What we've learned so far about the Dodgers

After watching the Los Angeles Dodgers unafraid their archetypal full-season title successful 4 decades, Andrew Friedman and his beforehand bureau lieutenants doubled down, adding practically each escaped cause they wanted implicit the ensuing offseason and triggering outrage passim the sport. Their extremity was to physique 1 of the top shot teams ever -- 1 whose endowment could flooded the randomness of the playoffs, which has prevented a repetition champion each of the past 24 years, and whose extent could flooded the attrition that impedes truthful galore passim the regular season.

Less than 2 weeks into the 2025 season, the second anticipation is already being tested.

Mookie Betts suffered done a mysterious tummy ailment that caused him to shed adjacent to 20 pounds, keeping him retired of the archetypal 2 games successful Japan. Freddie Freeman slipped successful the shower and reaggravated the ankle wounded helium played done during past year's playoffs, triggering a stint connected the injured list. And connected Sunday, Blake Snell, the two-time Cy Young Award victor signed to a $182 cardinal declaration implicit the offseason, was unopen down with what was diagnosed arsenic enarthrosis inflammation.

Through that, though, the Dodgers person continually recovered a mode to win. They were undefeated successful their archetypal 8 games, giving them the longest season-opening winning streak for a repetition champion, and beryllium 9-2 contempt dropping 2 of 3 connected the roadworthy against the Philadelphia Phillies. The play is young, but it feels arsenic if we've already learned truthful overmuch astir 1 of the astir decorated teams successful this sport's history.

Below are the six biggest takeaways.

Their discourtesy is adjacent deeper than we imagined

Freeman has sat retired the past six games and Betts sat retired 2 of the archetypal four. The Dodgers person yet to rotation retired their optimal lineup.

It hasn't truly mattered.

Through their archetypal 11 games, they're doing what they ever look to: travel up with timely hits and, mostly, slug. They're 2nd successful the majors successful location runs and archetypal successful triumph probability added by a wide margin.

Max Muncy, Enrique Hernandez and Andy Pages are each disconnected to dilatory starts, but Tommy Edman has brought accumulation from 5 antithetic spots successful the lineup. Shohei Ohtani, Will Smith and Michael Conforto person swung blistery bats, and Betts has recovered capable spot to beryllium a large contributor.

They'll each inevitably spell acold astatine varying points this season, but others should prime up the slack.

Said Teoscar Hernandez: "That's conscionable the extent that we have."

And erstwhile everyone is clicking, a starting 9 of Ohtani, Betts, Freeman, Teoscar Hernández, Muncy, Smith, Conforto, Pages and Edman -- successful that bid oregon adjacent to it -- is the champion successful the sport.

The instrumentality of two-way Ohtani mightiness instrumentality longer than we thought

Ohtani went 32 days betwixt throwing disconnected a mound, from Feb. 25 to March 29. Before outpouring training, the period of May looked similar a realistic people for his instrumentality to a two-way role. That nary longer seems to beryllium the case. Ohtani kept his limb progressive during his caller shutdown by throwing disconnected level crushed astatine mean intensity, but helium is fundamentally starting his pitching buildup from scratch. His bullpen league connected March 29 saw him propulsion astir 20 pitches, aft which Dodgers manager Dave Roberts acknowledged, "We're a ways away."

This, Ohtani said done an interpreter successful Japan, is "according to plan." He wanted to "prioritize the hitting facet arsenic we're getting into the season," helium added, "to get a small breather mentally and physically connected the pitching broadside of things."

Ohtani is throwing afloat bullpen sessions each Saturday, with a lighter 1 successful between. He'll proceed to premix successful breaking balls, physique stamina, proceed toward facing hitters, past statesman a quasi-rehab duty by throwing successful simulated games. (Given his value to the lineup, the Dodgers won't beryllium sending him retired connected a accepted rehab assignment.)

There is nary timetable for his instrumentality to the rotation, and determination astir apt shouldn't be. Ohtani is coming disconnected a 2nd repair of his ulnar collateral ligament, not to notation a torn labrum helium suffered connected his non-throwing shoulder. He is again attempting to bash thing that is mostly without precedent. And the Dodgers should person capable starting pitching extent to get by, particularly aft watching Dustin May rotation done the Atlanta Braves successful his first quality successful much than 22 months earlier this week.

If Ohtani throws 100 innings during the regular season, it'll beryllium a shock. What's astir important is for him to beryllium astatine his champion arsenic a two-way subordinate successful October.

Roki Sasaki mightiness beryllium much of a work-in-progress than expected

A clip of Sasaki seemingly connected the verge of tears from the apical measurement of the Dodgers' dugout connected March 29 made the rounds connected societal media.

Sasaki had recorded lone 5 outs against the Detroit Tigers, 10 days aft signaling lone 9 outs against the Chicago Cubs. Through his archetypal 4⅔ innings successful the large leagues, helium had walked 9 batters. Fastball bid was elusive. His splitter and slider weren't generating capable chase. Just arsenic salient to evaluators, helium looked nervous. Scared, even. Some of those who spent years watching Sasaki successful Japan could hardly admit him. The full manufacture knew that Sasaki, inactive lone 23 years old, required seasoning earlier establishing himself arsenic a top-of-the-rotation starter. But it seemed arsenic if helium needed adjacent much than galore anticipated.

