With a 5-0 win on Saturday night against the San Diego Padres, the Los Angeles Dodgers set another record. Saturday’s game was the 18th straight time in which Los Angeles allowed four runs or fewer. This set a new franchise record. The last time the Dodgers allowed more than four runs was on April 20 when they lost at home to the New York Mets by a score of 6-4.
Starting Pitcher James Paxton turned in a wonderful start to help Los Angeles inch closer to history. He tossed six scoreless innings and the bullpen took it from there as they recorded three scoreless innings helping the Los Angeles Dodgers cruise to victory.
Will the pitching staff of the Dodgers be able to keep up this historic pace?
Los Angeles Dodgers Led By Their Pitching Staff This Season
The @Dodgers have set a new franchise record with their 18th straight game allowing no more than 4 runs! pic.twitter.com/eCwJw6JZIP
— MLB (@MLB) May 12, 2024
Los Angeles has one of the best pitching staffs in baseball, if not the best, by a variety of metrics. The team is third in the league in ERA, fourth in saves, top 10 in strikeouts, and is tied for the league in opposing batting average. The Dodgers pitching staff is dominating the league without a few key pieces including Clayton Kershaw and Shohei Ohtani. Kershaw is recovering from shoulder surgery while Ohtani is unable to pitch this season due to elbow surgery. Kershaw is expected to return sometime this summer.
The Dodgers also welcomed back Starting Pitcher Walker Buehler earlier this week following Tommy John Surgery. He struggled in his season debut but the two-time MLB All-Star is a welcome addition to what is already one of the league’s best units.
Starting Pitcher Tyler Glasnow, a key offseason acquisition for the team, has been one of the best pitchers in all of baseball this season. He is 6-1 with a 2.53 ERA while also leading all of Major League Baseball in strikeouts. Glasnow signed a five-year, $136 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers in December 2023.
Starting Pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, another free agent signing, is putting together a strong case for Rookie of the Year with a 4-1 record and an ERA of 2.79.
Do Not Forget About The Offense
The Los Angeles Dodgers(27-14) have the third-best record in baseball not just because of their stellar pitching, but also the fact they feature one of the most potent offenses in professional baseball. The quartet of Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Will Smith have all gotten off to blazing starts. Ohtani is putting together another MVP season and is second in the league in batting average, fourth in home runs, and 13th in RBI. Betts is seventh in batting average and 13th in RBI while Freeman and Smith are both also top 20 batting average.
The Los Angeles Dodgers offense is first in batting average, hits, Slugging Percentage, and OPS. They are also second in the league in home runs.
Dodgers Upcoming Schedule
Los Angeles looks to hold the offense under four runs for the 19th straight time later today when they finish up their three-game set with the San Diego Padres. The team continues their road trip when they travel to San Francisco for a four-game series beginning on Monday.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have all the makings of a team poised for a deep playoff run in 2024. Only time will tell if that potential will lend itself to continued success on the field.
About The Author
Justin has always loved sports. He has previously written for Sports Illustrated and 247Sports. He is always willing to talk football (NFL or college) and basketball, whether it’s on the women’s or men’s side, college or pro! Check out all the great content Total Apex Sports has to offer. Check us out on X @TotalApexSports and our other sites: Total Apex Sports Bets and Total Apex Fantasy
