The Los Angeles Dodgers’ starting pitching woes are deepening. Trade deadline acquisition Lance Lynn, 36, has yet to shed the “home run factory” label.
Lynn started a game against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park on Sunday (July 7) in Miami, Florida, and was roughed up for eight runs on seven hits (three homers) with three walks and one strikeout in 4 ⅔ innings in the team’s 4-11 loss.
After an unimpressive 6-9 record and 6.47 ERA in 21 games with the Chicago White Sox this year, Lynn was acquired by the Dodgers at the trade deadline. In his first four games with the Dodgers, he went 3-0 with a 1.44 ERA (four earned runs in 25 innings), five walks and 25 strikeouts. Notably, Lynn, who had given up 28 home runs with the White Sox, had kept the home run threat in check, except for a three-homer outing (three runs in seven innings) against Oakland on April 2, his first game with the Dodgers.
But then the homers started coming again. On June 26, he allowed four runs (three earned) on 10 hits in six innings against Boston, but he also gave up two homers. He gave up three homers in 4 1/3 innings of seven-run ball against Atlanta the previous day, and he gave up three more in Miami today.
스포츠토토Lin gave up a two-run shot to Joey Wendle, a three-run homer to Jayson Chisome Jr. and a solo shot to Jesus Sanchez in the bottom of the fifth inning. The home runs alone accounted for six runs, and the Dodgers had to face the defeat after scoring nine runs in the fifth inning. This gives him eight homers in his last three games and 40 on the season. It’s been four years since a pitcher has given up 40 homers in a season since Mike Leake (Cincinnati, 41) in 2019.
The Dodgers are still in control of the National League West this year. Even with a loss tonight, they’re 84-54. But the Dodgers’ goal is not a division title. They need to win the World Series. They shouldn”t be satisfied with their current performance.
[Photo] ⓒGettyimages (All rights reserved)
[Photo] ⓒGettyimages (All rights reserved)
However, the starting lineup situation makes no sense. They’ve already struggled with starting pitching injuries this year, losing Dustin May to a second elbow surgery in 2021, and another young gun, Tony Gonsolos, is also coming off elbow surgery.
Veteran ace Clayton Kershaw was sidelined for about a month in late June with a shoulder injury. In his last start on June 6 against Miami, he allowed three runs on five hits (two homers) with five walks and three strikeouts in five innings, with his fastball topping out at 89.9 mph (144.7 km/h) and averaging just 88.2 mph (141.9 km/h). We’re not sure where Kershaw is right now, and there’s no guarantee he’ll be back by the fall.
Add to that the fact that Julio Urias, who was touted as Kershaw’s successor in 2019, has been arrested and charged with domestic violence once again, and he’s out for the foreseeable future. Major League Baseball and the players’ union signed a pact in August 2015 to prevent domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse. Players who violate it are severely disciplined, and Urias would be the first player to be suspended twice if the charges are confirmed. At a time when the Dodgers are trying to fill their starting rotation with youngsters like Bobby Miller and Emmitt Sheehan, Lin, who was acquired in a trade, is struggling.
[Photo] ⓒGettyimages (All rights reserved)
Walker Buehler, who is rehabbing from elbow surgery last year, made his first Triple-A rehab start in four days and threw a two-hit, two-strikeout perfect game. His fastball has touched 96.1 mph (154.7 km/h) and averaged 94.6 mph (152.2 km/h), fueling his return. He’s improving his stuff for the postseason. His arsenal includes a slider (5), changeup (4), knuckleball (3), cutter (2), and sinker (2).
Without Urias, the Dodgers are in need of starting pitching. It’s risky to trust Buehler, who is just returning from injury, and unsettling to rely on the aging Kershaw and Young Gun Miller. They need Rinne to provide stability, and at this point, hope is turning to despair.
As the Los Angeles Times put it, “When he was acquired ahead of the trade deadline, he was expected to be an innings-eater. Of course, the Dodgers were hoping that if his high walk rate returned to normal, they would be competitive in the playoff race. A 1.44 ERA in his first four starts seemed to guarantee the future, but Lynn doesn’t appear to be a decisive player and remains a concern for October.
“With Urias’ arrest, there are doubts he’ll pitch again this season, and Kershaw’s shoulder injury appears to have diminished his effectiveness,” he continued, “Lin adds another question mark to a starting rotation that doesn’t look like a pitcher the Dodgers can rely on in the postseason and has to make do with makeshift pieces.
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