The first half of the 2016 regular season has come to a close, with the Los Angeles Dodgers sporting a 51-40 record — good for second place in the National League West.
Despite numerous injuries to the starting rotation, the Dodgers lead Major League Baseball with 15.8 WAR while ranking first in strikeouts per nine innings (9.52) and FIP (3.44).
Let’s look back at how each starting pitcher has fared at this point in the season and what to expect during the second half.
Disappointments
Mike Bolsinger: In his second year with Los Angeles, Bolsinger hasn’t been able to replicate his success from the 2015 season.
Making six starts, he has posted a 6.83 ERA, 5.85 FIP and 1.52 WHIP while allowing an average of almost two home runs per contest.
Scott Kazmir: The 2015 offseason signee struggled with consistency during the first half of 2016.
In 18 starts (97.2 innings), Kazmir has pitched to a mediocre 4.52 ERA and 4.41 FIP while struggling with the home run ball (1.4 home runs allowed per nine inings).
Hyun-Jin Ryu: Recently coming off the disabled list and ultimately making his first Major League start since October 2014, Ryu yielded six earned runs and 11 baserunners in just 4.2 innings pitched against the San Diego Padres.
Despite the bad outing, a healthy Ryu figures to be a boon to the Dodgers’ starting rotation in the second half of the season.
Nick Tepesch: In his lone start with the Dodgers organization, Tepesch allowed five earned runs and 10 baserunners in just four innings pitched against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
He was designated for assignment shortly after, eventually being claimed off waivers by the Oakland Athletics.
Bright Futures
Brock Stewart: Beginning the season with the High-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, Stewart dominated three levels of the Minor Leagues before receiving a spot start with Los Angeles.
Against the Milwaukee Brewers, he allowed five earned runs and and 10 baserunners in five innings, though he did strike out seven batters while displaying an assortment of impressive off-speed pitches.
Whether or not Stewart returns to the Majors this season, he figures to have earned more opportunities with the Dodgers in the near future.
Ross Stripling: With injuries plaguing the Dodgers, Stripling earned a spot in the rotation out of Spring Training and immediately made an impact.
Against the San Francisco Giants in his MLB debut, he tossed 7.1 no-hit innings before eventually being removed, because of a pitch count in place.
Stripling would go on to make seven more starts before being sent back to Triple-A Oklahoma City, posting a 4.53 ERA and more encouraging 3.79 FIP in 45.2 innings with the Dodgers.
Julio Urias: One of the best pitching prospects in all of baseball entering the 2016 season, Urias has garnered many comparisons to Fernando Valenzuela, giving Dodgers fans something to look forward to.
The 19-year-old phenom started eight games for Los Angeles during the first half of the season, posting a 4.95 ERA and 3.59 FIP with an incredible 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings. He has since been sent back to Oklahoma City for relief work but will most likely return to the Majors at some point this season.
Standouts
Kenta Maeda: In his first half-season of MLB action, the two-time Eiji Sawamura winner couldn’t have hoped for better results.
In 103.2 innings pitched, Maeda has posted a 2.95 ERA and 1.09 WHIP with 107 strikeouts and 31 walks — unquestionably making him the second-most reliable starter in the Dodgers rotation during the first three months of the 2016 season.
Brandon McCarthy: Making two starts prior to the All-Star Game — his first taste of MLB action since undergoing Tommy John surgery over a year ago — McCarthy has looked solid in a small sample size thus far.
In 10 innings pitched, he has allowed just three earned runs while striking out 14 batters — good for a 2.70 ERA and 2.88 FIP.
Bud Norris: The recently-acquired Norris enjoyed early success with the club in his first two starts.
He’s pitched to a 2.45 ERA, 3.09 FIP and even 1.00 WHIP in 11 innings while posting a solid 4.33 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Alex Wood: In his first full season with the Dodgers, Wood posted respectable numbers during the first half of 2016 but also struggled to remain healthy.
In 56.1 innings pitched (10 starts), he pitched to a 3.99 ERA (99 ERA+) with an even better 3.30 FIP. Unfortunately, he hasn’t appeared in a game since late-May but is expected to return to the rotation at some point in August.
MVP
Clayton Kershaw: The three-time National League Cy Young winner and 2014 MVP appears headed for more hardware this coming offseason.
In 121 innings, Kershaw has pitched to a minuscule 1.79 ERA and 1.70 FIP with 145 strikeouts to just nine walks. He leads MLB in pitching WAR with 5.5 — more than a full win above the next pitcher.
Even though Kershaw ended the first half on the disabled list with a back injury, he is expected to return to the mound sooner rather than later after the All-Star break.
