Dodgers Win Back-to-Back Series to Increase NL West Lead

Similarities to the 2024 World Series abound.

Jun 02, 2025

Shohei Ohtani homers of Max Fried Friday. By Mark J. Terrill, AP.

Winning a three-game series by taking the last two may feel better than the other way around, but the result is the same. The Dodgers won a series at Cleveland, then completed a successful 4-2 week by winning another against the Yankees in Los Angeles. It doesn’t matter that they lost the final game in each series. You win divisions, and championships, by winning series. That’s the goal. Always.

Los Angeles began the week with a convincing 7-2 win Monday behind six strong innings from Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Ohio. Will Smith and Shohei Ohtani homered, with seven men driving in runs to support their ace. Dustin May won a gutsy five-inning, three-run outing Tuesday, with all the Guardians’ damage coming on the strength of a Daniel Schneemann monster shot. L.A. received homers from Max Muncy (who has perked up), Michael Conforto (the same, but to a lesser degree), and Ohtani (again), as four men rapped two hits each and five plated runs. Clayton Kershaw’s encouraging five-inning, one-run performance Wednesday was marred, and lost, during an unfortunate meltdown by closer Tanner Scott. Yes, he’s had a few of those, blowing five of his 15 save opportunities in 2025. But he got a key out in Friday night’s opener versus New York, and I’m not overly concerned about it. I’m concerned, but not overly concerned.

The marquee matchup in baseball this week, if not the season to date, was a rematch of last fall’s World Series. The Boys in Blue vs. the Bronx Bombers. The league and the networks were intent on making the whole thing about what is in the rearview mirror, and to a degree were right to do so. But it really was done to death, with each party spending an inordinate amount of time on its favorite son, Aaron Judge. While he didn’t disappoint, hitting three long balls in the series and playing well in the field, he’s not only the Yankee, and to portray him as such is unwise. That clubhouse is filled to the brim with studs, including two additional MVPs, in Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt. But I’ll give Judge this: he is a truly remarkable regular season player.

Game 1 was a frightening affair for every fan of the Pinstripes I know (and maybe on earth), with the Dodgers storming back from a 5-0 deficit (see 2025 WS Game 5) to win in dramatic fashion, 8-5. Ohtani went yard twice off ace and local boy Max Fried, Freddie Freeman doubled twice and drove in three, and Andy Pages added two hits and three RBIs. Making the comeback possible was Tony Gonsolin, who allowed four homers and five runs in the first three innings, but managed to complete the next three unscathed. The Yanks were charged with only one error, but the failure to convert other plays around the diamond must have caused nightmares for their faithful. And for their manager, Aaron Boone.

Saturday’s follow-up was Friday’s nightmare squared. The Dodgers beat the living daylights (not a Timothy Dalton reference) out of the visitors, taking a 10-0 (10-0!) lead after two innings, adding four runs in fifth, one in the seventh and three in the eighth, for an 18-2 bombing of the Bombers. There were home runs from Max Muncy (who hit two, and another one Sunday, Pages (who hit another Sunday) , Dalton Rushing (career HR # 1) and Hyeseong Kim, (who went 4-4 to raise his slash line to a ridiculous .422/.458/.600). Tommy Edman added four of L.A.’s 21 (21!) hits and Landed Knack allowed a run in six innings for the win.

That the Yanks responded with a 7-3 victory Sunday should come as no surprise. Their 36-22 record is the American League’s second best, behind the impressive Tigers’ 39-21, and is a smidge better than the Dodgers’ 35-22. They rank among the team leaders in several batting categories, closely following Los Angeles in a few of them. We could see them again in October, when the surprise may be Mr. Judge hitting water if he fell out of a boat.

Additional items of note from the past week:

Mookie Betts suffered a partial broken toe in a home bathroom incident Thursday and has not played since Wednesday. Both player and club insist it’s nothing serious and that a return in the coming days is likely.

