Dodgers Starting Pitching Historically Ineffective in Short Postseason Run

Nobody thought it would be this bad.

Easily the biggest question your Los Angeles Dodgers faced coming into the postseason was how they would navigate their starting rotation. With injuries to key starters Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin, the absence of Julio Urias, and the precarious nature of Clayton Kershaw's shoulder, the answer was not going to be simple. However, nobody could have predicted this poor an outcome:

Dodgers starters have thrown just 4 2/3 IP in three games against the D-backs in the NLDS. That's the fewest IP by starting pitchers in the first 3 games of a series in MLB postseason history, according to @EliasSports. pic.twitter.com/2I5uOgcIwa

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 12, 2023

Over the three games, the Dodgers starting pitching staff gave up 13 earned runs, good for a 25.07 ERA.

Clayton Kershaw took the ball Game 1 and only recorded one out before surrendering six runs. Bobby Miller, who fans clamored for most, gave up three runs in the first inning before leaving two outs into the second. Then, finally, Lance Lynn appeared to be cruising in Game 3 before the Diamondbacks hit four home runs in the bottom of the third.

The starters struggled over the course of the year no doubt. Their 4.57 ERA this year placed them 20th in the league, a mark highly unusual for this club. For context, the last time the Dodgers did not finish in the top two of starting pitching ERA was back in 2016 when they finished 6th with a 3.95 ERA. Still though, despite battling all year, no one saw this performance coming. 

The offense at no point had a lead in this series. Only during the first two innings of the third game did the offense take an at-bat not trailing the opposition. While the bats do deserve their share of the blame, constantly playing from behind does not help.

Moving forward questions still remain about this starting staff. Besides Walker Buehler, set to return from his second Tommy John surgery, the rookies Bobby Miller, Emmet Sheehan, Ryan Pepiot, and Michael Grove make up the rest of the rotation currently healthy and on the roster. 

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