Shohei Ohtani leads baseball’s best team into a final pre-break showdown against the Arizona Diamondbacks. With a 14.5-game cushion, the Los Angeles Dodgers aim to bury their rivals before the All-Star festivities.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are currently a league-best 61-33. Their .649 winning percentage is second to none, and no other team in baseball even has 60 wins.
For reference, the American League Central and AL West don't have a single team that has more than 48 wins.
The Dodgers are set to do battle with the Arizona Diamondbacks in a three-game slate that will put the first-half of the 2026 season to rest.
Currently, the D-backs are 46-47. They just split a series with the San Diego Padres, a team they just so happen to have the same exact record as. Heading into this series, both the Diamondbacks and Padres are 14.5 games back on the Dodgers.
Friday, July 10
Shohei Ohtani (8-2, 1.79 ERA) vs. Eduardo Rodriguez (7-3, 2.55 ERA)
Ohtani has been unbelievable this season, but so has Rodriguez. This is a fantastic pitching matchup to kick off the final series before the All-Star break.
Ohtani, as always, seems to be in the Cy Young conversation. He's won six of his last starts, and he's gone at least 6.0 innings in each of his last six.
Rodriguez is coming off a rare loss, but he's gone at least 6.0 innings in each of his last four. Most impressively, he's allowed just four earned runs in that span.
Saturday, July 11
Yoshinobu Yamamoto (9-5, 2.49 ERA) vs. Brandon Pfaadt (2-1, 4.84 ERA)
Pfaadt is no longer a permanent starter for the Diamondbacks, but he's set to make his sixth start in his 16th appearance this season. The 27-year-old has won each of his last two starts, and he's gone five-plus innings in each of them while allowing just one earned run.
Yamamoto is fresh off a 10-strikeout game that got him up to triple-digits here in 2026. He's also been on a heater, one that's seen him go 6.0 innings in each of his last five starts, with three of those being seven-plus innings. Keep in mind, he's 4-1 in that stretch.
Sunday, July 12
Emmet Sheehan (4-6, 4.91 ERA) vs. Zac Gallen (3-9, 6.34 ERA)
Absolutely anything could happen in these teams' final game before the All-Star break. If everyone is checked out and ready for a week off, that could lead to these two pitchers putting together their best starts of 2026.
On the contrary, the bats could be ready to explode after four solid starters took the mound in the first two games. This game is a complete toss-up, and it all depends on which version of these pitchers show up at Dodger Stadium.
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