Dodgers Dugout: A closer look at the pitching problems
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. One day it's hot, the next day it's cold. I think the Earth might have the flu.
Let's face it, the Dodgers haven't been playing all that brilliantly lately. They are 10-9 in May and had a four-game losing streak at one point. The fault for this is mainly the pitching, which has been in shambles lately. What's gone wrong, and how can the Dodgers, uh, deshambleize?
One of the best things about baseball is they keep track of every conceivable stat. So let's take a look at some numbers.
Most runs given up in the first inning this season:
1. Colorado, 532. Baltimore, 392. Athletics, 394. Dodgers, 385. Houston, 335. White Sox, 337. Angels, 32
The fewest number of runs given up in the first inning this season is three by Kansas City.
Most runs given up in the first three innings this season:
1. Colorado, 1262. Athletics, 1103. Baltimore, 1084. Arizona, 875. Dodgers, 856. Angels, 84
The fewest: 33, by the Royals.
Most runs given up in the ninth inning this season:
1. Arizona, 352. Philadelphia, 293. Angels, 244. Mets, 235. Toronto, 236. Texas, 226. Pittsburgh, 227. Dodgers, 21
The fewest: Nine, by Minnesota and the Cubs
If you are near the lead in giving up runs at the beginning and end of games, then you are fortunate to be 31-19. It's not sustainable, but it seems unlikely the Dodgers' pitching will be like this all season, particularly when guys start making their way off the IL. And let's look at the IL for pitchers again:
Dodger pitchers on the IL and when they are expected to return:
Tyler Glasnow, shoulder (before All-Star break)Brusdar Graterol, shoulder surgery (September)Michael Grove, shoulder surgery (2026)Edgardo Henriquez, broken foot (June)Kyle Hurt, Tommy John surgery (2026)Michael Kopech, shoulder impingement (later this month)Evan Phillips, elbow (unknown)River Ryan, Tommy John surgery (2026)Roki Sasaki, shoulder (unknown)Emmet Sheehan, Tommy John surgery (around the All-Star break)Blake Snell, shoulder (before All-Star break)Gavin Stone, shoulder surgery (2026)Blake Treinen, forearm (July)Kirby Yates, strained hamstring (early June)
Shohei Ohtani is expected back as a pitcher soon after the All-Star break.
Three members of the season-opening rotation are on the IL. Three members of the season-opening bullpen are on the IL. Not a recipe for success.
Glasnow and Snell have begun throwing, so they could be back before the break. Kopech is close to a return. Phillips had a setback in his recovery, but all signs are positive for everyone else.
'It still doesn't feel like last year, but we're in May, so not gonna jinx it and get into any comparisons,' Andrew Friedman, president of baseball operations, told reporters. 'For the most part, the things that we've gone through are shorter-term. Last year, they were significant and resulted in surgery. In some ways, maybe we're over-indexing some and just being a little bit more cautious and trying to make sure it doesn't get to that point.
'But I said this a lot, and I think anyone who doesn't say it is not being honest, there's a lot we don't know about injury stuff, and I think it's important not to pretend like we have all the answers. There's a lot to it that is really challenging, and we're hoping to continue to grow and learn from experiences and just try to make the smartest, best move we can, knowing we're going to make mistakes. … It's by far the No. 1 thing that keeps me up at night.'
Best starting rotation ERA this season:
1. Mets, 2.832. Texas, 2.873. Kansas City, 2.934. Philadelphia, 3.345. Minnesota, 3.4123. Dodgers, 4.3030. Colorado, 7.03
Best bullpen ERA this season:
1. San Francisco, 2.662. Houston, 2.863. Mets, 2.914. Minnesota, 3.095. Detroit, 3.1916. Dodgers, 4.0030. Angels, 6.67
Sometimes, a low bullpen ERA can be misleading. Let's say a reliever comes in with the bases loaded and one out. He gives up a bases-clearing triple, then strikes out the last two batter. The reliever's ERA is 0.00, but did he do his job? No, so we also need to check a stat called inherited runners who scored, or IRS%. In the example given, the reliever's IRS% is 100%. The league average this season is 32.9%.
Here are the best teams this season in IRS%:
1. Toronto, 20.8% (15 of 72 inherited runners scored)2. Yankees, 23.1% (18 of 78)3. Dodgers, 23.4% (11 of 47)4. Baltimore, 24.7% (18 of 73)5. Seattle, 27.3% (12 of 44)30. San Francisco, 42.9% (21 of 49)
Dodgers' ERA as a starting pitcher this season:
Ben Casparius, 0.00 (one inning)Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 1.86 (58)Blake Snell, 2.00 (9)Tony Gonsolin, 4.05 (20)Dustin May, 4.09 (50.2)Matt Sauer, 4.50 (4)Tyler Glasnow, 4.50 (18)Roki Sasaki, 4.72 (34.1)Landon Knack, 6.61 (16.1)Jack Dreyer, 6.75 (5.1)Clayton Kershaw, 11.25 (4)Justin Wrobleski, 14.40 (5)Bobby Miller, 18.00 (3)
Yamamoto has carried the rotation this season.
