SAN FRANCISCO — The Dodgers didn’t need a masterpiece Thursday afternoon at Oracle Park, but they got one anyway.
Behind a dominant, tone-setting performance from Tyler Glasnow and a long-overdue breakthrough with runners in scoring position, the Dodgers avoided a sweep with a 3-0 win over the San Francisco Giants.
After two flat losses to open the series, this was the response they needed, cleaner, sharper, and far more opportunistic.
It started with execution in the second inning, something that had been missing entirely the first two days. Max Muncy worked a walk and immediately put pressure on the defense, running on a full count to stay out of a double play on a grounder from Andy Pages. That small detail cracked the inning open.
Moments later, Dalton Rushing delivered again.
The rookie’s run-scoring single gave the Dodgers their first lead of the series, and continued what is quickly becoming one of the more compelling early-season developments. Rushing is now 4-for-10 with runners in scoring position and has driven in 14 runs in just 10 games. For a lineup that had gone 0-for-8 in those spots through the first two games, his presence has been stabilizing.
They weren’t done.
Max and Hyeseong extend the lead! pic.twitter.com/fsVyWQCjY8
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 23, 2026
In the fourth, Kyle Tucker showed the decisiveness Dave Roberts had been calling for. After some recent hesitation at the plate, Tucker jumped on a first-pitch changeup from Logan Webb and drove it into the left-center gap for a double. He scored moments later when Muncy lined one back up the middle, aided by a defensive miscue from Drew Gilbert, to make it 2-0.
Then came another situational hit. Hyeseong Kim punched an RBI single, scoring Muncy and extending the lead to 3-0. Just like that, the Dodgers had flipped the script: 3-for-7 with runners in scoring position after two games of nothing.
That was more than enough for Glasnow.
The right-hander was, simply put, untouchable.
Seven scoreless innings for Tyler Glasnow! pic.twitter.com/LBzb7T85R2
— MLB (@MLB) April 23, 2026
After issuing a walk to his second batter of the game, Glasnow locked in and never let go. He retired 11 straight at one point and faced the minimum deep into the outing. The only blemishes: a soft single by Luis Arraez and an error behind him.
Everything else was precision and power.
Glasnow carved through the Giants lineup for eight scoreless innings, allowing just one hit, walking one, and striking out nine on 105 pitches. He needed only 10 pitches to close out the eighth inning, a fitting exclamation point on his afternoon. It marked his fourth straight quality start, and his first time recording an out beyond the seventh inning in two years.
With Glasnow done, the Dodgers turned to Tanner Scott in their first save opportunity since losing Edwin Díaz. Scott needed just 13 pitches to close it out cleanly, securing his first save of the season and finishing off a game that, for once this series, never felt in doubt.
Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images
Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Tanner Scott (66) pitches the ball against the San Francisco Giants during the ninth inning at Oracle Park.
Not everything clicked. Shohei Ohtani went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts, while Teoscar Hernández and Pages combined to go hitless. But for a team searching for timely hitting, the contributions they did get, particularly from Rushing, were enough.
More importantly, they were timely.
The Dodgers leave San Francisco with something they didn’t have 24 hours earlier: momentum.
Next, they return home to open a six-game homestand against the Chicago Cubs, with Emmet Sheehan set to take the mound Friday night.
After a sluggish start to the week, Thursday offered a reminder of what this team looks like when the pieces align: dominant pitching, situational awareness, and just enough offense.