Sheehan’s Surge and Hernández’s Power Ignite Dodgers’ Stunning Rally Over Rockies—What This Means for the Division Race!

Tuesday at Dodger Stadium rolled around, and with it came that odd little ritual known as picture day—one of those charming relics baseball clings to like an old glove, hanging on even when it’s long past proving its worth. The front lawn of shallow center field got a modest makeover: three rows of aluminum risers set up, ready to cradle the guys in their blindingly white uniforms. Players shuffled out just before 3 p.m., skipping their usual batting practice dance to line up for the photographers. Baseball’s all about routine, sure—but Tuesday afternoon had this peculiar last-day-of-school feel, the kind that makes you blink and think, “Wait, already?”

Manager Dave Roberts even admitted it felt ‘weird’. But here’s the kicker: this isn’t just about smiles and posed perfection. Picture day, timed late in the season, shines a harsh spotlight on what’s really at stake—the postseason. The players stepping onto those risers aren’t just posing; they’re the ones charting the Dodgers’ destiny. And this time, the spotlight was squarely on them as they rode the wave of Emmet Sheehan’s masterful pitching to clinch a convincing 7-2 triumph over the Colorado Rockies. Sheehan, jockeying for a playoff rotation spot, was backed not only by his own brilliance but also by a barrage of four home runs, including a pair from Teoscar Hernández — his first three-hit night in more than a month.

The victory marked the team’s third straight and, with San Diego’s stumble against Cincinnati, extended the Dodgers’ lead in the National League West to two games with just 17 contests left. It’s those tense, closing moments that Roberts said are “getting down to the wire.” The pressure cooker is on . Wanna dive deeper into this story? Check it out for yourself right here: LEARN MORE

It was picture day at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday, one of those quaint baseball traditions that has endured long past its usefulness.

So the team set up three rows of aluminum risers in shallow center field and the players, wearing impossibly white uniforms, filed out of the clubhouse just before 3 p.m., passing up batting practice to pose for the cameras. For a sport that thrives on routine, the afternoon had a unique last-day-of-school vibe.

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“It’s a weird day,” manager Dave Roberts agreed.

But picture day also serves to bring the end of the season into tighter focus since it usually happens in the final three weeks. And the players who climb those risers are the ones who will decide the team’s postseason fate.

That was especially true for the Dodgers, who rode another splendid pitching performance — this one from Emmet Sheehan — to a 7-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies. Sheehan, bidding for a spot in the playoff rotation, was backed by four homers, including a pair of solo shots from Teoscar Hernández, who had his first three-hit night in more than a month.

The win, the team’s third in a row, coupled with San Diego’s loss to Cincinnati, expanded the Dodgers’ lead in the National League West to two games over the second-place Padres with just 17 left to play.

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“It’s getting down to the wire,” Roberts said.

Read more: Strong rehab outing could put Roki Sasaki back in Dodgers’ postseason roster contention

The Dodgers’ starting pitching is already in postseason form, posting a 1.41 ERA over the past five games. On Tuesday it was Sheehan’s turn on the mound and he set down the first 15 Rockies in order, becoming the third Dodger starter in four games to take a no-hitter into the sixth inning.

He wound up scattering three hits and a walk over seven innings, striking out nine to earn his fourth victory in five decisions. The win was also Sheehan’s fourth victory in as many appearances against Colorado.

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Roberts said his team’s starting pitchers are all competing to one-up each other, giving the significance of the games now.

“They’re feeding off one another,” he said. “The pitchers are of the mind that these are very, very important games. It’s kind of the playoff mentality. The catchers are calling games in that vein.

“The defense has been really focused getting off the baseball. There’s a heightened level of focus across the board.”

That even spread to the offense, said Mookie Betts, whose two-run home run in the third extended his streak of reaching base safely to 15 straight games.

“It’s really neat being on this side,” Betts, who had multiple RBIs for a fourth straight game, said of watching the Dodger pitchers work. “If you kind of take a step back and look at it, there’s a lot of teams that would ask for something like this. Those guys give us opportunity to win every day.

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“It’s really important for us as on the offensive side not to take that for granted.”

Although the Dodgers entered Tuesday second to last in the majors with an average of 3.14 runs a game in September, against Colorado starter Germán Márquez (3-13), whose ERA (6.31) looks more like a mortgage rate, they ran out to a 5-0 lead after five innings. As a result the focus turned to Sheehan, who needed just 59 pitches to cruise through five perfect innings, striking out five.

“I probably knew,” Sheehan, pitching on the 60^th anniversary of Sandy Koufax’s perfect game, said when asked if he was aware he was more than halfway to matching that. “But I was definitely not thinking about it.”

Read more: Hernández: Can starting pitching carry the Dodgers in October? Dave Roberts may not have a choice

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The right-hander said he tried to cross the Rockies up by moving away from his fastball and going with a slider to the glove side instead.

“I felt like I was executing the slider pretty well,” he said. “The more I throw it, the easier it gets to get it to that spot. It’s an important pitch for me.”

Kyle Karros ended the suspense when he lined Sheehan’s first pitch of the sixth inning over a leaping Max Muncy at third for a single. Two more singles brought Karros around to score, ending the shutout as well.

Still Sheehan (6-3) was more than good enough to win for the fourth time in five decisions, lowering his ERA to 3.32 and forcing his way into the conversation over a role on the postseason roster.

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“He’s unflappable,” Roberts said. “He knows he’s talented and he knows how to execute pitches. He’s got good stuff. No moment is too big for him. So I can’t speak to what role, but I know that he’s a viable option for us now and going forward.”

Tuesday’s win also left Sheehan unbeaten on picture day, something he nearly skipped as the scheduled starting pitcher.

“I wasn’t going go out there,” he said. “But I was like, I missed the last two. I gotta be out there.”

After all, it’s a tradition.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.