Alden GonzalezApr 7, 2025, 07:00 AM ET
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- ESPN baseball reporter. Lined the L.A. Rams for ESPN from 2016 to 2018 and the L.A. Angels for MLB.com from 2012 to 2016.
After observing the Los Angeles Dodgers safe their first full-season championship in 4 many years, Andrew Friedman and his entrance place of work lieutenants doubled down, including almost each unfastened agent they sought after over the following offseason and triggering outrage all over the game. Their objective was once to construct probably the most biggest baseball groups ever — one whose ability may conquer the randomness of the playoffs, which has avoided a repeat champion each and every of the previous 24 years, and whose intensity may conquer the attrition that impedes such a lot of all over the common season.
Lower than two weeks into the 2025 season, the latter hope is already being examined.
Mookie Betts suffered thru a mysterious abdomen ailment that brought about him to shed on the subject of 20 kilos, holding him out of the primary two video games in Japan. Freddie Freeman slipped within the bathe and reaggravated the ankle harm he performed thru all over ultimate yr’s playoffs, triggering a stint at the injured listing. And on Sunday, Blake Snell, the two-time Cy Younger Award winner signed to a $182 million contract over the offseason, was once close down with what was once recognized as shoulder irritation.
Thru that, regardless that, the Dodgers have frequently discovered a method to win. They have been undefeated of their first 8 video games, giving them the longest season-opening profitable streak for a repeat champion, and take a seat 9-2 regardless of losing two of 3 at the highway in opposition to the Philadelphia Phillies. The season is younger, however it feels as though we have already discovered such a lot about some of the adorned groups on this game’s historical past.
Beneath are the six largest takeaways.
Their offense is even deeper than we imagined
Freeman has sat out the previous six video games and Betts sat out 3 of the primary 5. The Dodgers have not begun to roll out their optimum lineup.
It hasn’t in reality mattered.
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Thru their first 11 video games, they are doing what they all the time appear to: get a hold of well timed hits and, most commonly, slug. They are 2d within the majors in domestic runs, fourth in hard-hit share, 7th in OPS and primary in win chance added by means of a large margin.
Max Muncy, Enrique Hernandez and Andy Pages are all off to gradual begins, however Tommy Edman has introduced manufacturing from 5 other spots within the lineup. Shohei Ohtani, Will Smith and Michael Conforto have swung scorching bats, and Betts has discovered sufficient power to be a big contributor.
They’re going to all inevitably move chilly at various issues this season, however others must select up the slack.
Mentioned Teoscar Hernandez: “That is simply the intensity that we’ve got.”
And when everyone seems to be clicking, a beginning 9 of Ohtani, Betts, Freeman, Teoscar Hernández, Muncy, Smith, Conforto, Pages and Edman — in that order or on the subject of it — is the most productive within the game.
The go back of two-way Ohtani may take longer than we idea
Ohtani went 32 days between throwing off a mound, from Feb. 25 to March 29. Prior to spring coaching, the month of Would possibly gave the impression of a sensible goal for his go back to a two-way position. That now not appears to be the case. Ohtani saved his arm energetic all over his fresh shutdown by means of throwing off flat flooring at reasonable depth, however he’s necessarily beginning his pitching buildup from scratch. His bullpen consultation on March 29 noticed him throw more or less 20 pitches, and then Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts said, “We are some distance away.”
This, Ohtani stated thru an interpreter in Japan, is “in line with plan.” He sought after to “prioritize the hitting side as we are coming into the season,” he added, “to get a little bit breather mentally and bodily at the pitching facet of items.”
Ohtani is throwing complete bullpen classes each Saturday, with a lighter one in between. He’s going to proceed to combine in breaking balls, construct stamina, continue towards going through hitters, then start a quasi-rehab project by means of throwing in simulated video games. (Given his significance to the lineup, the Dodgers may not be sending him out on a standard rehab project.)
There is not any timetable for his go back to the rotation, and there most probably should not be. Ohtani is coming off a 2d restore of his ulnar collateral ligament, to not point out a torn labrum he suffered on his non-throwing shoulder. He’s once more making an attempt to do one thing this is in large part with out precedent. And the Dodgers must have sufficient beginning pitching intensity to get by means of, particularly after observing Dustin Would possibly roll during the Atlanta Braves in his first look in additional than 22 months previous this week.
If Ohtani throws 100 innings all over the common season, it’s going to be a surprise. What is maximum vital is for him to be at his best possible as a two-way participant in October.
Roki Sasaki could be extra of a work-in-progress than anticipated
A clip of Sasaki reputedly at the verge of tears from the highest step of the Dodgers’ dugout on March 29 made the rounds on social media.
Sasaki had recorded simplest 5 outs in opposition to the Detroit Tigers, 10 days after recording simplest 9 outs in opposition to the Chicago Cubs. Thru his first 4⅔ innings within the main leagues, he had walked 9 batters. Fastball command was once elusive. His splitter and slider were not producing sufficient chase. Simply as outstanding to evaluators, he regarded worried. Scared, even. A few of those that spent years observing Sasaki in Japan may rarely acknowledge him. All the trade knew that Sasaki, nonetheless simplest 23 years outdated, required seasoning sooner than organising himself as a top-of-the-rotation starter. Nevertheless it appeared as though he necessary much more than many expected.
