Dodgers Preview: Reeling Dodgers Head to Baltimore to Finish East Coast Road Trip

BALTIMORE, MA—If there were ever a time for the Los Angeles Dodgers to flip the switch, now would be the time.

After being swept out of Pittsburgh by the lowly Pirates, the Dodgers look to rebound with a three-game series in Baltimore versus the last-place Orioles to complete their East Coast road trip.

The Dodgers have lost five of their last six games and have dropped back-to-back series versus teams well out of postseason contention. Despite this, the team has still maintained a two-game lead in the National League West over the San Digio Padres, but has lost ground in their quest for the number two seed in the NL, now three games back of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Now the Dodgers will look to buck a recent trend versus sub-.500 teams where they’ve struggled with over the last several weeks.

Now they’ll face another team with next to nothing to play for, rather than being a spoiler in the Orioles, who have taken two steps back this season after making the postseason in back-to-back years in 2023 and 2024.

While the O’s are 4-6 over their last ten games, three of those wins came earlier this week when the team swept the Padres in San Diego, and they’d like nothing more than to cause stress for a Dodgers team looking to get back on track.

Just twenty-two games remain for the Dodgers this season, and they currently still have the fourth-easiest stretch of games in terms of winning percentage, but it’s now up to them to play like the team we know they can be, and anything short of a series win here will be a disappointing plane ride home.

Game One: Tyler Glasnow (1-3, 3.41 ERA) vs Dean Kremer (9-10, 4.52 ERA)

Game Two: Yoshinobu Yamamoto (11-8, 2.82 ERA) vs Trevor Rogers (LHP) (8-2, 1.39 ERA)

Game Three: Clayton Kershaw (LHP) (9-2, 3.28 ERA) vs Tomoyuki Sugano (10-7, 4.41 ERA)

Game Times

Game One: 4:05 PM PT, SportsNet LA, MASN Sports Network

Game Two: 4:05 PM PT, SportsNet LA, MASN Sports Network

Game Three: 10:35 AM PT, SportsNet LA, MASN Sports Network

Who’s in & Who’s Out?

As expected, the Dodgers will have multiple reinforcements arrive sooner rather than later, with several players rehabbing with the Triple-A OKC Comets; however, it remains to be seen if any one of them will be active for this three-game series versus Baltimore.

Tommy Edman, who has been out on the 10-day injured list with a right ankle sprain since August 1st, kicked off his minor league rehab assignment last week and so far is 1-for-9 in three minor league games. Edman is expected to rejoin the team on the next homestand.

Left-handed pitcher Alex Vesia also traveled to Sugar Land to meet with the OKC Comets and tossed a scoreless 1-2-3 innings while also collecting one punch out on the night. Vesia will likely have one more appearance before being activated by mid-September.

Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy also rejoined the Comets yesterday to kick off his rehab assignment and proceeded to go 1-for-2 with a walk and one punch out.

Muncy’s return date had been delayed after the veteran third baseman was under the weather last weekend at Dodger Stadium; however, if all goes well over the weekend, he could rejoin the team on the next homestand.

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 had 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.

Finally, right-handed pitcher Roki Sasaki is unlikely to rejoin the team this season after posting mediocre results in Triple-A. Over his last four starts, Sasaki has a 7.07 ERA in fourteen innings pitched.

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

While it hasn’t been the best season for the Orioles this year, a lot of it can be tied to the number of injuries the team has sustained throughout the season.

On the offensive side, the Birds will be without infielder Jordan Westburg and Tyler O’neill for this season.

Westburg suffered a right ankle sprain on August 19th after rolling it during a game versus their American League East rival, the Boston Red Sox. Although Westburg is nearing a return, possibly starting a minor league rehab assignment this week, he’ll be out for the upcoming series versus Los Angeles.

O’Neill, who is suffering from right wrist inflammation, is expected to return by mid-September and will participate in all baseball activities this weekend, and like Westburg, should start a rehab assignment.

The Orioles also placed fan-favorite catcher Adley Rutschman on the 10-day injured list due to a right oblique strain, an injury that could end the backstop’s season.

Just after the trade deadline, the Orioles had placed former top closer Félix Bautista on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation. However, the right-hander underwent surgery and is expected to miss all or most of next season.

Day-to-day (00):

10-day Injured List (3): Tyler O’Neill, Adley Rutschman, Jordan Westburg

15-day Injured List (1): Colin Selby

60-day Injured List (6): Gary Sánchez, Scott Blewett, Grayson Rodriguez, Zach Eflin, Félix Bautista, Brandon Young

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