The Los Angeles Dodgers return home for the first time since before the All-Star break and are planning to welcome back reinforcements for a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners.

When the series opens Tuesday, Dodgers utility man Enrique Hernandez is expected to be activated from the injured list. On Wednesday, closer Edwin Diaz is expected to make his return.

Hernandez has played just two games this season because of elbow surgery and a more recent oblique injury, leaving his versatility on defense and his ability to hit left-handed pitching out of the mix.

Diaz was signed in the offseason to be the team’s first dedicated closer since the days of Kenley Jansen, but he struggled through seven appearances early in the season before undergoing a procedure for loose bodies in his elbow.

Also close to a return is left-hander Blake Snell, who underwent his own elbow procedure. Right-hander Tyler Glasnow and catcher Will Smith are in line for returns later this season.

Despite so many talented players being out of action, the Dodgers head into the series with MLB’s best record at 67-39 following a 6-3 road trip against both New York teams, as well as the Philadelphia Phillies. Also thrown into the mix was the All-Star Game and a visit to the White House to celebrate the team’s 2025 World Series championship.

“It (was) a long trip, a lot of moving pieces, variables going on, losing off days,” said Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman, who was one of the team’s six All-Stars.

“I thought we played really good baseball all road trip. I am looking forward to going home.”

Los Angeles reportedly will send left-hander Eric Lauer (5-5, 4.83 ERA) to the mound. He is 2-0 with a 1.46 ERA in two career appearances (one start) against the Mariners.

Seattle will counter with right-hander Luis Castillo (3-9, 4.85), who lost his third consecutive game when he gave up three runs on four hits last Tuesday against the Cincinnati Reds in a 4-3 loss. He did throw a season-best seven innings on 101 pitches.

In five career starts against the Dodgers, Castillo is 3-0 with a 2.83 ERA.

The Mariners arrive in Los Angeles fresh off a rough road series against the Texas Rangers that was billed as a battle for first place in the American League West. Seattle trailed by just a half game when the series started and now sits 2 1/2 games back after losing three of four at Texas.

“We had different aspirations coming in here and it didn’t turn out that way,” manager Dan Wilson said after the Mariners’ 7-3 loss on Monday. “And we’ve got to turn it up.”

It was yet another tepid showing from one of the worst offenses in the major leagues. The Mariners have a collective batting average of .230 that is tied for last in the majors, while their .377 slugging percentage is next to last.

Assistant hitting coach Bobby Magallanes became the fall guy for the woes when he was fired last week.

“It’s just never really felt like we were all moving in the same direction, and it shows on the field,” Seattle president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto told reporters. “It shows in our results, and I hate that this (falls) on Bobby.”

–Field Level Media

A pair of young right-handers attempting to complete an unbeaten month of July will go head-to-head Tuesday night when Logan Henderson and the Milwaukee Brewers take on Landen Roupp and the host San Francisco Giants in the continuation of a three-game series.

The Giants opened the set with a 3-0 victory Monday, getting brilliant pitching from Tyler Mahle and a two-run homer from Grant McCray.

Roupp (7-8, 3.93 ERA) will attempt to successfully follow in Mahle’s footsteps as he looks to continue the form that led to a fast start this season before a two-month slump.

The 27-year-old began the season 5-1 through the end of April, but then started 11 consecutive losses, seven of which went on his record, in May and June.

The third-year major-leaguer has regained his winning form in July, however, going 2-0 with wins against the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners. He took a no-decision against the Kansas City Royals in a 5-4 win last Wednesday. He has allowed just three runs and nine hits in 21 innings.

Roupp’s earlier skid reached its greatest depth when he suffered through his worst outing of the season in a 16-2 loss at Milwaukee on June 1, charged with eight runs in four innings. The loss ran his career record against the Brewers to 0-2 with a 7.16 ERA in five games, including three starts.

Jackson Chourio’s two-run double and Brice Turang’s two-RBI triple, hit consecutively, were the big blows against Roupp in the earlier head-to-head in Milwaukee.

Henderson (4-1, 3.05) has had a similar month. Like Roupp, he is 2-0 with a no-decision in July. The Brewers have won all three Henderson starts, games against the St. Louis Cardinals, Miami Marlins and New York Mets.

In just his second major-league season, the 24-year-old Henderson went winless in his first three starts in 2026 before going unbeaten in his past five. He has allowed just six runs and 11 hits in 15 1/3 innings in July.

His July starts followed almost a six-week layoff due to back soreness. But he watched closely, especially the games of hard-throwing staff ace Jacob Misiorowski, who clearly inspires him.

“It never gets old, and he’s taking it up a notch every start,” Henderson told reporters recently. “I feel privileged to have a front-row seat every game.”

Henderson never has faced the Giants.

One player Henderson definitely won’t see will be Giants slugger Casey Schmitt, who strained his right knee rounding first base after a hit in the second inning of the opener and had to be removed from the game.

The Giants announced after the game that Schmitt, whose hit raised his average to .271, would undergo an MRI on Tuesday.

San Francisco manager Tony Vitello said after the game that he feared Schmitt could miss “significant” time.

“He’s a little bummed out. He loves to play every day,” Vitello told reporters after the win. “Scary moment for him. He was really struggling just to move around. Heart’s got to go out to him and you hope for the best.”

– Field Level Media

Zinedine Zidane, who led France to the 1998 World Cup championship, has been named the next coach of the French men’s national team.

He replaces Didier Deschamps, 57, who had been at the helm since 2012. Deschamps said in January 2025 that he intended to retire at the end of the 2026 World Cup, in which France lost 6-4 to England in the third-place match.

The deal with Zidane, announced Tuesday, is for four years, and he officially will begin his job on Aug. 1. His staff is expected to be revealed in September.

Zidane, 54, entered coaching after his playing days, and his Real Madrid teams won three consecutive Champions Leagues finals (2016-18) and two LaLiga titles.

He resigned from his job in Madrid five years ago and has not coached since, long projected as the successor to Deschamps.

“For me it’s a continuity, a dream,” Zidane said. “I had some offers during the five years I was away to take charge of a club but I turned them all down for the France team. It was the only thing I wanted to do.”

And Zidane said he is ready to get to work.

“I have so many emotions, I am ready for the challenge,” he said. “That’s what motivates me.

“Today I have the opportunity to be in charge of this team and I will give everything so that this team can win.”

Zidane will make his coaching debut with the national team on Sept. 25, when he leads France against Turkey in their first match of this UEFA Nations League schedule.

–Field Level Media