Dodgers Starting Pitchers In The Midst of Incredible Stretch
While Dodgers’ sluggers like Cody Bellinger and others put up video game numbers, it’s easy to bypass what the starting pitchers have been doing.
Therefore – it’s not lost on those who cover the team – like Bill Plunkett of the OC Register. Plunkett released a tweet after Sunday’s victory in Cincinnati. Within this start, Hyun-Jin Ryu extended his scoreless innings streak to 31 innings.
Furthermore, just look at the numbers over the last 22 games:
Over their past 22 games, #Dodgers starting pitchers are 12-2 (if this 5-0 holds up) with a 2.05 ERA (32 ER in 140 1/3 IP), 144 strikeouts and only 18 walks.
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) May 19, 2019
Think about this for a moment.
- In the past 22 games, a Dodgers’ starter has been charged with a loss only twice.
- In 140.1 innings – 144 strikeouts have been recorded – better than one an inning.
- Across that same timespan, the starting staff has issued just 18 walks.
- Altogether, a 2.05 ERA is the result over this dominant stretch.
And so if you wonder why the Dodgers are sitting comfortably atop the National League at 31-17, a lot of the reason is their starting staff has been dominant.
Surely – the huge home runs are fun – even I fall prey to loving those the most. However if we are trying to tell the true full story of this chapter of Dodger baseball, someone is owed credit for assembling this staff. Moreover, it’s worth asking if the staff itself is the true MVP of this club right now.
Indeed Ryu, Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler, Kenta Maeda, and Rich Hill have gone beyond just giving their team a chance to win.
What these numbers mean over this span of dominance is clear. The Dodgers have a starting staff that is as strong at the back-end as it is out front.
While we may spend a lot of time giving attention to the bats – let the record state that the pitchers are being given their well-deserved credit. The sky is the limit if this continues.