Dodgers Dugout: Previewing the second half of the season

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell, and the Dodgers ended the first half looking like Otis Campbell from “The Andy Griffith Show.” They stumbled into the courthouse and locked themselves away. Will they let themselves out in time for October? (How old is the guy who writes this, making a reference to a 60-year-old show?)

Well, the Dodgers have some issues when the second half begins. Nothing major, just starting pitching, relief pitching and the bottom of the lineup. We talked last time about the reinforcements hopefully on the way from the IL, but this is a good time to hear from a different voice: Times Dodgers reporter Jack Harris, who is with the team almost every day.

Jack was kind enough to answer a few questions.

How do you assess the first half for the Dodgers?

Harris: For any other club, this would have been a great first half. The Dodgers have a seven-game lead in the National League West. They are top-three in the NL in both scoring and ERA. They are coasting to the postseason and have about as good of World Series odds as any other team in the majors.

But for this Dodgers team — one that spent more than $1 billion this offseason and is facing championship-or-bust pressure — the year has felt like something of a grind.

It’s partly because of the pitching injuries, partly because of the top-heavy lineup and mostly because, for the last two months, they’ve been playing like a .500 team.

If I were to grade it, I’d give them a B so far. They’re in a strong position in the standings. But they still face serious questions about their ability to progress through the playoffs.

Conventional wisdom says the two big areas that need addressing are the bottom of the lineup and the rotation. With the trade deadline 11 days away, do you see either or both these areas been addressed?

I’d be stunned if the Dodgers don’t make some move to bolster their lineup — whether it’s a big splash like Luis Robert Jr., or smaller additions to improve their bottom-half depth.

The team will obviously pursue rotation additions, as well. But, without many front-line options available, getting an ace-caliber arm might be tough. At this stage, a mid- to bottom-rotation type of arm seems more likely.

The Dodgers have a slew of pitchers on the IL, both starters (Kershaw and Yamamoto) and relievers (Kelly and Graterol). How realistic is it to expect any of the pitchers on the IL, other than perhaps Glasnow, to come back and really be effective?

For now, concern seems low about Glasnow. Kelly, Graterol and Yamamoto, however, appear like bigger question marks.

Kelly didn’t look great during his rehab assignment, though he is expected to be activated after the break. Graterol is still at least several weeks from returning. And Yamamoto likely won’t be back until late August or September.

While Kelly and Graterol should have more time to figure things out, Yamamoto’s timeline is a cause for concern. Maybe he’ll rediscover his pre-injury form in just three to four starts before the playoffs. But after missing this much time, that’s no guarantee. And that’s assuming he doesn’t experience any setbacks that push his timeline back further.

Let’s say Glasnow comes back after the break and his back injury is gone and he feels great. Considering he has never pitched more than 120 innings in a season, and he is at 109 now, will they have to control his usage carefully in the second half?

Yes they will. It’s part of the reason they decided to place him on the injured list now anyway.

Dave Roberts said there’s no hard limit on Glasnow’s workload this year. And the Dodgers probably won’t want him missing extended time closer to October.

Expect to see Roberts try to save some bullets by pulling Glasnow an inning or two early in some games. It’s a tricky — but important — balance for the club to strike; especially if they expect Glasnow to make four to five starts during a potential World Series run.

If the Dodgers made no moves at all, is the current team capable of winning the World Series?

If healthy, sure. The top of the lineup is still elite (especially if Max Muncy can return at some point). The bullpen is a strength. And a healthy, in-form trio of Glasnow, Yamamoto and Gavin Stone could be enough to anchor a postseason rotation.

But, that means Glasnow needs to avoid any other injuries, Yamamoto needs to make a full recovery, and Stone needs to sustain his breakout performance the rest of the year. Not to mention, the lineup needs to avoid any key losses, as well.

That’s a lot of things that seemingly need to go right. And if the first half of the year is any indication, there is always a threat of more unforeseen bumps in the road between now and the playoffs.

A lot has been made about Dave Roberts not having his contract extended. Is that really a troubling sign, and will he be in hot water if they don’t win the World Series?

I wouldn’t call it a troubling sign, even if there is an argument to be made for extending him now (as columnist Dylan Hernández recently outlined). Roberts’ current deal runs through next year. And in the past, he and the club have negotiated extensions the winter before his final year under contract, ensuring he avoids a lame-duck situation.

But another postseason elimination (especially an early one) certainly won’t simplify the negotiations he and the team will likely hold this winter — which would be their first contract talks since Craig Counsell’s monster $40-million Cubs deal this past offseason reset the managerial market.

The first-half numbers

A look at how the Dodgers fared compared to the other 29 teams in MLB in the first half. For most, we will do top five, where the Dodgers rank and bottom five.

