Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and veteran Miguel Rojas believe starting pitching has been the key to LA’s hot start to the season.
The Dodgers currently sit atop the NL West with the best record in baseball, and has absolutely demolished their competition so far—posting a plus-67 run differential through 28 games. That’s largely in part due to their dominant starting pitching so far.
Dodgers starters rank first in MLB with a collective 2.79 ERA, and have pitched the most innings in the National League. The only team in MLB to throw more innings is the Seattle Mariners, whose starters have thrown just 0.2 more innings.
“I think it’s all about starting pitching right now, to be honest with you. I think we’re feeding off of that,” said Rojas. “I talked about them a bit right now and how proud we are of the way they’re throwing the ball, giving us an opportunity to get it back together and get the offense going.”
When looking at the success in the Dodgers’ rotation, it’s hard to single out a single standout performer. Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani have obviously been impressive so far this season, with 2025’s World Series MVP posting a 2.48 ERA and the reigning NL MVP a 0.38 ERA.
Justin Wrobleski, though, has surprised the baseball world with his stellar performances so far this season.
Standing in for the injured Blake Snell, Wrobleski has put together a real case to keep his spot. After a rocky relief outing against the Cleveland Guardians to kick off the year, the left-hander has been lights out—allowing just two runs in 26 innings pitched since.
He currently leads qualified NL pitchers with a 1.50 ERA, and has earned a win in all four of his starts this month.
“He’s proven he’s a major-league starter because part of it is how many hitters can you take on, can you give your team a chance to win every time you go out there,” Roberts said. “He’s done that time and time again. He’s good in the sense that he gives us the flexibility to put him in the ’pen if we wanted to, which we have done before. Or give him the opportunity to start – which he has excelled at. I feel great every time he takes the mound.
“Yeah, when you lose a multiple Cy Young winner in Snell, to have a guy like that fill in … It really raises the floor for our starting pitching.”
The Dodgers will hope Wrobleski—along with the rest of their staff—can continue to step up as they look to run away with the lead in the division.
Their next chance to extend their lead at the top comes on Japanese Heritage Night Monday, where Yamamoto will take the mound to face the Miami Marlins at 7:10 p.m. PT.
Who has impressed you most in the Dodgers’ rotation so far?