Thursday, June 26, 2025

Copyrighted by Sarah Morris, 2025

On Wednesday at Coors Field, the Los Angeles Dodgers finished their first half of the 2025 season with 50 wins and 31 losses. The Dodgers have a good lead in the National League Western Division.

The main theme of the Dodger 2025 season is pitching problems. During this past offseason, Andrew Friedman tried to sign most of the quality pitchers, so he didn’t have to shop for pitchers at the trading deadline.

Well… it didn’t work. So far, the Dodgers have used 34 different pitchers. Last season, when the Dodgers won the World Series, they set a major league record by using 40 different pitchers.

Friedman signed – Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki – to bolster the starting rotation. He thought Tyler Glasnow and Tony Gonsolin would be a part of the rotation.

Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki, and Tony Gonsolin are on the IL with arm problems. The Dodgers expect Snell and Glasnow to return to the rotation before the All-Star break.

Clayton Kershaw returned from knee and toe surgeries much easier than expected.  He has been amazing after his first two starts. In his next start, Kershaw should reach 3,000 strikeouts.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto has been an ace of the rotation despite having an awful month of June, except for his last start against the Colorado Rockies. The Dodgers need Yamamoto to become great again. He still has 7 wins, 6 losses, 2.61 ERA, and 101 strikeouts.

Another starter in the rotation from Opening Day is Dustin May. After missing almost two years, May has been inconsistent as he adjusted to a new style of pitching. He has 4 wins, 5 losses, a 4.46, and 72 strikeouts. If he remains healthy, May will improve.

Last week against the San Diego Padres, Emmet Sheehan made his 2025 debut after missing all of the 2024 season with Tommy John surgery. Promptly, the Dodgers sent him to Triple-A, Oklahoma City, where he just pitched six perfect innings, including 13 strikeouts. The Dodgers will promote Sheehan soon and will stay in the major leagues.

Shohei Ohtani has pitched two innings since August 2023. He should be a major part of the rotation in August and later. No one knows how to build up his stamina as a starter, despite being one of the best hitters for the Dodgers.

Since the Dodger starting rotation has had problems, their bullpen has been overused and stressed. The bullpen has pitched 354 innings, the most innings by any major league team. The Dodgers lost Evan Phillips to Tommy John surgery. Kirby Yates just returned from a strained hamstring. Soon, Luis Garcia will return to the bullpen after having a strained oblique. The Dodgers hope Brusdar Graterol, recovering from shoulder surgery, will return to the bullpen.

The pitching staff must have a great defensive team to support the pitchers. Defensively, the Dodgers are a great team. Entering this season, many pundits questioned whether the Dodgers would be able to catch the ball.

No one thought Mookie Betts would be a good shortstop, but Friedman said, “Don’t bet against Betts.” For the first time in baseball history, a Gold Glove right fielder hasn’t transitioned to shortstop successfully. But now…  Betts is an above-average defensive shortstop. He has prevented many runs from scoring. While Betts is playing a superb defensive shortstop, his offensive production has been disappointing. Betts had an awful stomach bug, weakening him. Betts probably won’t regain his offensive production until the 2026 season.

The amazing growth of Andy Pages has been the heartfelt story of the Dodgers’ 2025 season. Entering the 2025 spring training, the Dodgers would have Michael Conforto, Tommy Edman, and Teoscar Hernández in the outfield. Kiké Hernández and Chris Taylor would be the reserve outfielders. However, Andy Pages had a terrific spring training to make the Opening Day, while Hyeseong Kim needed time in the minor leagues to adjust to United States baseball.

For the first month, Pages struggled with offense and defense. He was trying to be something that he is not, a patient hitter. With Teoscar Hernández’s guidance, Pages became one of the Dodgers’ best hitters. In 78 games, Pages has a .293 batting average, 16 home runs, and 54 RBI. He prevented many home runs from happening and showcased a strong, accurate throwing arm, and no major leaguer should run on Pages.

Though defense is crucial to the success of a team, no team can win unless it outscores its opponent. The Dodgers have the best offense in the major leagues. Shohei Ohtani, Max Muncy, Will Smith, and Pages are having exceptional offensive production.

In the second half, as the Dodgers pursue another Western Division title, they need to have a healthy pitching staff, continued great offensive production with improved performances from Betts and Freddie Freeman, and continued good defense.