Runs per game
1. NY Yankees, 4.98
2. Arizona, 4.969
3. Philadelphia 4.968
4. Dodgers, 4.938
5. Baltimore, 4.934

MLB average, 4.39

26. Oakland, 3.98
27. Tampa Bay, 3.92
28. Seattle, 3.87
29. Miami, 3.50
30. Chicago White Sox, 3.19

Batting average
1. Houston, 262
2. San Diego, .261
3. Philadelphia, .259
4. Boston, .2550
5. Milwaukee, .2546
6. Dodgers, .254

MLB average, .243

26. Cincinnati, .231
27. Pittsburgh, .230
28. Oakland, .227
29. Chicago White Sox, .220
30. Seattle, .219

On-base %
1. Dodgers, .334
2. Milwaukee, .333
3. Philadelphia, .331
4. NY Yankees, .329
5. Arizona, .326

MLB Average, .312

26. Detroit, .299
27. Pittsburgh, .298
28. Oakland, .297
29. Miami, .284
30. Chicago White Sox, .282

Slugging%
1. Baltimore, .452
2. Dodgers, .434
3. Minnesota, .428
4. NY Yankees, .426
5. Boston, .425

MLB average, .397

26. Pittsburgh, .370
27. Washington, .369
28. Seattle, .367
29. Miami, .354
30. Chicago White Sox, .347

OPS
1. Dodgers, .768
2. Baltimore, .764
3. NY Yankees, .755
4. Phiadelphia, .754
5. Minnesota, .751

MLB average, .709

26. Washington, .677
27. Pittsburgh, .669
28. Seattle, .667
29. Miami, .638
30. Chicago White Sox, .629

Stolen bases
1. Cincinnati, 134
2. Milwaukee, 133
3. Washington, 126
4. Philadelphia, 99
5. Tampa Bay, 95

MLB average, 69

17. Dodgers, 60

26. Atlanta, 44
26. Detroit, 44
28. Toronto, 43
29. NY Yankees, 38
30. San Francisco, 31

Walks
1. NY Yankees, 387
2. Dodgers, 374
3. Milwaukee, 363
4. Philadelphia, 334
5. Chicago Cubs, 327

MLB average, 297

26. Atlanta, 266
27. Baltimore, 260
28. Kansas City, 257
29. Chicago White Sox, 256
30. Miami, 205

Batter strikeouts
1. Seattle, 1,013
2. Oakland, 949
3. Colorado, 927
4. Boston, 919
5. Pittsburgh, 886

MLB average, 807

26. Toronto, 701
27. Cleveland, 65
28. Houston, 669
29. Kansas City, 664
30. San Diego, 662

Batting average with runners in scoring position
1. Kansas City, .290
2. Arizona, .281
3. Texas, .277
4. San Diego, .276
5. Cleveland, .275

MLB average, .255

18. Dodgers, .250

26. Oakland, .230
27. St. Louis, .228
28. Chicago Cubs, .224
29. Tampa Bay, .223
30. Chicago White Sox, .211

Batting average with two out and runners in scoring position
1. NY Mets, .278
2. Milwaukee, .262
3. Texas, .257
4. Arizona, .2564
5. Toronto, .2562

MLB average, .233

24. Dodgers, .213
26. Chicago White Sox, .206
27. Tampa Bay, .202
28. Chicago Cubs, .200
29. Detroit, .189
30. Oakland, .188

PITCHING

ERA
1. Atlanta, 3.40
2. Philadelphia, 3.41
3. Seattle, 3.46
4. NY Yankees, 3.54
5. Boston, 3.61

8. Dodgers, 3.76

MLB average, 4.06

26. Arizona, 4.56
27. Chicago White Sox, 4.57
28. Angels, 4.59
29. Miami, 4.60
30. Colorado, 5.61

Rotation ERA
1. Philadelphia, 3.22
2. Seattle, 3.36
3. Pittsburgh, 3.52
4. Kansas City, 3.57
5. Boston, 3.58

12. Dodgers, 4.02

MLB average, 4.13

26. Angels, 4.63
27. Arizona, 4.80
28. Oakland, 5.05
29. Miami, 5.18
30. Colorado, 5.49

Bullpen ERA
1. Cleveland, 2.62
2. Atlanta, 2.94
3. Milwaukee, 3.35
4. Dodgers, 3.42
5. Cincinnati, 3.45

MLB average, 3.97

26. Pittsburgh, 4.39
27. Angels, 4.53
28. Chicago White Sox, 4.72
29. Toronto, 4.91
30. Colorado, 5.83

Blown saves
1. Chicago White Sox, 24
2. Colorado, 19
3. Tampa Bay, 18
3. Chicago Cubs, 18
3. Detroit Tigers, 18
T6. Dodgers, 17

MLB average, 14

27. Milwaukee, 11
27. Atlanta, 11
29. Angels, 9
30. Cincinnati, 6

Inherited runners that scored %
1. Cleveland, 23.9%
2. Kansas City, 26%
3. Detroit, 26.1%
4. Cincinnati, 27.2%
5. Houston, 27.6%

9. Dodgers, 31.3%

MLB average, 33.1%

26. Philadelphia, 37.6%
27. San Francisco, 38.1%
28. Colorado, 39%
29. Arizona, 42.9%
30. Minnesota, 45%5

Overall record
1. Philadelphia, 62-34
2. Cleveland, 58-37
3. Baltimore, 58-38
4. NY Yankees, 58-40
5. Dodgers, 56-41