Saturday, though, provided immoderate much-needed optimism. Sasaki took the mound successful the bandbox known arsenic Citizens Bank Park, faced a Phillies lineup that is among the sport's astir unsafe and held his own. He pitched into the 5th inning, astatine 1 constituent retired 12 of 13 batters and, with immoderate bully fortune, gave up lone 1 run. Sasaki simplified his repertoire, throwing fastballs and splitters with 63 of his 68 pitches, and made amended usage of his little fractional arsenic helium drove toward location plate. As his commencement prolonged, his assurance seemed to grow.

There volition proceed to beryllium increasing pains, but Sasaki's 3rd commencement provided the archetypal glimpse of what helium tin beryllium astatine this level. After it was over, helium again hung connected the railing of the Dodgers' dugout -- only this clip helium was smiling.

Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto request much attention

It's beauteous telling of the Dodgers' prima powerfulness that Glasnow and Yamamoto, signed to semipermanent deals totaling much than $460 cardinal successful December 2023, were fundamentally forgotten members of this rotation erstwhile the twelvemonth began. But their wellness and occurrence volition beryllium important to a talented-yet-highly-volatile rotation.

Yamamoto, who sat retired adjacent to 3 months with a rotator cuff strain successful his modulation from Japan to the large leagues past year, drew effusive praise from Dodgers officials passim outpouring training. They believed that Yamamoto's age-26 play would spot him elevate to 1 of the game's champion starting pitchers. Three starts in, Yamamoto has done thing to temper those expectations, giving up 3 earned runs and striking retired 19 batters successful 16 innings.

After a 2024 play that ended prematurely due to the fact that of what was diagnosed arsenic an elbow sprain, Glasnow and the Dodgers worked connected making his transportation much compact and revamping his throwing program. He ditched weighted balls and got backmost to much long-tossing. After his archetypal commencement of the season, erstwhile helium unopen retired the Braves done 5 innings and struck retired 8 batters, Glasnow said helium felt "more fluid."

Glasnow's 2nd commencement was a struggle; helium battled the rainfall Sunday day successful Philadelphia, enactment the archetypal 5 batters connected successful the 3rd inning and promptly exited. But the Dodgers person precocious hopes for Glasnow this play nonetheless. With Snell connected the support and Sasaki inactive developing, his occurrence is crucial.

They mightiness really person a weakness: defense

Betts attempted to crook a treble play successful Tuesday's 2nd inning and threw truthful errantly to archetypal basal helium had to pursuit the shot himself. About 24 hours later, Muncy made 2 throwing errors and Pages misplayed a shot adjacent the informing track. The Dodgers overcame those antiaircraft mistakes and won anyway, but it underscored what is seen arsenic a imaginable glaring weakness.

Betts is making an unprecedented modulation to shortstop. He has worked since aboriginal November to get it right, but if helium is simply mean astatine the position, the Dodgers volition beryllium happy. Muncy, who doesn't person elite range, has the lowest fielding percent among those who person played astatine slightest 250 games astatine 3rd basal since the commencement of the 2022 season.

Pages has a large limb successful halfway field, but scouts person raised concerns astir his quality to work balls disconnected the bat. Conforto and Teoscar Hernández, who marque up the outfield corners, person combined for minus-16 outs supra mean implicit the past 2 years. Even Freeman, a Gold Glove-caliber archetypal baseman passim his career, doesn't determination astir the mode helium utilized to astatine 35 years aged and coming disconnected ankle surgery.

Given the elevated strikeout and home-run rates of this era, defence has ne'er been little important. But arsenic the New York Yankees showed successful letting the Dodgers travel backmost successful Game 5 of past year's World Series, it inactive matters. Very overmuch so.

They person an underappreciated trait: fight

The Dodgers aren't each glitz and glamor. They're resilient -- hardened by past October disappointment and buoyed by the injuries they overcame to unafraid a title past fall. They cognize however to overcome, and they ne'er look to beryllium retired of games.

"It's benignant of a hallmark of our club," Roberts said.

It's showing erstwhile again. The Dodgers breezed past the Cubs successful back-to-back games successful Japan without Betts and Freeman. After a week off, they bushed Tarik Skubal, the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner, connected Opening Day. The adjacent night, they erased 2 abstracted two-run deficits to triumph successful other innings. Twenty-four hours later, they won again adjacent though their bullpen had to grounds 22 outs successful alleviation of Sasaki. On Wednesday, the Dodgers fell down 5-0 aft an inning and a fractional against a Braves squad hopeless for its archetypal triumph and inactive came retired victorious.

Roberts admitted that helium was "a small dumbfounded" by watching his squad rally to a 6-5 triumph that nighttime -- some by the defence that triggered the aboriginal shortage and the resilience that erased it. The Dodgers had recorded their 2nd walk-off deed -- a location tally by Ohtani connected his bobblehead night -- and their sixth comeback triumph successful 8 games. They present person a large league-leading seven. Nobody other has much than four.

"The content is large here," Snell said. "We judge we should triumph each game. It's amusive to beryllium around, and it's amusive erstwhile everyone knows that we're gonna find a way."