Andy Pages came back from a broken hand and immediately reminded everyone what he can do, leading the Dodgers to a dominant 4-2 week, including a weekend sweep in San Francisco. They finished the season with an even 100 wins, but not every returning star shone as bright.
The Return and the Punch
Pages, who missed four weeks with that broken hand, wasted absolutely zero time showing out. He smashed both of his two home runs this past week right there in San Francisco, leading the whole damn team in dingers! Talk about making an entrance when the stakes are high, right? Will Smith, another guy who just got back from a long injured-list stint, was also super solid at the plate. He racked up an impressive six hits in just 13 at-bats, plus drew three walks. That’s getting it done! Meanwhile, Shohei Ohtani also got activated off his first injured-list stint with the Dodgers after the minimum 15 days. Roki Sasaki was also back from the IL, getting his first action in September. For Ohtani, though, the results just weren’t there yet, which is a bit of a head-scratcher with the season wrapping up.
Pitching Shuts It Down
Speaking of dominance, Tarik Skubal absolutely shoved on Friday night against the Giants. He tossed seven lights-out scoreless innings, only giving up three singles and not a single walk, while striking out a jaw-dropping 10 batters. All that on just 75 pitches! Man, that’s the kind of performance that would’ve been a complete game earlier in the year, but with this being his final tuneup of the regular season, those seven frames were enough. It was Skubal’s first scoreless start with double-digit strikeouts this season, and the eighth of his career. The Dodgers pitching staff has been on another level all year, and it showed again, only allowing 13 runs over six games last week.
The Full Picture
The team finished up the 2026 season with an insane 100-62 record. They scored 801 runs, which puts them 4th in all of MLB, and get this: they only allowed 600 runs, ranking them 1st in the entire league! That’s a serious pitching staff, man, and it tells you everything you need to know about why they won so many games. They weren’t afraid to move some pieces around either, with Emmet Sheehan, Eliezer Alfonzo, Josue De Paula, Kyle Hurt, and Alex Freeland all getting optioned to make room for returning players or last-minute additions like Dalton Rushing. Even with Blake Treinen hitting the IL on Sunday after injuring his shoulder warming up, Bobby Miller came right back up to pitch in the regular season finale. It was a busy week of moves to get ready for what’s next.
So, what’s next? Well, the Dodgers hit 100 wins, swept the Giants to close things out, and are clearly rolling. Key guys are getting healthy, Skubal is dealing, and Pages is on fire. This team looks ready for whatever comes next as October arrives. You gotta respect a squad that finishes strong like that.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by True Blue LA.
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