Dodgers Enter Critical September Stretch With Chance to Reset Season
For the Los Angeles Dodgers, the calendar may be changing at exactly the right time.
A frustrating August is over.
September begins Tuesday at Dodger Stadium.
And the defending champions suddenly have nine consecutive home games to change the direction of their season before the postseason race reaches its final weeks.
Los Angeles opens a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday, followed by three against the Washington Nationals and three more against the Cincinnati Reds. There is no off-day anywhere in the stretch.
It is a demanding schedule in terms of workload.
On paper, however, it is also a major opportunity.
The Cardinals enter September at 68-70, the Nationals at 65-74 and the Reds at 65-72. None of the Dodgers’ three opponents during the homestand currently owns a winning record.
For a team trying to secure one of the National League’s two valuable first-round postseason byes, these are the kinds of games Los Angeles cannot afford to waste.
Dodgers Finally Leave August Behind
August did not go the way the Dodgers expected.
Los Angeles finished the month 13-14, making it the club’s only losing month of the season.
The Dodgers also finished their latest road trip just 2-4 after being swept by Atlanta before recovering to take two of three from Detroit.
Manager Dave Roberts summed up August with two words after Sunday’s 6-1 victory over the Tigers:
“Very forgettable.”
It was difficult to argue.
The Dodgers dealt with injuries, an inconsistent offense and an increasing number of games decided by the smallest possible margins.
They played 15 one-run games in August alone, while their offensive production became one of the biggest concerns surrounding a roster built to contend for another championship.
Entering Sunday’s finale in Detroit, Los Angeles had scored 203 runs combined during July and August, ranking just 22nd in the majors during that span.
Sunday finally offered some relief.
Teoscar Hernández launched a go-ahead two-run homer, Tyler Glasnow delivered seven dominant innings and the Dodgers beat the Tigers 6-1 to win the series.
It was their most convincing offensive performance in several games.
Now the challenge is making sure it was more than a one-day reprieve.
September Could Provide a Natural Reset
Roberts believes the changing calendar can matter psychologically.
After Sunday’s victory, he noted that players naturally begin seeing the finish line differently once September arrives.
The Dodgers have 25 regular-season games remaining.
There is enough time to correct what went wrong in August.
There is not enough time to keep waiting indefinitely for those corrections to happen.
MLB’s latest Dodgers Beat newsletter framed the final month around four major questions: whether the offense can recover, which players will reinforce the roster, whether Shohei Ohtani will pitch again and whether Los Angeles can secure a first-round bye.
All four issues begin coming into focus during this homestand.
Will Smith Is Expected Back
The Dodgers should receive one of their most important reinforcements immediately.
Will Smith is expected to return Tuesday after missing nearly three months because of an inflamed disc in his neck.
His return has the potential to change the lineup significantly.
Smith is not simply another hitter being added to the bench. He is the Dodgers’ starting catcher and one of their most important offensive players.
The Dodgers have spent much of the summer searching for lineup consistency without him.
Getting Smith back gives Roberts another established bat in the middle of the order while restoring the catcher who has the most experience working with Los Angeles’ pitching staff.
MLB reports that Smith’s return will likely result in another catching move because the Dodgers are not expected to carry three catchers.
But Smith may not be the only new face arriving Tuesday.
Dodgers Could Add Another Bat
Active rosters expand from 26 to 28 players on Sept. 1, allowing teams to add one pitcher and one position player.
Roberts has already indicated the Dodgers are leaning toward another left-handed hitter.
That could become especially important as Los Angeles evaluates how to construct the lineup against different pitching matchups.
The organization has several possibilities, including Ryan Ward, Hyeseong Kim, Alex Freeland and James Tibbs III, although the Dodgers had not officially announced their choice as of Monday afternoon.
Tibbs would require an additional 40-man roster move, while Ward, Kim and Freeland are already on the 40-man roster.
Regardless of the eventual choice, the broader message is clear.
The Dodgers are no longer simply waiting for struggling hitters to work through problems.
September gives them additional roster flexibility, and they are beginning to explore ways to use it.
MLB described the potential left-handed addition as more likely to supplement the bench initially than completely shake up the everyday lineup.
But if the offense continues struggling, that calculation could change quickly.
Nine Games Without an Off-Day Will Test the Pitching Staff
The homestand also creates an interesting pitching challenge.
Los Angeles will play on nine consecutive days.