Evan Phillips, who had been dealing with forearm discomfort perhaps as far back as last October, will undergo Tommy John surgery. The news came less than 24 hours after I predicted as much (and if you are not following me on X, you’re not getting the full Howard (which is nothing like the full monty)).

Luis Garcia was placed on the injured list with an abductor injury Sunday.

Ohtani continues to throw about once a week, usually on a Saturday. He has faced hitters in a sim game, mixing in his full complement of pitches and hitting 95 mph consistently, with a high of 97. No word on a return date, but early to mid-July sounds about right.

No word on Blake Snell at all, which cannot be good. I’m not predicting season-ending surgery for him, but I wouldn’t be a bit surprised.

Tyler Glasnow, who is ramping up without a reported issue, was placed on the 60-day IL Saturday in a procedural move. He wasn’t expected to return prior to the end of June anyway and will be eligible to when ready.

Emmet Sheehan is progressing nicely in his attempt to return from Tommy John surgery within the typical 14-month window and tossed two scoreless innings in an Arizona Complex League game, which he followed-up by firing three goose eggs for Oklahoma City Sunday. Between the two starts, he’s allowed two hits and no walks while striking out 10.

Michael Kopech and Kirby Yates may return to the Dodgers bullpen this week.

Moving on.

L.A. began the week with a one-game lead in the National League West and finished it with a two-game lead. The second-place Padres are at the third-place Giant Monday through Thursday while the Dodgers entertain the Mets, who took two of three in the clubs’ meeting on the last road trip. The probables for that series are as follows: Paul Blackburn vs. May Monday at 7:10 p.m., Tyler Megill vs. Kershaw Tuesday at 7:10 p.m., Griffin Canning vs. Gonsolin Wednesday at 7:10 p.m. and David Peterson vs. Knack Thursday at 1:10 p.m.

With the Yankees behind them, the club has begun what could be their most challenging run of series this season. After playing the Mets, the Dodgers head to St. Louis and San Diego before coming home to face the Giants and Padres again. I expect them to meet that challenge like they did in winning back-to-back series this past week. More will be revealed.

Share Off Base with Howard Cole

ICYMI:

To add injury to insult Friday, a chunk of concrete fell on a fan at Dodger Stadium over the weekend. And true to form, he dropped it.

Tweets of the Week:

Tweet of the Week, Combo:

Media Savvy:

Here is “As he nears 3,000 Ks, Clayton Kershaw shares thoughts on the future of his craft,” by Tyler Kepner at the Athletic.

Former Dodger Chris Taylor, doesn’t regret his trash talking the Yankees last winter. By Brendan Kuty at the Athletic.

Also at the Athletic, because it had to be done; “Retaking the 5th: Dodgers, Yankees recount the inning that swung the World Series.” By Kuty and Fabian Ardaya.

And three from baseball historian Bill Arnold:

1. Cal Quantrill uncorked the 118th "immaculate inning" in MLB history against the Rays on May 18. The Baseball Dictionary defines an immaculate inning as one in which a pitcher strikes out the first three batters he faces "using the minimum possible pitches: nine." The Marlins starter did just that when he whiffed Jonathan Aranda, Christopher Morel, and Kameron Misner in the fourth, entering the record books and helping his team to a 5-1 win.

2. Angel Shaun Alexander's earned win over the Dodgers on May 18 was his first since June 12, 2019, when he beat the Giants. At five years and 324 days, Alexander's drought was the third-longest endured by a Halo hurler, after Yoslan Herrera's six years and 37 days (2008-2014) and Jerome Williams' five years, 330 days (2005-2011).

3. The Rockies' 42 losses through their first 50 games beat all big-league franchise records since 1885 when the Louisville Colonels went 7-43 in their first 50, proving that yes, you can win for losing.

Editor’s note: As of this morning, the Rockies are of 9-50, which is also a record. They are on pace to go 25-137.