The Los Angeles Dodgers are hot—I mean white hot. I guess that’s what happens when you spend $1 billion on free agents in the offseason. The team has won six in a row and 13 out of its last 15 games. In those 15 games, the Dodgers have outscored their opponents 107-21 and hit 27 home runs.
The Dodgers face the Miami Marlins again tonight and are going for their second straight series sweep. This start shouldn’t surprise anyone. Those free-agent signings—Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto—are both having spectacular springs. Yamamoto went a full eight innings on Tuesday night against Miami, throwing 75% strikes and giving up just two runs, and Shohei Ohtani is playing as well as ever.
Will the Los Angeles Dodgers be able to continue their hot start?
SHO-TIME SHINES IN LOS ANGELES
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Ohtani leads baseball in batting average (.370), hits (54), home runs (11) and OPS (1.139)
Put Mookie Betts in front of him and Freddie Freeman behind him, and you see why pitchers are
struggling with the Dodgers top three.
Dodgers legend Clayton Kershaw says it’s hard to describe Ohtani when you see him play every day:
“I don’t remember him ever being this good in Anaheim,” Kershaw said during the game on Monday night. “I don’t remember him ever being on this kind of tear. This is unbelievable. Every ball that he hits, he’s just so strong. I don’t get it. I don’t think anybody does. He’s just amazing.”
Ohtani is getting all the headlines, but don’t forget about Betts. He is having one of the best starts in his career, hitting .349, which is second in baseball behind Ohtani. Betts has 27 RBI in the Dodgers’ 38 games as a leadoff hitter.
It’s Not Just The Offense
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The Dodgers offense is in the stratosphere, but the defense is pretty good right now, too. The Dodgers are second in the major leagues in team defensive runs saved and first in the National League. Manager Dave Roberts thinks he knows why things are going so well.
“I’m managing a lot better these last five games,” Roberts joked to an Orange County Register reporter. “Baseball is cyclical. Obviously, those top two guys have been swinging the bat well all year. Freddie (Freeman) was in a funk before this win streak, and he’s come out of that certainly.”
Dodgers Have a Full Rotation On The IL
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Kershaw threw another bullpen on Tuesday in his rehab from surgery on his left shoulder in November 2023. He threw just 20 pitches. “Ticked up the velocity, felt good, free and easy,” Dave Roberts said of Kershaw’s bullpen session. He’s on the 60-day IL, and the team reports he’s expected back sometime after the all-star break.
The Dodgers also have their share of injuries this season. As of Tuesday night, the team has 12 pitchers on the injured list. That’s nearly an entire pitching staff. Seven of the 12 are starters if you include Ohtani. He is recovering from surgery on his elbow in the off-season. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he will not pitch this season.
Los Angeles has all of the makings of a team that can hoist the World Series trophy in a few months.
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Bradley Tachco is a career journalist. I spent 12+ years at CNN as a writer and producer. My sports are the NHL, MLB, and NFL. My goal: unique content. My teams are the Buffalo Sabres, Buffalo Bills (yes, I am a masochist), and the Los Angeles Dodgers. I have been a Dodgers fan since I was old enough to think. I have gone through decades of despair with all three franchises. You can follow Bradley on X @p09691