26. Angels, 41-55
27. Oakland, 37-61
28. Colorado, 34-63
29. Miami, 33-63
30. Chicago White Sox, 27-71

Overall standings since May 20
1. Boston, 29-18
2. Minnesota, 30-19
3. Houston, 29-19
4. St. Louis, 29-20
5. NY Mets, 28-20
5. Philadelphia, 28-20

18. Dodgers, 23-24

26. Chicago Cubs, 21-29
27. Colorado, 19-32
28. Oakland, 18-31
29. Miami, 17-30
30. Chicago White Sox, 13-37

Record at home: 28-19
on the road: 28-22

In March: 4-2
April: 15-11
May: 17-10
June: 16-10
July: 4-8

in extra-inning games: 6-5
in one-run games: 11-11
In blowouts (win or lose by 5+): 15-10
against AL teams: 14-9

Against teams .500 or over: 26-22 (.542)
Against teams under .500: 30-19 (.612)

What do you think?

Two poll questions for you as the second half begins:

How far will the Dodgers advance this season?

Will Dave Roberts be the Dodgers’ manager on opening day in 2025?

Click here to vote. Results will be in a future newsletter.

Ohtani talks about Dave Roberts

Our own Dylan Hernández talked to Shohei Ohtani about a host of issues, but his comments on Roberts are interesting:

Ohtani described his relationship with Roberts as “wonderful.”

“I think he’s a manager who has a lot of conversations with players individually,” Ohtani said in Japanese this week. “I myself, there are many areas with which he’s helped me.”

“As one of the top commanders on the team, I think the manager approaches every game with focus.”

If Ohtani is happy with Roberts, then the odds of him not managing the Dodgers next season just got longer.

No help from May

It looked possible that Dustin May would be able to return from his Tommy John surgery in September to provide the Dodgers a boost. No more.

May was eating dinner last week when he felt terrible pain. It was a torn esophagus. He had surgery to fix it and won’t be able to return this season.

All-Star game thoughts

I used to get really excited for the All-Star game each season. I made sure to tune in in time to watch the player introductions before the game. But now that you can watch almost every team at some point during the season and see highlights all over YouTube, it doesn’t mean as much. The All-Star game once was perhaps the only time you got to see a George Brett or Reggie Jackson during the season, now the big stars are everywhere. Not sure if that’s for better or worse, it’s just different.

Plus, it’s ridiculous that the players don’t wear their team uniforms. We had a picture of Ohtani hitting his three-run home run on our website, and you couldn’t tell it was Ohtani in his dull NL uniform. Kids out there identify with the best players on their favorite team. To homogenize everyone in the hope that you can make a few extra bucks selling NL or AL replica jerseys is missing the overall picture. The kid whose favorite team is Minnesota wants to see his team’s uniform out there.

As far as the Home Run Derby goes, it’s good to see a Dodger win, but it’s hard to get overly excited about it.

Caught in a draft

The Dodgers chose high school shortstop Kellon Lindsey with their first-round pick (23rd overall) of this year’s draft.

“Pretty excited here,” Dodgers vice president of baseball operations Billy Gasparino said. “Kellon was one of the few players we had targeted in the Draft. … The excitement level our player development staff has is through the roof. We really feel we found someone who is going to be a great Dodger and we’re excited to have as part of the organization. I think one day you’ll be happy to watch here.”

Lindsey, 18, hit a .403 clip as a senior at Hardee High in Florida, in 97 plate appearances. He was considered one of the fastest players eligible for the draft.

“Yeah, the speed is definitely one of the biggest roles, and it really helps translate to other parts of the field,” Lindsey said. “I think my glove has always been pretty good. I think this year fundamentally and rhythm-wise, it really improved, and I think that was big for this past season. On the hitting side of things, I feel like I can pretty much put the ball in play whenever I want, and I think that’s an important tool to have.”

Scheduling note

I’m off next week, so there will be no newsletter. We’ll be back the week after.

Up next

Friday: Boston (Nick Pavetta, 4-6, 4.18 ERA) at Dodgers (TBD), 7:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, 1020 KTNQ

Saturday: Boston (Brayan Bello, 10-5, 5.32 ERA) at Dodgers (TBD), 4:15 p.m., Fox, AM 570, 1020 KTNQ

Sunday: Boston (Kutter Crawford, 6-7, 3.04 ERA) at Dodgers (TBD), 4:10 p.m., ESPN, AM 570, 1020 KTNQ

*-left-handed

In case you missed it

What’s in store for the Dodgers in the second half? Here are 10 storylines to watch

Dodgers to open 2025 season in Japan, Shohei Ohtani’s first MLB games in home country

Hernández: Is Shohei Ohtani ready for his first pennant race with the Dodgers?

Hernández: Listen to Shohei Ohtani, Manfred. Prioritize 2028 Olympics over All-Star Game

More than home runs: How Teoscar Hernández has become a clutch contact hitter for Dodgers

Dodgers excited about what speedy shortstop Kellon Lindsey could provide

Dodgers pitcher Dustin May out for season after surgery to repair torn esophagus

And finally

Leo Durocher appears on “The Beverly Hillbillies.” Watch and listen here.