Finally, the Dodgers are 10-9 this month. Have they had any months where they finished .500 or worse since 2017?
Ten worst months by the Dodgers since 2017:
September, 2017: 12-17, .414April, 2018: 11-14, .440July, 2024: 11-13, .458May, 2018: 14-14, .500June, 2023: 12-12, .500August, 2018: 14-13, .519May, 2025: 10-9, .526June, 2022: 14-12, .538July, 2021: 14-12, .538April, 2017: 14-12, .538
Note: This does not include short months (March or October) when they may have gone 0-1 or 2-3.
So, except for 2019, every full season since 2017 has included one mediocre month. Maybe the Dodgers are getting it out of the way in May this season.
This stretch of games calls for patience. The Dodgers have made moves to improve their offense this month. But there's not a lot to do to improve the pitching except wait for guys to get healthy. It's hard to be patient when there are four teams playing so well in the NL West, with one of the four guaranteed not to make the playoffs. Think of it this way: They say patience is a virtue, and couldn't we all use a little virtue in our life?
We've been doing the 'Ask.... ' series for quite a few years now, where Dodgers from the past answer questions posed by readers. I have a couple lined up that I won't reveal just yet, but what I'd like to know is: Who would you like to hear from? Is there a former Dodger for whom you have a question? Email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com and let me know. No promises, since the person has to agree to do it, but I can try.
And before you send me this name, Sandy Koufax is off the table. I've asked more than once, and he just doesn't do interviews. And I respect that. But any other former Dodger is fair game. Except the ones who are no longer with us, I guess that technically makes them a member of the Angels now.
Previous interviews:
Ron Cey Fred Claire Carl Erskine Joe Davis Shawn Green Mickey Hatcher Orel Hershiser Tommy John Eric Karros Tom Niedenfuer Peter O'Malley Jerry Reuss Steve Sax Mike Scioscia Maury Wills
I'm probably forgetting a few, but you get the idea. And, now you know not to ask for the people listed. Again, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com and let me know who you'd like to hear from.
The flip side of the previous leaders: Dodgers' all-time worst in batting average with two out and runners in scoring position, minimum 150 at-bats, excluding pitchers.
Franchise1. Dave Anderson, .1792. Rick Monday, .1853. Austin Barnes, .1884. Steve Yeager, .1905. A.J. Ellis, .1936. Joc Pederson, .1947. Yasmani Grandal, .1988. Dave Hansen, .2009. Ollie O'Mara, .20010. Jim Bucher, .204
Los Angeles only1. Dave Anderson, .1792. Rick Monday, .1853. Austin Barnes, .1884. Steve Yeager, .1905. A.J. Ellis, .1936. Joc Pederson, .1947. Yasmani Grandal, .1988. Dave Hansen, .2009. Greg Brock, .20910. Tim Wallach, .21111. Yasiel Puig, .21512. Frank Howard, .21713. Max Muncy, .21814. Cody Bellinger, .22015. John Roseboro, .222
Memorial Day is Monday, so there will be no newsletter that day as we honor those who gave their lives for this country. Dodgers Dugout will return next Friday.
Friday: Dodgers (*Clayton Kershaw, 0-0, 11.25 ERA) at New York Mets (Griffin Canning, 5-1, 2.47 ERA), 4:10 p.m., Apple TV+, AM 570, KTNQ 1020
Saturday: Dodgers (Tony Gonsolin, 2-0, 4.05 ERA) at New York Mets (*David Peterson, 2-2, 2.86 ERA), 4:10 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTNQ 1020
Sunday: Dodgers (Landon Knack, 2-1, 6.17 ERA) at New York Mets (Kodai Senga, 4-3, 1.43 ERA), 4 p.m., ESPN, AM 570, KTNQ 1020
*-left-handed
Hernández: It's tempting to rush Shohei Ohtani back on the mound, but the Dodgers shouldn't do it
Reinforcements soon? Injured Dodgers pitchers, including Shohei Ohtani, are finally progressing
Why a tight NL West race factored into Dodgers' decision to cut Chris Taylor, Austin Barnes
Vin Scully reflects on Roy Campanella. Watch and listen here.
Have a comment or something you'd like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com, and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
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