Overview
- The Dodgers beat the Cincinnati Reds 4-1 on Monday night, with Tarik Skubal throwing seven scoreless innings and Kyle Tucker and Teoscar Hernández hitting the home runs that produced the offense.
- The victory guarantees Los Angeles a spot in October and cut the team’s NL West magic number to three, putting immediate emphasis on locking the division and earning a top‑two National League seed for a first‑round bye.
- Health and roster questions now shape the closing stretch, including Freddie Freeman’s right‑knee soreness, Shohei Ohtani on the injured list, Edgardo Henriquez placed on the IL and uncertainty about closer Edwin Díaz after a rough rehab outing.
- Skubal was acquired at the trade deadline and has been effective for the Dodgers, posting a low ERA and high strikeout rate since joining the rotation and delivering two strong starts against Cincinnati in recent games.
- The clinch ties the Dodgers with the 1991–2005 Atlanta Braves for the longest consecutive playoff streak in MLB history and keeps Los Angeles on track as the two‑time defending champions pursue a third straight title with the wild‑card round set to begin Sept. 29.