Dodgers 2026 season in thirds: Final 54 games

The 2026 Dodgers regular season is over, and we already looked at the final week of the season and the final month. Now let’s look how the season played out in thirds, in increments of 54 games.

The offense took a dip in the final third of the season, but was buoyed by a bounce back from the pitching staff. Just two games into the final 54 games, the Dodgers started their longest losing streak of the season, dropping seven games in a row, but recovered to win 32 games over the final third of the campaign, a 96-win pace.

Let’s delve into the offense first, beginning with the catchers.

For the second year in a row, the Dodgers found themselves without both Will Smith and Dalton Rushing for extended periods, and once again Ben Rortvedt was involved in the cleanup mission. This time, both Rortvedt and Hunter Feduccia were reacquired at the trade deadline and handled catching duties for most of August before Smith returned in September and was back to his normal production level in the final month.

Rushing didn’t catch after August 1, suffering a partially torn UCL in his right elbow, and then aggravated the elbow during throwing drills in the first week of September, limited to just eight plate appearances over the final eight weeks of the season.

Shohei Ohtani didn’t hit a home run after August 18 and landed on the injured list in September, Andy Pages was productive but missed four weeks after getting hit by a fastball on his left hand. Freddie Freeman played nearly every day but hit like Expos-era Pete Rose with only one home run over the final third of the season, and played through a right knee injury in September.

Conversely, Mookie Betts found his stroke again and paced the offense, with Max Muncy continuing his steady production. Teoscar Hernández and Kyle Tucker had upturns over the final month especially.

Tommy Edman, Kiké Hernández, Miguel Rojas, and Alex Call all struggled in the final third of the season, while Josue De Paula excelled in his two-week runway after making his debut.

This is a bit of a mishmash, as it includes relief appearances by Justin Wrobleski, Roki Sasaki, Emmet Sheehan, and Eric Lauer in the totals. Shohei Ohtani did not pitch at all in the final third of the season, but the Dodgers traded for Tarik Skubal and got Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow back to go with Yoshinobu Yamamoto to set the team up for October. Those four combined for a 2.49 ERA and 30.3-percent strikeout rate in 33 starts over the final 54 games, including 21 quality starts. That’ll play

The Dodgers bullpen found their way once again over the final third of the season, with the big four of Tanner Scott, Edgardo Henriquez, Alex Vesia, and Jack Dreyer buoyed by a now-healthy Evan Phillips and Brock Stewart, who look like October contributors after missing last postseason after surgeries.

That is our look at the 2026 Dodgers season, 54 games at a time.