To say that Lady Luck has not been favoring the Los Angeles Dodgers would be an injustice! Because right now, with 14 pitchers on the injured list, the fact that they are staying afloat is a miracle in itself. Well, thanks to the pitching depth, or the fact that they have Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The ace has been one holding the fort- the legit lifeline for LA now.

But honestly, things have been choppy! A clear sight of Dodger’s fragility was seen when the Dodgers lost 3-1 to the New York Mets. Even after Shohei Ohtani’s moonshot, they couldn’t take the lead. The four fielding errors, including two from Will Smith, just spelled trouble. And now, to make things worse for the team and add more pressure to Yamamoto’s shoulder is a piece of disheartening news.

Evan Phillips, who has now been out for nearly three weeks after what was called a minor forearm issue, is still sidelined. And here is the kicker—there is no clear return date in sight. Dave Roberts himself confirmed it.

Roberts admitted that Phillips’ condition is getting a little concerning. “It’s starting to get a little concerning. I don’t know how long we’re going to give it until he can attempt to start playing catch again, but I’m getting a little kind of concerned. Hoping for the best—he just hasn’t started playing because it still doesn’t feel correct.” This is not the news that fans wanted because Phillips has been a quiet force in the Dodgers’ bullpen with 221 strikeouts across his tenure. Not having him for an extended period is doing no grace to the team.

Yamamoto, meanwhile, is holding things down with very little backup. Of the seven pitchers the Dodgers invested in the past two seasons, only Yamamoto and Tanner Scott remain. The rest are on the injured list, and it’s a medical nightmare. Even then, the 25-year-old Japanese star has already flashed ace-level stuff. His last outing was a stunner with seven shutout innings, a near no-hitter, and eight strikeouts. His ERA is back under 2.00. Dave Roberts praised him, saying, “He’s calm in chaos, and that’s what makes him special.”

Yamamoto will be back taking the ball on Monday in Cleveland against the Guardians. They are sending out Gavin Williams, who has struggled mightily against the Dodgers. So if Yamamoto can be the poised ace that he has been till now, then maybe the Dodgers can get the reins to their ship again. Because for them now, there is no room for error—they need a clean game.

Dodgers sign reinforcement amid their pitching chaos

The Los Angeles Dodgers used eight pitchers to close out the 7-5 victory at Citi Field. That kind of strain does not go unnoticed. So in a much-needed move, the Dodgers turned to a veteran arm to ease that pressure—Chris Stratton! The 34-year-old right-hander signed a major league deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday, as reported by Jon Heyman.

While the financials seem to be under wraps now, the motive is clear: LA needs help, and they need it now. And well, Stratton does bring ten seasons of experience and 620.1 career innings with him. Not to mention the shiny World Series ring from his time with the Texas Rangers in 2023. He only pitched four innings that October, but his playoff experience does give him that added credibility.

But he is for sure coming off a rough start with the Kansas City Royals. He recorded a 7.94 ERA across 17 innings, and that isn’t ideal. But honestly, the Dodgers are banking on his durability more than his dominance. They don’t have Roki Sasaki, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, or even Clayton Kershaw to bank on, so not many options. Now, to make room for Stratton, Bobby Miller has been optioned to the minors, and J.P. Feyereisen has been designated for assignment. It’s a shakeup they probably didn’t want, but something they needed to do.

Stratton’s move does feel like a band-aid for the team, though. What do you think? Let us know in the comments.