FIRST HALF REVIEW
HOW THEY GOT HERE: The Dodgers “ruined” baseball by signing top free agents Edwin Diaz and Kyle Tucker in the wake of their second straight World Series title last fall. Diaz hasn’t closed a game since April, when he underwent surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow. Tucker has underperformed significantly – things that would have ruined most teams. Instead, the Dodgers took those things in stride – along with injuries to starting pitchers Blake Snell (one start all season) and Tyler Glasnow (out since early May) and catcher Will Smith (out since the first week in June) – and reached the All-Star break with the best record in baseball and an 11½-game lead in the National League West. The return to full two-way status by Shohei Ohtani and the steady excellence of first baseman Freddie Freeman and starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (three of the Dodgers’ six All-Stars) has been key to that. But so has the emergence of starting pitcher Justin Wrobleski (10-2, 2.69 ERA), the continued blossoming of center fielder Andy Pages and the development of relievers Edgardo Henriquez and Will Klein. For all their challenges, Dodgers hitters rank first in MLB in OPS (.777) at the break, and their pitchers have the lowest WHIP (1.14) and have allowed the lowest batting average (.216).
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SECOND HALF PREVIEW
KEYS TO SUCCESS: The only thing that truly matters for the Dodgers in the second half is how they position themselves for the postseason. That means re-incorporating the injured players expected to return during the second half. Diaz and utility man Kiké Hernandez could be the first to return (perhaps as soon as the first homestand after the All-Star break). Snell should be back soon after that. Glasnow and Smith are more mysteries. Glasnow threw a fastballs-only bullpen session just days before the first half ended, but his lower back issue has flared up on two occasions when he tried to increase the intensity of his throwing program, setting him back. The inflamed disc in Smith’s neck has already been a bigger issue than anyone expected. His return to full strength at some point in the second half will be critical.
BIGGEST CONCERN: Smith’s health might qualify. If not, then Ohtani’s knee does. It isn’t vital that Ohtani be in their postseason pitching rotation if Snell and Glasnow return to health and Yamamoto is ready to go in October. But a healthy Ohtani certainly raises the level of that starting group. “Load management” will undoubtedly be a big part of Ohtani’s pitching schedule in the second half – because a healthy Ohtani at the plate is indeed vital to their postseason hopes.
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TRADE POSSIBILITIES: The Motor City will drive everything at this trade deadline (pushed back to Aug. 3 this year). Will the Tigers move two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal? If they do, the Dodgers have greater wherewithal (financial and prospect depth) to make a worthy offer than anyone. The Dodgers have gone big-game hunting at past trade deadlines because – as President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman has said in the past – they consider their talent level so high that it takes a lot to move the needle. Skubal might be the only player they could acquire this year who would truly move the needle in October. A secondary factor – would they play “keep away” and make a move to keep a player away from a potential postseason opponent (like the Milwaukee Brewers)? If Skubal stays in Detroit (and heads to free agency next winter), the Dodgers could nibble at the fringes of their roster, upgrading their catching depth or adding to the bullpen.
SCHEDULE: The Dodgers start the second half with a 10-day East Coast humidity tour with three games in New York against the Yankees, three in Philadelphia and three back in New York against the Mets (with a side trip to the White House squeezed in). August offers a four-game look at the Brewers (Aug. 13-16), currently their closest challenger for the top seed in the National League, and three games in Atlanta (Aug. 25-27), the team they passed for the best record in June. The division will be decided long before they finish the season with nine games against the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres.
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