In Los Angeles, CA, the momentum surrounding their beloved baseball team has screeched to a jarring halt. The Dodgers are heading into the All-Star break with production at an extreme low. After getting swept in their last series, they are looking to gain some footing before the start of the midsummer classic.
With a plethora of key players on the injured list, the Dodgers are trying to make the broken pieces come together before they head into the second half of 2024. The starting pitching has been a large contributing factor in their shortcomings as of late.
Can the Dodgers fix the problems leading to their recent downfall, or will they go into the All-Star break playing less than satisfactory?
Dodgers As Of Late
In the Dodgers’ last 13 games, they are 5-8. The source of their frailty comes from the starting rotation. The Dodgers have struggled with having a consistent starting pitching staff for almost the entirety of the season. With their big stars on the IL, dependable consistency on the mound has been lacking severely.
The star of the starting rotation as of late has been phenom, Tyler Glasnow. He has produced big for Los Angeles even becoming an All-Star this year for the first time in his career. Glasnow currently harbors an ERA of 3.47 and a WHIP of 0.93. He is second in the league with strikeouts at 143, just behind the Chicago White Sox’s Garret Crochet.
A powerhouse pitcher like Glasnow is what the Dodgers need to succeed with a rotation that is somewhat lacking. Unfortunately for the Dodgers, that imperative asset has hit a bump in the road as he was placed on the IL with back tightness, putting him out of contention for All-Star play and not ready for return until after the break.
Adding to their starting pitching staff woes, the once promising young talent of Bobby Miller has been optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Coming off of a strong debut season, Miller has faced some extreme struggles this season. He has a whopping ERA of 8.07 and a WAR in the negatives. Los Angeles is hoping his time in OKC will be enough to get him back on track.
Dodgers Swept For The First Time This Year
Amidst these problems for the Dodgers, they were swept for the first time this year by the Philadephia Phillies earlier this week. The series began with Philadelphia winning by a large margin. Miller recorded four innings of work, allowing 9 runs. With the game out of control, Manager Dave Roberts had Kike Hernández pitch, throwing 1.1 innings of shutout relief.
The series for the Dodgers was filled with mistakes that the Phillies capitalized on. With imperfect play, Los Angeles was not able to maintain a lead to the end.
“No one’s gonna feel sorry for you. You gotta play better,” said Roberts in a post-game interview.
The series was filled with mistakes in the field and on the basepaths. The somewhat sloppy performance is what cost the Dodgers the series. Despite the poor play and pressure to be perfect, Players such as Chris Taylor, Miguel Rojas, etc., were able to put together good at-bats. This is a promising outlook for Los Angeles moving forward.
Regaining Footing Before the Break
Due to their shortcomings, Los Angeles lead in the National League West was shortened to 7 games. Following the rough battle with Philadelphia, the Dodgers are trying to take back the reigns against the Detroit Tigers. They have now extended their lead in the NL West by 8 games.
With a strong showing so far against the Tigers, the Dodgers look to take the series tomorrow and head into the break on the positive note that has been so sought after.
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