That makes rotation depth and bullpen coverage particularly important.
Justin Wrobleski is one name to watch.
He made a rehab appearance Saturday for Triple-A Oklahoma City while working his way back from left forearm inflammation. MLB identified him as a potential bullpen addition once rosters expand.
Emmet Sheehan could also factor into the equation.
MLB reported that the Dodgers may have an opportunity to use Sheehan for a spot start during the nine-game stretch or evaluate him as a bullpen option for September.
Those decisions are about more than simply surviving nine games.
They are part of the larger process of determining which pitchers deserve roles in October.
The Dodgers suddenly have a deep collection of potential postseason starters with Tarik Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and Glasnow.
Ohtani’s pitching status remains much less certain after his latest bullpen session interrupted the progression toward his expected return.
That means September will partly function as a postseason audition.
The First-Round Bye Is Still There for the Taking
The Dodgers do not appear to be in serious danger of missing the postseason.
Their more pressing battle is positioning.
Los Angeles enters September 82-55, tied with Atlanta for the second-best record in the National League.
Milwaukee sits three games ahead at 85-52.
First-Round Bye Race
National League standings as of Aug. 31, 2026
Only the top two division winners in each league receive a first-round bye.
That makes the distinction between finishing second and third in the NL extremely important.
And, as we already examined, the Dodgers have an additional problem: they lost their season-series tiebreakers against both Atlanta and Milwaukee.
A tie with either club would therefore leave Los Angeles behind them.
The Dodgers need to create separation.
A nine-game homestand against three sub-.500 opponents presents an obvious opportunity to do exactly that.
The Schedule Is Favorable — But That Guarantees Nothing
It would be tempting to look at St. Louis, Washington and Cincinnati and assume the Dodgers should roll through the homestand.
Roberts knows better.
When discussing Los Angeles’ September schedule, he emphasized that opponent records mean little if his own team does not perform.
That point is worth remembering.
The Dodgers have already shown this summer that talent and favorable matchups do not automatically translate into victories.
They endured a seven-game losing streak earlier in August.
They lost 11 of 16 before responding with a six-game winning streak.
They then swept Pittsburgh before immediately being swept themselves in Atlanta.
Consistency has been elusive.
The final month is about finding it.
Cardinals Come First
The reset begins Tuesday night against St. Louis.
The Cardinals have struggled to remain in contention, but the Dodgers cannot treat the series as a formality.
Los Angeles needs to establish momentum early in the homestand rather than spending the week trying to recover from another slow start.
Three games against Washington follow.
Then Cincinnati arrives for three more.
Nine games.
Nine straight opportunities at Dodger Stadium.
And no travel day interrupting the stretch.
If Los Angeles takes advantage, the standings could look considerably different by Sept. 10.
If the Dodgers stumble against teams currently below .500, the missed opportunity could become one of the biggest stories of September.
The Offense Remains the Biggest Question
The pitching staff has recently provided plenty of reason for optimism.
Snell has been outstanding since returning.
Glasnow looked dominant Sunday.
Skubal continues to give the Dodgers another frontline starter.
Yamamoto remains part of an exceptionally talented rotation.
The biggest uncertainty remains the lineup.
Roberts admitted after Saturday’s 2-1 loss in Detroit that he was searching for ways to “spur” the offense.
Sunday was encouraging.
Freddie Freeman reached base four times.
Hernández finally homered again.
The Dodgers drew walks, created pressure and eventually scored six runs.
But one afternoon cannot erase two months of uneven production.
Los Angeles needs September to look different.
This Homestand Could Set the Tone for the Final Month
That is what makes these nine games so important.
The Dodgers are not facing elimination.
They are not chasing a division leader from far behind.
They are not trying to rescue a lost season.
They are trying to turn a very good season back into the championship-caliber one they expected.
Smith is returning.
Roster expansion provides new options.
The starting rotation is getting healthier.
The schedule appears manageable.
And the first-round bye remains within reach.
Few stretches remaining on the schedule will provide Los Angeles with this many favorable conditions at the same time.
August offered enough warnings.
September now gives the Dodgers a chance to respond.
A successful homestand could restore momentum, put pressure on Milwaukee and Atlanta, help settle the October roster and make the struggles of the previous month feel much less important.
A poor one would raise an entirely different set of questions.
For the Dodgers, Tuesday is more than the beginning of another series.
It is the beginning of their final opportunity to become the team they want to be when October arrives.