles reduced its division magic number to one Tuesday night by shutting out the Cincinnati Reds, 4-0, before watching San Diego fall to Colorado, 9-3.
The Dodgers enter Wednesday with a 92-59 record and a 10-game advantage over the 82-69 Padres. Both teams have 11 regular-season games remaining, but Los Angeles already owns the head-to-head tiebreaker after winning seven of their 10 meetings this season.
That means the Dodgers will clinch the division Wednesday if either of the following happens:
The Dodgers defeat the Reds.
The Padres lose to the Rockies.
Either result would give Los Angeles its fifth consecutive NL West championship and its 13th division title in the past 14 seasons.
Yamamoto Moves Dodgers Closer With Another Dominant Start
The Dodgers handled their part of the equation Tuesday behind another outstanding performance from Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Yamamoto held Cincinnati scoreless over seven innings, allowing only one hit while striking out seven. After walking two batters during an uneven first inning, he settled in and retired 21 of the final 22 hitters he faced.
It was Yamamoto’s third consecutive start of at least seven innings and continued an impressive second half in which he has established himself as one of the Dodgers’ most dependable starters.
Teoscar Hernández provided the biggest swing of the night with a two-run home run in the third inning. Alex Freeland added a solo homer, Freddie Freeman collected three hits and Hunter Feduccia drove in another run with a single.
Brock Stewart and Tanner Scott protected the shutout over the final two innings.
The victory initially reduced the Dodgers’ magic number to two. Colorado then took care of the remaining step later Tuesday night.
Rockies Hand Padres Costly Loss
San Diego entered Tuesday having won eight consecutive games, but Colorado ended that streak with a 9-3 victory at Coors Field.
Cole Carrigg led the Rockies by going 4-for-5 with two home runs and five RBIs. His three-run homer completed a five-run sixth inning that broke the game open.
The Padres received solo home runs from Fernando Tatis Jr., Austin Hays and Luis Campusano, but they were held scoreless over the final five innings.
San Diego’s loss dropped the Dodgers’ magic number from two to one and placed Los Angeles on the doorstep of another division celebration.
Dodgers Control Their Own Clinching Moment
The Dodgers do not need to wait for help Wednesday.
A win over Cincinnati would immediately secure the NL West, regardless of what happens between San Diego and Colorado later in the evening.
Blake Snell is scheduled to start for Los Angeles against Reds left-hander Andrew Abbott. Snell enters the game with a 4-1 record and a 1.91 ERA, having allowed no more than one run in each of his six starts since returning from the injured list.
The Dodgers and Reds are scheduled to begin at 3:40 p.m. Pacific time. The Padres will not start their game at Colorado until two hours later.
If the Dodgers lose, they could still clinch from the clubhouse with a Padres loss.
Another Division Title Is Nearly Official
The Dodgers have already secured their place in the postseason, extending their playoff streak to 14 consecutive years.
Winning the division would complete the next step, but it would not settle everything about their postseason position.
Los Angeles remains in pursuit of one of the National League’s top two seeds, which would provide a first-round bye. The Dodgers still have ground to make up in that race, making the remaining schedule meaningful even after the division is secured.
That conversation can wait.
For now, the Dodgers are one favorable result away from finishing what has become a familiar September assignment.
Win Wednesday—or receive one more assist from Colorado—and the Dodgers are NL West champions for the fifth consecutive season.