Bloodied and Beaten: Can Tony Gonsolin Bounce Back After Angels’ Crushing Sweep of Dodgers?
Andrew Friedman didn’t beat around the bush Sunday morning when asked about the Dodgers’ latest pitching troubles — though, to be honest, calling them “latest” almost feels ironic at this point. It’s a refrain fans have heard one too many times this season: the pitching depth has taken a hit, thanks to a stubborn wave of injuries. The team’s president of baseball operations laid it all out, his frustration clear but composed. He summed it up with two simple words that said a whole lot: “Not fun.”
And as the Dodgers took the field that day for a 6-4 loss to the Angels, the sting of those words grew more palpable. With key starters like Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell, and Roki Sasaki sidelined, Tony Gonsolin has become the de facto No. 2 pitcher in the rotation — a spot he’s filling under tough circumstances, fighting off an annoying, bloody thumb injury mid-game that handicapped his usual command. Despite a spirited comeback effort sparked by Shohei Ohtani and Will Smith, the banged-up bullpen couldn’t hold the line, giving the opposition a late lead that spelled doom.
Friedman made an important point, though — this injury malaise, while painful, isn’t quite as apocalyptic as the one that dogged the squad en route to last year’s World Series title. No season-ending losses yet, thank goodness. The confidence remains that the Dodgers have enough depth to defend their crown — but the stubborn truth is they still haven’t cracked the code on keeping their prized arms healthy. The rotation’s struggles are forcing relievers into an exhausting workload, and figuring out how to safeguard these high-dollar pitchers? That’s the one puzzle that keeps Friedman up at night.
“It’s a game of Whack-a-Mole,” he confessed. “Things keep popping up.” And, honestly, when you rank 21st in the majors with a 4.18 ERA — well, “enough depth” might just be a fairy tale. As Dodgers manager Dave Roberts dryly put it after the game, “It is what it is… you just sort of have to deal with things as they come up.”
For now, the Dodgers are walking a tightrope; the pitching staff’s health could very well decide how this season unfolds. And with every nick, bruise, and unexpected setback, the team’s resilience is tested anew.
LEARN MOREAndrew Friedman gave a longer answer Sunday morning when asked about the Dodgers’ recent — and, by the feel of it, familiar — pitching woes so far this year, the club’s president of baseball operations bemoaning another wave of injuries that has left the pitching staff shorthanded.
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