Saturday, September 14, 2024
Copyrighted by Sarah Morris, 2024
After the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Shohei Ohtani to a record-setting $700 million 10 years, many pundits on the internet were buying tickets for the World Series parade. Now, the Dodgers will be lucky to get to the NLCS.
The Dodger starting rotation is almost no more because injuries have decimated it. Bobby Miller and Walker Buehler are mostly ineffective. On Saturday, Tyler Glasnow was diagnosed with a sprained right elbow. When the media asked Dave Roberts about the likelihood of Glasnow returning this season, he replied, “highly unlikely.”
Right now, the Dodgers have two full starting rotations on the IL. Clayton Kershaw is trying to do everything he can to return to the rotation by the beginning of the playoffs. At least, he has kept moving his valuable arm while he deals with the painful big left toe. He probably won’t pitch during the regular season.
The Dodgers don’t know if their most reliable starter, Gavin Stone, will be able to return to the rotation. The Dodgers placed Stone on the IL with right shoulder inflammation on September 6. Stone is scheduled to begin a throwing program. If Stone doesn’t experience a setback, he might be available to pitch during the postseason.
If Andrew Friedman didn’t acquire Jack Flaherty at the trading deadline on July 30th, the Dodgers would be done. Flaherty has been fantastic since becoming a Dodger. He has 5 wins and 1 loss with a 2.61 ERA before he faced the Atlanta Braves on Saturday. He has given the Dodgers length in his starts. Going into the playoffs, Flaherty will be the Dodger ace.
On Tuesday, Yoshinobu Yamamoto returned from a three-month absence with a strained rotator cuff. He dominated the Chicago Cubs for four innings. If Freddie Freeman had a better defensive play, he would not have allowed a run. The Dodgers expect Yamamoto to be their second starter during the playoffs.
Oh yeah, the Dodgers have a good bullpen. Why can’t they rely on the relievers during the playoffs? The Dodger bullpen has been overused. The relievers are exhausted. When a reliever is fatigued, he doesn’t perform well.
Some people want to see Shohei Ohtani pitch this postseason about 12 months after having Tommy John revision surgery. No. Sorry, Bill Plaschke, it is a horrible idea! Ohtani is having a historic offensive season. The Dodgers must protect their superstar and investment. Without Ohtani’s offense, the Dodgers wouldn’t have been able to go to the postseason this year.
Like in the 2023 season when the Arizona Diamondbacks eliminated the Dodgers during the NLDS, the Dodgers don’t have starting pitching. If Jack Flaherty and Yoshinobu Yamamoto can dominate the Dodgers’ opponent during each playoff series, the Dodgers should be okay if their offense produces. If not, it will be a long offseason for the Dodgers again this year.
