For the first time in over a month, the Los Angeles Dodgers are no longer alone at the top of the NL West. And yes, it stings even more given it’s their division rival San Francisco Giants, who just caught up to them. But is it really surprising? With the number of players of LA on the injured list, unable to contribute even the crème de la crème players, the pressure was going to catch up sooner or the other.
The result was evident on Friday, as the Dodgers suffered a 6-2 loss at their stadium. It wasn’t just a game with the rivals; the loss also knocked them from the first place since May 10. Plus, the Giants haven’t sniffed the postseason ever since 2021, but they managed to take on baseball’s reigning World Champs!
Right now, the Dodgers are looking more than just shaky. Now, to solve a part of this wobble just a few weeks earlier, LA decided to option Landon Knack for a fellow young arm, Justin Wrobleski. Why so? Well, Knack was doing fine until that game against the Mets, where he gave up four runs in just 3.1 innings. Hence, the team decided to take a step ahead. But even then, not much of a difference because Justin Wrobleski is lost in his only start, with four runs allowed.
But Wrobleski, in his way, is trying to learn fast. In a recent interview after their loss to the Giants, the twenty-four year old revealed the advice he is clinging to—courtesy of none other than Clayton Kershaw. “His big thing is don’t walk, guys,” Wrobleski said. “Obviously, I’m trying to do that every time out. It’s easier said than done, but yeah—that’s the goal. Just attack.”
Unfortunately, though, the top arm of the Los Angeles Dodgers couldn’t stand tall on Friday. Yamamoto ended up making costly mistakes. And it does make you wonder how long one top arm can hold the pitching staff together. Plus, what pressures he must be facing every time he steps up. Now, just that, the bullpen too tried to hold its ground after Yamamoto exited. But the Giants had already done enough damage. The Dodgers’ offense also couldn’t get going and managed two runs.
In fact, Dave Roberts, even before the series started, did admit to the Giants being good. “They’ve found ways to win baseball games. They’re playing good baseball. So it’ll be a good series.” Except this time, it is not the way LA fans were hoping for. Still with young pitchers soaking up wisdom from veterans, they are not backing down. At least not yet—the run for redemption is strong!
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Japanese arms facing rough patches
While the Los Angeles Dodgers want nothing more than redemption, it’s hard to ignore that before the trade deadline, some things demand immediate attention for LA. One being, of course, pitching, given two of their arms are facing major issues- one struggling to perform, and one to make a comeback. No doubt, Yoshinobu Yamamoto is the one holding down the fort, but his numbers with the Giants tell a different story. Four runs, five walks, and a whole lot of frustration packed into less than five innings. After throwing 102 pitches with just 56 of them landing for strikes, Yamamoto didn’t sugarcoat anything, saying, “There were absolutely no pitches with which I was satisfied.”
From the missed fastball to the breaking balls, Yamamoto looked nothing like the pitcher he is known to be. The fifth inning was the breaking point as Casey Schmitt launched a grand slam. And Yamamoto, who was rattled by the game, slammed his glove on the mound.
But these aren’t all the worries that the Dodgers need to face. Yamamoto’s countryman Roki Sasaki still hasn’t made it back to the mound yet after being placed in May. He is still stuck in recovery mode. And Dave Roberts and the pitching coach do say that Sasaki is pain-free, but one major problem is confidence. Robert admitted just recently, “I don’t know if he’s feeling something, or he just doesn’t have the confidence to kind of trust that he’s in a good spot.” And truly, right now, with Sasaki, Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, and Blake Snell all dealing with one issue or another, the rotation has turned out to be like a game of survival.
For now, though, it seems to be a waiting game for health and command to come back to the Dodgers!
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