The Los Angeles Dodgers come into every season with championship expectations.
That is no different this year as they hope to get back to the World Series for the first time since 2020.
Even though the Dodgers have gotten off to a strong start this year, they still have a few massive concerns.
The most glaring is their starting pitching.
LA knew they would be without ace Walker Buehler for this season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.
But, the rest of their pitching staff has not stepped up.
Their starters are struggling to go deep into games, which is affecting their bullpen.
According to Fabian Ardaya, the Dodgers have not had a starter go more than five innings in the last nine games.
Innings pitched from Dodgers starters the last nine games, including tonight:
4
3.2
5
5
3
1
4
4
5— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) May 23, 2023
This is a rare and concerning stretch for the Dodgers, who are not getting length from their starters.
Even so, LA is in first place in the NL West.
Yet if they want to make another run at the World Series they need their starters to step up.
Clayton Kershaw and Dustin May are the only two starters with an ERA under four.
Also, they have not gotten what they hoped for from free-agent Noah Syndergaard.
The hard-throwing righty has thrown 41.1 innings in nine starts and has an ERA of 5.88.
LA could be looking to improve their starting pitching at the trade deadline.
They have always been aggressive to make the moves necessary to win-now.
It will be interesting to see what players they target as we get deeper into the season.
