Fan Poll Results Are In: The Dodgers’ Starting Rotation is Still a Mess
Time is running out until the postseason begins in October. But, the Dodgers have a glaring issue that fans are concerned about.
Dodgers Nation posts weekly polls on Twitter/X to create a space for discussion about the Dodgers pitching staff, position players, Dave Roberts, and more. This week’s polls highlighted the same issue as the last edition of the polls.
The starting rotation has been at the center of criticism throughout the season, with injuries and inconsistency being at the forefront of the problem.
On paper, the Dodgers’ rotation has all the pieces to be successful. Three-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw, reigning National League All-Star Tyler Glasnow, and the highest-paid pitcher in history — Yoshinobu Yamamoto — headline the rotation. All three, along with several other starters have not lived up to their potential this season.
Although most of the rotation has struggled, two Dodger pitchers received approval. Standout rookie pitcher Gavin Stone and trade deadline acquisition Jack Flaherty were spared from fans’ criticism.
A struggling rotation has helped boost fans’ opinions about the Dodgers bullpen. The relievers have served as the Dodgers’ heroes on the mound when the starters get themselves into trouble.
In past polls, the main concerns with position players were at shortstop, outfield, and third base.
Initially, Mookie Betts was the starting shortstop. Fans thought the six-time Gold Glove outfielder would be a better fit in right field. With Betts and Max Muncy injured, a combination of Chris Taylor, Kiké Hernández, Kevin Kiermaier, and Jason Heyward filled the void. Fans were not content with the performance of the substitute quartet.
Since the return of Betts and Muncy, the NL All-Stars have moved back to their respective positions. The changes to the position players received nearly 100% approval from fans in this week’s polls.
Perhaps the changes also amplified fans’ satisfaction with Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. Even though some fans voiced their concerns about his pitching decisions, most are giving him grace until the postseason. But, one fan has strict criteria for Roberts to keep his job next season.
Fans seem to be giving the front office the same grace period as Roberts, putting a lot of pressure on the postseason performance.
The Dodgers’ postseason begins with the National League Division Series on Oct. 5. Los Angeles currently has the No. 1 seed. The team will face either the Brewers and Braves or the Padres and Diamondbacks.
Fans voted on which pair of teams they would prefer to battle for a spot in the National League Championship Series.
Both pairs of teams would present a challenge for the Dodgers. But, most fans just view the NLDS as an obstacle in a World Series run. Therefore, the Dodgers need to beat whoever comes in their path.
However, some fans are eager for the Dodgers to get a chance to get revenge on NL West rivals like the Padres and Diamondbacks.
There was a brief period where the two teams were closing in on the Dodgers division lead, which led to some doubt in Los Angeles’ dominance in the division. Going head-to-head with the Padres and Diamondbacks would give the Dodgers an opportunity to prove themselves, especially to the rivals’ fan bases.
Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
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I am really concerned about the Padres. They have a more complete team. They lead the league in batting average and they strike out less than any other team. They actually have some excellent pitching.
LA is in deep trouble with Gavin Stone and now Teoscar Hernandez on IL. Our pitching staff is a complete mess. I don’t trust Walker Buehler. Bobby Miller should be back in the minors. I don’t like all the strikeouts we get almost everyday. We continue to leave runners in scoring position night after night. And while I like Will Smith, he can’t handle hitting and driving in runs during the 2nd half of the year. He has only hit 2 home runs since the Allstar game. If he can’t hit in the playoffs, we might be one and done again. And even though as of today we lead SD by 4 games, we really only lead them by 3 because they (like Philly) own the tiebreaker. We still have to go and play 4 games in Atlanta. We have 3 games against SD in LA.
What? We need a poll to tell us this? My question is how in the world nearly 43% of those polled approve of the starting rotation. Uh, what starting rotation would that be? Sounds like made up numbers to me as that’s seriously improbable if not impossible.
We need Gavin Stone and Tyler Glasgow to be competitive otherwise we risk burning out the bullpen. Why are so many of our starting pitchers hurt? I’m sure they are frustrated but fans are equally frustrated since we are nearing the end of the regular season.