The Los Angeles Dodgers have once again claimed the NL West crown, clinching the division with a dominant 8-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sept. 25.
But beneath the celebratory surface lies a postseason path paved with uncertainty. For all the offensive firepower provided by Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman, the Dodgers enter October with two glaring vulnerabilities: a bullpen in flux and a sudden void behind the plate.
Los Angeles Dodgers Rotation
L.A.’s best shot if the Dodgers are to make a deep October run, it will be on the backs of their four-man super-rotation—arguably the most formidable in baseball. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Shohei Ohtani, and Tyler Glasnow form a quartet of elite arms capable of overpowering any lineup in a short series.
Yamamoto’s precision, Snell’s postseason pedigree, Ohtani’s two-way brilliance, and Glasnow’s late-season resurgence give the Dodgers top-heavy firepower that few teams can match.
Cracks In The Armor
But the rotation alone won’t win a title. And it’s in the late innings where the Dodgers’ armor begins to crack.
September exposed the bullpen’s fragility, with ERA spikes and overuse revealing a lack of reliable depth.
The loss of setup man Kirby Yates to a hamstring injury only deepens the concern. In response, the Dodgers made a bold move: activating Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki from the 60-day IL and thrusting him into a high-leverage relief role. Originally groomed as a starter, Sasaki now becomes a wild card—a potential savior or a risky experiment under playoff pressure.
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Compounding the issue is the absence of Will Smith, the Dodgers’ All-Star catcher and clubhouse anchor. A hairline fracture to his right hand has sidelined him for the remainder of the regular season, leaving the immense responsibility of managing a championship-caliber staff to Ben Rortvedt and Dalton Rushing.
It’s a severe downgrade both offensively and defensively, and how well the tandem handles postseason matchups could swing entire series.
The Final Tune-Up
The regular-season finale in Seattle offers one last proving ground. The Mariners, fresh off clinching the AL West, will host the Dodgers for a three-game interleague set at T-Mobile Park. Expect low-scoring, pitchers’ matchups, and strategic tinkering.
Series Schedule:
- Sept. 26: Emmet Sheehan (LAD) vs George Kirby (SEA) – Dodger WIN 3-2
- Sept. 27: Logan Gilbert (SEA) vs Tyler Glasnow (LAD)
- Sept. 28: Bryce Miller (SEA) vs Clayton Kershaw (LAD)
The Opponent
Chaos in the Wild Card as the #3 seed, the Dodgers will host the #6 seed in a best-of-three Wild Card Series. But the identity of that opponent remains a moving target.
As of Sept. 25, the New York Mets hold the edge, but Cincinnati, Arizona, and San Diego are all within striking distance. The Padres, in particular, loom with tiebreaker advantages that could reshuffle the bracket in the final days.
The Kicker: Kershaw’s Last Stand
And then there’s Clayton Kershaw.
The future Hall of Famer is scheduled to start the final game of the regular season on Sept. 28 in Seattle. It’s not part of the postseason plan. It’s something more. A sentimental sendoff. A moment of reflection. A reminder that time is finite, and that this core—this group—must seize its chance now.
Kershaw’s presence in October will be symbolic, not strategic. But his legacy looms over every pitch, every decision, every hope. The Dodgers have the talent. They have the stars. What they don’t have is time.