The LA Dodgers, the current World Series champions, might have a big problem with their pitching this season.
On April 6, 2025, they played an away game against the Philadelphia Phillies, and things went downhill fast. In the bottom of the third inning, Dodgers starting pitcher, Tyler Glasnow, had a hard time while pitching. He walked four batters, gave up a run when a Phillies’ player hit a single, and then allowed another run on a wild pitch. A wild pitch happens when the ball gets away from the catcher and runners on base can move forward or even score.
Because things were getting out of control, the Dodgers manager Dave Roberts decided to take Glasnow out of the game. Glasnow left the field with the bases loaded and nobody out, which put the next pitcher in a really tough situation.
Pitcher Alex Vesia came in to try to help, but things got even worse. Phillies’ right fielder Nick Castellanos crushed a fastball that was 89 miles per hour. He hit a grand slam, bringing in four runs on that one hit. That gave the Phillies a 6-2 lead.
One bad inning showed a big issue that the Dodgers could face all season: their pitching. Pitching depth means having a lot of good pitchers who can step in when needed, but right now, the Dodgers are running out of proper arms for the rest of the season.
Before the April 6th game, the Dodgers announced that another one of their starting pitchers, Blake Snell, was going on the injured list for 15 days due to shoulder inflammation. Snell is a crucial player; he is a double Cy Young Award winner during his career (given to the best pitcher in the league). He had only played two games this season, but already had a great 2.00 Earned Run Average (ERA) (meaning he gave up very few runs) and had one win.
Snell’s injury makes things even harder for the Dodgers. Now, they have 13 pitchers who are on the injured list and can’t play. It’s tough to win games when so many pitchers are missing.
There’s still plenty of time left in the season, and some of those pitchers might come back healthy. If they don’t, the Dodgers could be in big trouble later on, especially in the playoffs. So even though the Dodgers have some amazing players and big stars, their pitching could be the one weak spot that keeps them from winning another championship this year.
