Thursday, June 25, 2026

Copyrighted by Sarah Morris, 2026

The Los Angeles Dodgers just finished their first half of the 2026 season with 52 wins and 29 losses. They have a better record than they did in 2024 and 2025 when they won world championships.

The Dodgers have excelled in all facets of the game. Their starting rotation has performed superbly even though Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow have missed the majority of the season. On Friday, Snell will throw his first bullpen session of fifteen fastballs since having left elbow surgery to remove loose bodies. The Dodgers are confident that Snell will return this season.

After pitching one inning in the May 6^th start against the Houston Astros, Glasnow exited with back spasms. Originally, the Dodgers and Glasnow thought he would return quickly. And yet, Glasnow hasn’t resumed a throwing program on June 25^th. It is questionable whether he will return to the rotation this season, even though his scans haven’t revealed anything structural.

Watching Justin Wrobleski and Roki Sasaki grow into effective starters has been exciting. Wrobleski battled to have an opportunity to be in the Dodgers’ rotation. He has experienced amazing success as a starter in inducing soft contact. Yes, Wrobleski can strike out major leaguers but understands that a strikeout takes more than a ground or fly ball.

Going out of spring training, Sasaki wasn’t a popular choice to be the sixth starter. After all, he couldn’t find the strike zone. He had a rough April because he couldn’t command his fastball or his forkball. Something clicked in May with his fastball, with more velocity, and he developed a splitter. He started winning and dominating. In June, he had some growing pains, but he is an adequate, young major league starter who will improve.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani have carried the rotation. They have great command and know what they are doing. Yes, they sometimes have rough outings, but mostly, they have been brilliant.

While the starting rotation has carried the Dodgers, the bullpen has been fantastic. Unlike in 2025, they don’t pitch many innings every game; thus, they have been performing better than in 2025, when the Dodgers’ bullpen was a weakness.

Losing Edwin Dìaz in April was a major blow to the Dodgers’ morale, but as the team has behaved since 2016, when Dave Roberts became manager, the Dodgers are resilient. Dìaz underwent surgery to remove loose bodies from his pitching elbow. He is throwing bullpen sessions regularly and will be back in the second half.

In Dìaz’s absence, Tanner Scott has become an excellent closer. He has rebounded from a disappointing 2025 season, when he dealt with an undisclosed lower-body injury until the NLCS. His slider has more bite, and he has better command.

While the Dodgers’ bullpen has had injuries to key relievers, the young relievers have performed better than expected. Alex Vesia has become a mainstay of the bullpen. Kyle Hurt, Eduardo Henriquez, and Will Klein have become the right-handed setup men. With Evan Phillips and Blake Treinen returning from injuries, the relief corps looks strong and dominating.

The pitching has enabled the Dodgers to have the best record in baseball though they have the second-most runs in baseball. The offense has been inconsistent. At times, their approaches at the plate have been frustrating to watch when they swing at balls and take strikes. Some stars haven’t produced up to expectations.

Injuries have played a role in the offensive inconsistencies. Any time Mookie Betts misses a month with an oblique strain, a team will struggle to score runs. Recently, Betts has been performing the way the Dodgers have grown accustomed to.

For the first two months of the season, Andy Pages and Max Muncy carried the offense. It seemed whenever the Dodgers needed a hit; they delivered. Freddie Freeman has delivered recently, and after May 11^th, Ohtani has been Ohtani.

The Dodgers miss Teoscar Hernández and Will Smith. Hernández pulled a hamstring on May 27^th but should be back during the series against the Sacramento Athletics next week. Smith has had a neck issue since June 6^th, and his return has been blurry.

Since Tommy Edman returned from offseason ankle surgery, he has been collecting hits seemingly at will. Watching Alex Freeland mature as a hitter has been fascinating. Freeland rarely has a bad at-bat.

While the offense has sparked many podcast discussions because of its inconsistency, the defense has been ignored, which is a great thing. When baseball fans talk about a team’s defense, it is bad. Errors catch fans’ attention.

The Dodgers have the best defense in baseball. Before every game, fans and the opponent see the Dodgers’ superstars working on their defense.

Muncy is the most improved defensive player. During the offseason, he worked hard on becoming quicker and more accurate with his throws from third base, his least favorite position.

Moving Teoscar Hernández from right to left field has improved the outfield defense. Hernández became faster when he dropped twelve pounds during the offseason. Pages has turned into one of the elite center fielders in the game. Kyle Tucker is a good right fielder. Whereas the Dodgers’ outfield defense in 2025 was a weakness, the outfield has prevented many runs from scoring.

The Dodgers hope Tucker will improve his offensive performance in the second half. Also, they hope Dalton Rushing continues to mature as a player and a man.

The Dodgers are almost guaranteed a playoff berth. They can’t let up because they must play with intensity to win their third consecutive championship.