NFL
By George Lopez
As MLB enters the all-star break, the Los Angeles Dodgers sit in first place in the NL West with a 58-39 record. Though the Dodgers are in first place, the team limped into the break, losing 7 out of their last 9 games. Key players, both at the plate, in the starting rotation, and in the bullpen, struggled at the end of the first half of the season. The Dodgers will look to use the break as a way for their players to regroup and get ready for the dog days of summer as they look to defend their world championship.
Looking at the struggles the team had in the first half of the season, one of the first names that comes to mind is Mookie Betts. On the season, Betts is batting an uncharacteristic .244 with 11 home runs and 45 RBIs. Betts is still trying to get on track after an illness slowed his start to the season. Reigning MVP Shohei Ohtani continues to put up power numbers with 32 home runs at the break, though his strikeout total of 109 at the break is a little higher than the team would like. With Ohtani starting to pitch again, fans should not expect him to attempt many stolen bases for the remainder of the season. Catcher Will Smith had a great first half for the Dodgers, leading the NL with a .323 average.
The production of Andy Pages has been better than expected. At the break, Pages is batting .285 with 17 home runs and 59 RBIs while playing solid defense in the outfield. The Dodgers will look to Pages to be a key contributor in the 2nd half of the season. After a slow start to the season, Max Muncy was beginning to turn around his offensive production. Muncy is batting .250 with 13 home runs and 55 RBIs. A knee injury in late June has Muncy on the shelf. He is expected to miss 6-8 weeks. When he returns, Muncy will be counted on to be a key offensive force for the Dodgers. Freddie Freeman has been solid for the Dodgers. Though not completely healed from an ankle injury at the end of the 2024 season, Freeman continues to be a team leader, batting .297 with 10 home runs and 49 RBIs. Freeman will look to provide offensive production while continuing to play gold-glove caliber defense at first base.
The starting rotation, hit by injuries this season, is looking to get key members of the rotation back in the 2nd half of the season. Blake Snell, out since the early part of the season, is inching closer to returning, having pitched in a rehab start before the All-Star break. The Dodgers hope to have Snell back shortly. Roki Sasaki, out with a shoulder injury, is looking to return in August. The possible return of Sasaki is good news for the Dodgers. In June, manager Dave Roberts stated there was a possibility Sasaki would not pitch again this season. Tyler Glasnow returned to the rotation at the end of the first half and looked good in his start against Milwaukee, pitching 5 innings and allowing 1 unearned run. Glasnow will be a key pitcher in the 2nd half. Yoshinobu Yamamoto has been solid this season. Though he has a record of 8-7, Yamamoto has a 2.59 ERA. His last start at the end of the first start, Yamamoto pitched 7 scoreless innings against the Giants.
In what may be his final season, Clayton Kershaw ended the first half with a 4-1 record and a 3.38 ERA. Gone are the days of Kershaw throwing a mid-90s fastball. Kershaw is a more complete pitcher, relying on location with his fastball, slider, and curveball. Kershaw reached a career milestone when he recorded his 3000th career strikeout. Kershaw is more of a pitch-to-contact type of pitcher, who relies on his defense as opposed to earlier in his career when recording 10-plus strikeouts per game was common.
The Dodgers’ bullpen has been overused, leading MLB in appearances and innings pitched. Manager Dave Roberts wanted to have his starters go deeper into games to help ease the workload of his bullpen. With injuries hitting the starting rotation, Roberts has had to rely on his bullpen more than he would have liked. In the second half of the season, Roberts will look to manage the use of the bullpen, looking to have his relief pitchers as fresh as possible when the postseason begins. Tanner Scott, signed in the offseason and seen as a closer, struggled in the first half. Though Scott has 19 saves, he also has 6 blown saves. Scott is struggling with his fastball location. The Dodgers will need Scott to fix the issues he is having if he expects to remain in the closer role.
The Dodgers have not been as overpowering as many experts expected them to be this season. Though they have one of the best records in baseball, their play has been inconsistent. The all-star break has come at a good time for the Dodgers as it allows key players to use the break to reset and prepare for the 2nd half of the season, as the Dodgers will look to defend their championship. As the trading deadline nears, will the Dodgers look to add players to improve their roster or go with their current roster? Time will tell.
