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Dodgers: Baseball’s Comeback Team of the Year

By Brook Smith

Jun 10, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager (5) hits a walk off RBI single in the ninth inning of the game against the Cincinnati Reds at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 10, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager (5) hits a walk off RBI single in the ninth inning of the game against the Cincinnati Reds at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /
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May 24, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Rich Hill (44) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals during an MLB baseball game at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

The Starters are Elite

Not to be overshadowed by their late inning coworkers, the Dodgers’ starting rotation has held its own. So far, the Dodgers have had seven different pitchers start a game in 2017. This list includes Clayton Kershaw, Rich Hill, Kenta Maeda, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Julio Urias, Alex Wood, and Brandon McCarthy.

While Maeda and Ryu have both made trips to the bullpen to work out some mechanical issues, the rotation has been extremely productive. Of course, that’s not as impressive when you have one of the greatest pitchers of this generation on the roster, but regardless they are all pitching great. Especially the surprising Alex Wood, who remains undefeated with an ERA that mirrors Kershaw’s.

Brandon McCarthy has also been a pleasant surprise, after grinding his way to a few scattered starts between injuries in the first years of his Dodger tenure. McCarthy has 3.14 ERA and is striking out a solid 7.3 batters per nine innings, all while walking one less batter than Kershaw (albeit in fewer innings).

One of the keys to a comeback win is making sure you’re not completely out of it from the get-go, and the starting rotation has made that happen.

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