Dodgers Preview: Final East Coast Road Trip Kicks Off in Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH, PA—The final month of the 2025 Major League Baseball regular season has arrived, and the Los Angeles Dodgers’ final East Coast road trip will kick off in beautiful PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 

The Dodgers, who enter tonight’s match-up with a 2.5 game lead in the National League West, will kick off a string of twelve straight games versus a team below .500, a fantastic time to run away with the division and get closer to the number two seed in the National League.

The first stop will be a three-game set versus the Pirates, a team that is all but out of postseason contention but has played decently well since interim manager Don Kelly has taken over.

Since May 8th, Kelly has led the Pirates to a 49-51 record since taking over on May 8th, which may not sound like much, but for a team that was then on pace to lose well over one hundred games, it is a step in the right direction as the team looks for an identity this offseason.

Still, despite the improved play, along with collecting seven wins over their last ten games, the Pirates are sitting above everyone else in the hyper-competitive National League Central, 23.5 games back of the NL-leading Milwaukee Brewers and thirteen games back of the final NL Wild Card spot.

As for the Dodgers, it has been a much-improved August with the team posting the 13th-best record at 15-13, but it has still had a difficult time finding consistency with the offense.

After sweeping the NL Wild Card hopeful Cincinnati Reds, the team would drop two of their next three versus their NL West foe, the Arizona Diamondbacks.

However, after Dodgers manager Dave Roberts publicly challenged his players to play better, the team entered the final month looking to take advantage of their weak schedule.

The Dodgers are just 1.5 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies for the number two seed in the NL and six games back of the NL-leading Brewers for the best record in baseball.

The team will send three of their top starters to Pittsburgh in Clayton Kershaw, Shohei Ohtani, and Blake Snell, an advantage Los Angeles did not have last season around this time.

Now it’s up to the backend of the bullpen, the offense, and the defensive play to get the Dodgers where they need to go.

Pitching Matchups

Game One: Clayton Kershaw (LHP) (9-2, 3.06 ERA) vs Carmen Mlodzinski (3-7, 3.86 ERA)

Game Two: Shohei Ohtani (1-1, 4.18 ERA) vs Braxton Ashcraft (4-2, 2.58 ERA)

Game Three: Blake Snell (LHP) (3-3, 2.41 ERA) vs Paul Skenes (9-9, 2.05 ERA)

Game Times

Game One: 3:40 PM PT, SportsNet LA, Sports-Net-PIT

Game Two: 3:40 PM PT, SportsNet LA, Sports-Net-PIT

Game Three: 3:40 PM PT, SportsNet LA, Sports-Net-PIT

Who’s in & Who’s Out?

As the Dodgers enter the final month of the 2025 regular season, their roster looks the healthiest it has all season, and it’ll continue to trend that way over the next several weeks.

With September here, so too is roster expansion, with all rosters across the league expanding from twenty-six players to twenty-eight, allowing teams to add an additional pitcher and position player.

That said, the Dodgers have officially activated right-handed relief pitcher Michael Kopech and rookie utilityman Hyeseong Kim, adding them to the active roster during yesterday’s off day.

Kim went 11-for-34 with one double, one triple, and three RBI during a nine-game stint with the Comets.

Now Kim will rejoin the Dodgers, where he’s likely to play all over the field, with Roberts even stating that he could see some time in left field as a way for the team to get production out of the position.

Kopech, 29, has largely been absent from the Dodgers’ bullpen this season after starting the season on the injured list due to a right shoulder injury, appearing in just eight games before going back on the IL due to knee surgery.

Kopech began a rehab stint with Triple-A Oklahoma City on August 14th, pitching in seven games for the Dodgers’ affiliate. However, his performance was disappointing, as he allowed seven runs on six hits, issued nine walks, and recorded five strikeouts over 5.1 innings.

Before the minor league baseball season closes out, both Kyle Hurt and lefty Alex Vesia are expected to join the Comets this week on a minor league rehab assignment.

Hurt hopes to possibly join the Dodgers’ bullpen by the end of September, while Vesia is eying a return on the Dodgers ’ next homestand.

Also looking to start a minor league rehab assignment are third baseman Max Muncy and utilityman and 2024 NLCS MVP Tommy Edman.

Edman took live batting practice for the first time since hitting the injured list in August and was a full participant in all baseball activities, including sprinting.

Muncy, who was initially considering a possible return at the end of the Dodgers’ six-game road trip, will have that pushed back due to the left-handed swinging slugger having an illness.

Like Edman, Muncy was a full participant in baseball activities, including defense, running, and live batting practice.

Rookie right-hander Roki Sasaki is set to take the mound for his fourth and possibly final rehab game with the Dodgers, hoping to reach the five-inning mark.

It’s uncertain if Sasaki will rejoin the team during the final month of the season or if he’ll remain in the minors to continue to work on his mechanics.

Right-hander Brusdar Graterol is also hopeful for a late-September return as he continues his throwing progression in Arizona at the Dodgers complex in Glendale. However, not much has been heard from him.

The Dodgers’ top trade deadline acquisition, Brock Stewart, has a setback after still feeling pain in his right shoulder. Stewart received more cortisone shots to hopefully subdue the pain and has finally resumed his throwing program. TBD on his return date, but his season is not over.

Day-to-day (00):

10-day Injured List (2): Tommy Edman, Max Muncy

15-day Injured List (2): Brock Stewart, Alex Vesia

60-day Injured List (8): Roki Sasaki, Tony Gonsolin, Brusdar Graterol, Michael Grove, Gavin Stone, River Ryan, Kyle Hurt, Evan Phillips

The Pirates have had a relatively healthy roster for most of the season, but entering a series with the Dodgers, they’ll be without outfielder Ronny Simon.

Simon was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left shoulder dislocation after colliding with catcher Connor Wong at home plate during a squeeze play. There is no timetable for his return, but with less than thirty games remaining, his season could be over.

Also out for this series is outfielder Jack Suwinski, who was placed on the 10-day injured list over the weekend after dealing with a right groin strain over the last several weeks, per Pirates manager Don Kelly.

Day-to-day (00):

10-day Injured List (2): Ronny Simon, Jack Suwinski

15-day Injured List (00):

60-day Injured List (4): Justin Lawrence, Enmanuel Valdez, Jared Jones, Endy Rodríguez

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