With Starters Heating Up, the Dodgers Are Ready To Make a Run

The 2024 World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers posted one of the highest ERA marks ever for a champion (4.50), and manager Dave Roberts had to lean on every possible bullpen trick to get through.

Behind Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Jack Flaherty, the rotation was patchwork, relying on rookies Landon Knack and Ben Casparius to help piece games together on the biggest of stages.

Fast forward to the penultimate series of the 2025 MLB regular season, and it’s become crystal clear that the 2025 Dodgers are built in the opposite fashion. And if they are going to become the first team in over two decades to repeat as champs, they may have to get it done in entirely different ways.

The Best Rotation in Baseball

The bullpen is unreliable at best, but just in the knick of time, the rotation may just be proving to be the best in baseball.

From Shortage to Surplus

This year’s Dodgers rotation was supposed to be a strength, but injuries delayed that reality. Clayton Kershaw didn’t arrive until late May. Shohei Ohtani didn’t make his return to the mound until June 16. Emmet Sheehan wasn’t a full go until July 6. Tyler Glasnow didn’t rejoin the mix until July 9, and Blake Snell didn’t rejoin until August 2. 

But since July, the rotation has started to click, and since mid-August, no staff in baseball has been more dominant.

• Clayton Kershaw: 3.55 ERA across 21 starts.
  
• Shohei Ohtani: 3.29 ERA with a 2.12 FIP, striking out nearly 12 per nine.
  
• Tyler Glasnow: 2.99 ERA across 12 starts since returning.
  
• Blake Snell: 2.52 ERA in eight starts since August 2.
  
• Emmet Sheehan: A 2.89 ERA across 13 outings since July 6.

The results speak for themselves. In September, Dodgers starters have combined for a 2.53 ERA, the best mark in the National League and second only to Cleveland among all of MLB.

Since the night of Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s near no-hitter in Baltimore on September 6, the group has allowed just 18 runs in 90.1 innings (1.79 ERA) with 119 strikeouts.

It’s been sheer dominance, night after night. It’s no coincidence that Los Angeles has gone 10-5 in that span, but with numbers that freakish, it’s almost unbelievable the Dodgers are not at least 13-2, or better, in that span. 

The Bullpen Problem

The Dodgers own a 4.28 bullpen ERA this season, ranking 20th in MLB, better only than the Phillies and Yankees among current playoff teams. September has been particularly rough for their highest leverage, late-inning guys.

• Blake Treinen: Five losses in nine appearances, 11.57 ERA.
  
• Tanner Scott: 6.35 ERA.

In all five of the Dodgers’ September losses since Yamamoto’s Baltimore start, they either held the lead or were tied when the starter exited.

The Offense Is Still There

While the starting pitching has flipped its script, the Dodgers’ lineup remains one of baseball’s most dangerous.

• September OPS: .789 (3rd in MLB).
  
• Home OPS: .812 (2nd in MLB), crucial given they’d host a Wild Card series if they hold the division.
  
• OPS vs RHP: .771 (3rd).
  
• OPS vs LHP: .767 (3rd).
  
• When trailing: MLB-best .766 OPS, showing an ability to claw back late.
  
• 7th inning or later: .745 OPS (7th in MLB).
  

The one concern: situational hitting when games are close. In “late and close” spots, the Dodgers have a modest .703 OPS (10th in MLB). It’s not bad, but it hasn’t been elite, and in October, those margins matter.

Still, with Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and a resurgent Mookie Betts anchoring the order, few teams can match LA’s offensive firepower.

Built Differently, But Built to Win

In 2024, the Dodgers had to duct-tape the rotation together and rely on the bullpen. In 2025, they’re going to lean on their aces, ride deep outings and hope their bullpen can hold on.

Few teams can send out wave after wave of arms like Kershaw, Ohtani, Glasnow, Snell, Yamamoto, and Sheehan. That kind of depth can win playoff series almost on its own.

But the bullpen remains the great unknown. Can the Dodgers get just enough from Treinen, Scott, and the other relievers to close games out? 

The Dodgers are still one of the most talented rosters in baseball, and with their rotation finally aligned, they have the firepower to repeat as champions. I am not picking LA to repeat, but I certainly wouldn’t be shocked if they find a way to do it.

Stats were taken prior to play on September 23.