Welcome to another episode of Dodgers Dugout with Houston Mitchell. It’s disheartening to see some fans throwing in the towel on the Dodgers already. This sentiment isn’t new, but it’s surprising to encounter it so early in the season.
Lately, the Dodgers haven’t been performing their best. Starting strong at 10-4, they’ve now lost five of their last seven games. Consequently, my inbox is flooded with comments like: “The Dodgers won’t even make the playoffs this year,” or “Dave Roberts is a terrible manager despite the team’s past successes,” or “Shohei Ohtani’s performance is a huge disappointment considering his salary.”
Running a newsletter like this, I often receive negative feedback, making it easy to assume it reflects the sentiments of all Dodgers fans. However, this isn’t the case for the majority of you. If you’re not among the frustrated, feel free to skip ahead.
For those still with me, let’s put things into perspective. We’re only 21 games into a 162-game season. We can’t accurately judge the team’s quality based on this small sample size. Remember when they started 10-4? Did you declare them the greatest team ever? Probably not. So why the despair now?
Every team experiences rough patches like this throughout the season. Every team has weaknesses, but when it comes to the Dodgers, they’re often magnified due to high expectations. It’s unreasonable to get upset after every loss. Even the best teams lose around 60 games a season. Do you really want to spend two months feeling miserable?
Sure, the Dodgers have areas to improve, like their shaky bullpen, struggling infield defense, and lackluster hitting in the lower part of the lineup. But it’s early, and adjustments can be made. Save your worries for later in the season, perhaps closer to the All-Star break.
Let’s take a look at some numbers for perspective:
- The Dodgers’ records after 21 games in recent years show that early struggles don’t necessarily define their season.
- Offensive stats by batting order position reveal some areas for improvement, particularly in the bottom third of the lineup.
- Stats with runners in scoring position highlight an area where the team can do better.
- Pitching-wise, the Dodgers’ rotation and bullpen ERAs aren’t among the league’s best, but there’s room for improvement.
In the end, let’s stay optimistic and give the team time to find their groove. Remember, we’ve been through this before, and more often than not, the Dodgers come out on top. Save your frustrations for the postseason, where they’re often needed most.
As we await the team’s performance, let’s take a moment to remember Carl Erskine, a former Dodgers pitcher who passed away recently. His contributions to the team and his impact beyond baseball are worth celebrating and reflecting upon.
Now, onto the upcoming games.
