Longtime MLB Manager Doesn't Mince Words About Dodgers' Injuries: 'It's Their Own Fault'

The Dodgers' rotation has been ravaged by injuries.

Allan Henry-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Dodgers are heading toward October with several of their key starting pitchers on the injured list. Clayton Kershaw, Tony Gonsolin, Gavin Stone, Dustin May, and Tyler Glasnow are all on the IL, and Glasnow will more than likely miss the rest of the season, leaving the Dodgers with few proven starters available as the postseason nears.

Have the Dodgers just had injury luck? Or do they have to look in the mirror for who to blame?

Former two-time World Series Champion and three-time Manager of the Year Joe Maddon believes the Dodgers have themselves to blame. Speaking on The Ricky Cobb Show on OutKick.com, Maddon did not necessarily pin the blame on one thing the Dodgers did (or didn't do). But he made it clear who's responsible for the injuries that depleted their postseason rotation.

“Right now I’m listening about the Dodgers and their concerns going into the postseason," Maddon told Cobb, the creator of Super 70s Sports. "They don’t have enough starters. And even if they did, they don’t pitch deeply into the game and then you’ve got a worn-out bullpen. It’s their own fault. Don’t blame it on anything else.”

The Dodgers have signed pitchers with injury histories, so it can't be too surprising to see them injured again. Glasnow managed to start a career-high 22 games and throw a career-high 168 strikeouts this season, but his earlier innings totals were suppressed in large part because of prior injuries. In recent years, Glasnow has missed time because of a torn UCL that required Tommy John surgery as well as an oblique injury.

Kershaw was coming off offseason shoulder surgery. The team knew May and Gonsolin would most likely be out for most or all of the 2024 season while recovering from their own elbow procedures. They knew Shohei Ohtani could not pitch this season, and that Walker Buehler was coming off his second Tommy John surgery as well.

Along with the Dodgers' lack of pitchers available, Maddon also made mention of the mechanics and focus on velocity.

Great chatting with Joe Maddon today, who talks about the value of managing in places like Idaho Falls, MLB rule changes, what happened during the Game 7 rain delay in the 2016 World Series, managing Shohei Ohtani, and more. Good stuff here, check it out:pic.twitter.com/hWBQSNoIRg

— Super 70s Sports (@Super70sSports) September 16, 2024

“Furthermore the chasing of velocity is really leading to a lot of injuries," Maddon said. "There’s some horrible pitching mechanics going on right now that are not spoken about. That’s why all these guys are blowing out all these elbows and shoulders.”

The Dodgers' front office has addressed the issue recently. President of baseball Andrew Friedman and general manager Brandon Gomes told Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times that they lack answers for the reasons behind what's gone wrong for them on the injury front.

“I think, unfortunately, a lot of it stems back to, we don’t really know,” Friedman said.

“I wish I had more answers,” Gomes echoed, via Harris. “We just don’t know.”

Bad luck or not, all the efforts the Dodgers put in to winning a World Series in 2024 could go to waste if pitching injuries cost them in October once again.