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Saturday, regardless that, equipped some much-needed optimism. Sasaki took the mound within the bandbox referred to as Voters Financial institution Park, confronted a Phillies lineup that is one of the game’s most deadly and held his personal. He pitched into the 5th inning, at one level retired 12 of 13 batters and, with some just right fortune, gave up just one run. Sasaki simplified his repertoire, throwing fastballs and splitters with 63 of his 68 pitches, and made higher use of his decrease part as he drove towards domestic plate. As his get started extended, his self belief looked as if it would develop.
There’ll proceed to be rising pains, however Sasaki’s 3rd get started equipped the primary glimpse of what he will also be at this degree. After it was once over, he once more hung at the railing of the Dodgers’ dugout — simplest this time he was once smiling.
It is lovely telling of the Dodgers’ famous person energy that Glasnow and Yamamoto, signed to long-term offers totaling greater than $460 million in December 2023, have been principally forgotten individuals of this rotation when the yr started. However their well being and luck can be the most important to a talented-yet-highly-volatile rotation.
Yamamoto, who sat out on the subject of 3 months with a rotator cuff pressure in his transition from Japan to the main leagues ultimate yr, drew effusive reward from Dodgers officers all over spring coaching. They believed that Yamamoto’s age-26 season would see him carry to probably the most sport’s best possible beginning pitchers. 3 begins in, Yamamoto has accomplished not anything to mood the ones expectancies, giving up 3 earned runs and placing out 19 batters in 16 innings.
After a 2024 season that ended upfront on account of what was once recognized as an elbow sprain, Glasnow and the Dodgers labored on making his supply extra compact and revamping his throwing program. He ditched weighted balls and were given again to extra long-tossing. After his first get started of the season, when he close out the Braves thru 5 innings and struck out 8 batters, Glasnow stated he felt “extra fluid.”
Glasnow’s 2d get started was once a battle; he battled the rain Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia, put the primary 5 batters on within the 3rd inning and promptly exited. However the Dodgers have prime hopes for Glasnow this season however. With Snell at the shelf and Sasaki nonetheless creating, his luck is the most important.
They may in reality have a weak spot: protection
Betts tried to show a double play in Tuesday’s 2d inning and threw so errantly to first base he needed to chase the baseball himself. About 24 hours later, Muncy made two throwing mistakes and Pages misplayed a ball close to the caution monitor. The Dodgers overcame the ones defensive errors and gained anyway, however it underscored what’s observed as a possible evident weak spot.
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Betts is making an extraordinary transition to shortstop. He has labored since early November to get it proper, but when he’s simply moderate on the place, the Dodgers can be glad. Muncy, who does not have elite vary, has the bottom fielding share amongst those that have performed no less than 250 video games at 3rd base for the reason that get started of the 2022 season.
Pages has a perfect arm in middle box, however scouts have raised issues about his talent to learn balls off the bat. Conforto and Teoscar Hernández, who make up the outfield corners, have mixed for minus-16 outs above moderate over the last two years. Even Freeman, a Gold Glove-caliber first baseman all over his occupation, does not transfer round the way in which he used to at 35 years outdated and coming off ankle surgical procedure.
Given the increased strikeout and home-run charges of this period, protection hasn’t ever been much less vital. However because the New York Yankees confirmed in letting the Dodgers come again in Sport 5 of ultimate yr’s International Collection, it nonetheless issues. Very a lot so.
They’ve an underappreciated trait: combat
The Dodgers are not all glitz and glamor. They are resilient — hardened by means of previous October unhappiness and buoyed by means of the wounds they overcame to safe a championship ultimate fall. They understand how to conquer, and so they by no means appear to be out of video games.
“It is more or less an indicator of our membership,” Roberts stated.
It is appearing as soon as once more. The Dodgers breezed previous the Cubs in back-to-back video games in Japan with out Betts and Freeman. After every week off, they beat Tarik Skubal, the reigning American League Cy Younger Award winner, on Opening Day. The following night time, they erased two separate two-run deficits to win in further innings. Twenty-four hours later, they gained once more although their bullpen needed to file 22 outs in aid of Sasaki. On Wednesday, the Dodgers fell at the back of 5-0 after an inning and a part in opposition to a Braves staff determined for its first win and nonetheless got here out victorious.
Roberts admitted that he was once “a little bit dumbfounded” by means of observing his staff rally to a 6-5 victory that night time — each by means of the protection that prompted the early deficit and the resilience that erased it. The Dodgers had recorded their 2d walk-off hit — a house run by means of Ohtani on his bobblehead night time — and their 6th comeback win in 8 video games. They now have a big league-leading seven. No one else has greater than 4.
“The conclusion is large right here,” Snell stated. “We consider we must win each sport. It is a laugh to be round, and it is a laugh when we all know that we are gonna have the ability.”
