Los Angeles Dodgers' Biggest Strength So Far In 2016

The Los Angeles Dodgers appeared to be the far and away best team in the National League West heading into 2016. Since then, the Dodgers have added nine players to the disabled list. The Dodgers have been forced to rely on their pitching strength to stay in contention.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have a pretty average offense. They are 13th in MLB in runs scored. Their ranking in batting average is 24th in MLB. With that sort of offense, they need a good pitching staff to have a chance to compete in the NL.

The Dodgers have the best pitcher in baseball, Clayton Kershaw. They also have top prospect Julio Urias and top import Kenta Maeda in the rotation. What they are missing are starters Brett Anderson, Brandon McCarthy and Hyun-Jin Ryu. Anderson is the only one of the three with any sort of timetable for a return.

This deep rotation has the Dodgers fourth in the NL in ERA and fifth in MLB in starting rotation ERA. Their starters are second to only the Washington Nationals in strikeouts. The Dodgers are sixth in MLB in innings pitched by starters, which leads us to the relievers.

Thanks to the high number of innings pitched by the starters, the bullpen is in the middle of baseball in innings pitched. They average nearly a strikeout per inning pitched, which is a sign of a bullpen that is well rested. The bullpen has given up the third fewest hits in all of baseball as well. It’s a good combination of veterans and youth.

The Dodgers have nine players on the DL so far in 2016. They have been able to keep afloat in the playoff race thanks to their pitching. If some of the injured come back strong, then the Dodgers will be a force in the postseason.