Dodgers sweep Padres to take a two‑game lead, but the bullpen remains the fulcrum of their recent uneven run. Brusdar Graterol’s season‑ending shoulder issue tightens the squeeze, and Michael Kopech’s rehab start underlines the uphill battle for fresh bullpen reinforcements. Still, Alex Vesia’s weekend relief work offers a spark, and Mookie Betts's game‑winning homer plus Freddie Freeman’s power provide a clear fantasy upside if the contour of late‑inning innings starts to firm up. The series felt like a turning point more than a cure, hinting at a leaner, more leveraged bullpen mix and bigger daily value from the Dodgers’ stars as they chase the division crown.

Dodgers pull off a 3-2 win over the Padres as Clayton Kershaw anchors a healthier, if thin, rotation, delivering six innings of one-run ball on 76 pitches to halt a four-game skid. The run came on a Ramon Laureano homer, but Kershaw’s sharper slider and efficiency let L.A. set a tone in a tight NL West showdown that remains tied atop the division.

Teoscar Hernandez supplied the insurance with a pivotal seventh-inning homer, while a bullpen of five relievers held the Padres in check over the final three frames. Ben Casparius worked the seventh, and Alex Vesia faced trouble in the eighth before Treinen slammed the door with a popout on the decisive at-bat. Alexis Diaz and Jack Dreyer closed it out in the ninth, giving the Dodgers a much-needed breath before five more tests against San Diego in nine days.

With Max Muncy sidelined by an oblique strain, the Dodgers leaned on depth as rookie Alex Freeland and Buddy Kennedy filled in, and the return of Kershaw helped stabilize a season that has been punctuated by injuries. The West remains a chess match, and Friday’s performance underscored that the Dodgers can still lean on high-leverage arms and a veteran ace when the moment is right.

Los Angeles Dodgers topple into sole possession of first place in the NL West, erasing a four-game skid with a 3-2 win over San Diego in the series opener. Clayton Kershaw delivered six sturdy innings, allowing two hits and one run, while the bullpen faced another late-inning scare before shutting the door. The Dodgers rode an early third-inning rally and a Teoscar Hernandez homer in the seventh to pull ahead, then leaned on a bullpen that has been scraping the bottom of the barrel for weeks due to injuries. The finish featured Alexis Diaz fanning two in relief and Jack Dreyer closing it out on Ryan O’Hearn’s fly ball, capping a win built on depth and timing. With the division still tied, LA now eyes a weekend set in which Blake Snell will clash with Dylan Cease, followed by Tyler Glasnow vs Yu Darvish. The tiebreaker against San Diego is secured with one more win, thanks to a 5-2 mark in head-to-head play this season.

The Dodgers have leaned on a deep bullpen roster to navigate August, and their willingness to deploy high-leverage relievers in high-leverage spots has become the team’s identity as injuries mount. Teoscar Hernandez added a seventh-inning homer to back Kershaw’s effort, while San Diego countered with critical bullpen work of its own and timely contact from Luis Arraez, whose sacrifice fly delivered the Padres’ run. The weekend slate will test the resilience of both clubs, as LA attempts to secure the tiebreaker and Padres aim to turn head-to-head momentum in their favor.

Angels stun the Dodgers in a game that swung on one swing and a final inning, leaving Los Angeles reeling. Shohei Ohtani’s go-ahead homer in the ninth put Anaheim on the cusp of a win before the Angels’ Jo Adell delivered the walk-off RBI single in the 10th, sealing a 7-6 victory at Angel Stadium. The Dodgers had rallied earlier, but a leaky bullpen and a ruined late lead extended their skid to three straight losses and widened a once-comfortable lead in the NL West. Nolan Schanuel contributed with a sacrifice fly to knot the score in the ninth, capping a chaotic, momentum-shifting night. Emmet Sheehan’s five runs and the bullpen’s other miscues underscored how fragile even the best teams’ late-game margins can be. The Padres sit right behind them, ready to pounce when the weekend showdown comes to Dodger Stadium, a reminder that division battles don’t wait for narratives to finish. Dodgers Dugtout and Angels’ bench both left with mixed emotions, but the story ends with Anaheim celebrating and Los Angeles searching for fixes to avert another collapse. This is a reminder that fantasy rosters should weigh top-tier talent against volatile bullpens and late-game drama as the season pushes toward the finish line.

Dodgers 5, Blue Jays 4 in a sun-drenched Sunday matinee at Dodger Stadium ended with a bullpen collapse that narrowed Los Angeles’ NL West lead to two games. Tyler Glasnow turned in another strong start after returning from an inflamed shoulder, leaving with a 3-2 lead, but Blake Treinen and Alex Vesia surrendered three solo shots in the eighth and ninth to spoil the win. Toronto rode a late breakout from its offense—Ernie Clement’s eighth homer of the year, plus precision hitting that kept runners on base—and Dodgers’ missed chances with men on base (.1-for-10 with RISP).

Shohei Ohtani anchored the Dodgers’ offense, reaching base four times and extending his nine-game hitting streak with a leadoff homer that tied the game earlier. Freddie Freeman drew a bases-loaded walk to bring LA within one in the eighth, but the bullpen misfired again, allowing Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Addison Barger to go back-to-back off Treinen. Mookie Betts grounded into a pivotal force out with the bases loaded in the ninth, capping a day where LA left 16 runners on base despite 10 hits and 13 walks. The Jays came to town following a 45-run, 63-hit three-game binge in Colorado, yet managed just three runs on 17 hits by the fifth inning against Glasnow before opening the dam with the bullpen. A Padres win in San Diego tightened the race in the West and left fantasy managers recalibrating how to value the Dodgers’ top bats and the Jays’ late-inning pop.