The Los Angeles Dodgers’ starting rotation has proved to be the biggest strength of this year’s team during the second half of the season, even as other areas of the roster faltered at times.
The Dodgers were a team that leaned heavily on their relievers in the first part of 2025, which had a lot to do with the health of the rotation. That began to change in August, when Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow returned from the injured list to form a formidable group of starters alongside Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts expressed his desire to push everyone in the starting rotation to dig a little deeper, with the exception of Ohtani.
That sentiment has rung true this month as the Dodgers make their push toward the postseason and another National League West crown. The Dodgers’ big three of Glasnow, Snell and Yamamoto have combined for six outings of 100 pitches or more in eight total starts.
At this point in the season, Roberts isn’t concerned with managing workloads even with the playoffs right around the corner.
“I think that we’re trying to win every game,” Roberts said. “And I think you guys are seeing, and I don’t want to revisit this, but the one guy we’ve been very mindful of is Shohei, as far as script.
“But everyone else, I think if you look at the second half, we push guys. We’re in a pennant race. It’s not about their health, we need to win games, and I got to look at who is the best option.
“This is the postseason for us, so we’re going for it.”
Benefit of extending Dodgers starters
Given how different areas of the Dodgers roster have performed this season, it’s clear the club will have to lean on its starters to repeat as World Series champions. The offense has had its moments lately, but is still extremely mercurial. And the bullpen’s performance does not inspire a lot of confidence.
Roberts believes allowing the starters to build tolerance for the rigors of physically demanding outings now will benefit them in the postseason.
“I do think if you look at the workload for Glass in particular, Blake in particular, there’s not a whole lot of miles, as far as this year,” he said. “So I think it’s a benefit to kind of get when you’re a little fatigued, little tired, seeing the lineup the third time through, and how do I navigate that?
“Because in the postseason, that’s what they’re going to need to do. So I think it’s actually a benefit to kind of go through these exercises.”
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