Throughout the 2024 season, the Los Angeles Dodgers have employed the use of bullpen games as a way to rest and preserve the health of their starting pitchers.
A motivating factor behind this decision may lie in the presence of a pitcher who has dealt with injury throughout his career and another pitcher making the transition from a league where more rest between starts is the norm.
The Dodgers had a massive issue with injuries to their starters during the 2023 season and they made sure to thoroughly address the issue heading into this season. The team acquired Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto to greatly bolster the starting rotation, while adding James Paxton for depth.
With all the injuries to their starters in 2023, it makes sense that the Dodgers came up with a plan of attack to make sure that it didn’t happen again this season, according to Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“I think if you put it in that context, it’s a no-brainer,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “There’s nothing more important than protecting the starters.”
It has been hard to argue with the results being produced as not only has the rotation stayed relatively healthy all season, but the starters and bullpen has taken the change in stride.
The extra days of rest have not only benefitted the guys with injury concerns like Glasnow and Yamamoto, but the rotation as a whole. The rotation has stayed relatively healthy this season, with Emmet Sheehan and Bobby Miller being the only starters to go on the injured list.
The starters have been unaffected by the slight change in scheduling as the Dodgers have the sixth best starter ERA in the Majors.
However, it is the bullpen that faces the most pressure in this setup thanks to the increased workload that comes with the occasional bullpen game, but the Dodgers are still confident in their abilities to pitch quality games:
“But as far as run prevention, I still think that you can hang in there and get your matchups,” he said. “The cost is using certain relievers. And as long as they’re not being taxed or overworked with the benefit of giving the starters an extra day, it’s an absolute no-brainer.”
It took this group a little longer to adjust to their new added responsibility and the loss of key contributors during the early part of the season, but they too eventually figured it out and have since morphed into one of the best bullpens in baseball.
The Dodgers’ best starters in 2024
Glasnow has a 3.24 ERA as the Dodgers’ No. 1 starter this season. He has been one of the most effective innings eaters in baseball and leads the Majors in strikeouts with 116.
Yamamoto has been a complimentary No. 2 this season with a 3.00 ERA, 6-2 record, and seven quality starts.
Gavin Stone has been the Dodgers’ biggest surprise this season and has been their best starter the last month or so. Stone has a 2.93 ERA this season and a 5-1 record with a 1.90 ERA in his past seven starts.
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