Add The California Post on Google Shohei Ohtani’s aching right arm. Freddie Freeman’s throbbing right knee. Edwin Díaz’s disastrous form on a minor-league rehabilitation assignment.
Whatever problems surfaced in recent weeks, the Dodgers were able to convince themselves they could overcome them.
The reason: Even with Ohtani unable to pitch, they had the most talented starting rotation of this era.
Suddenly, that source of comfort is a major concern.
Blake Snell departed his start in Cincinnati on Wednesday after just one inning with what was described as a tight left groin.
Consider that Tyler Glasnow traveled directly home from Miami rather than to follow the Dodgers to Great American Ball Park for their four-game series against the Reds, and there are reasons to be worried.
With an inconsistent offense and combustible bullpen, the Dodgers were going to be heavily dependent on their starting pitching in the playoffs.
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The last time Snell strained his left groin was when he was pitching for the San Francisco Giants in 2024. He was sidelined for a month.
For what it’s worth, Snell is convinced this particular injury isn’t severe and plans to make his next start, according to people familiar with this situation.
“Stopped before it got too bad,” one of the people said.
Then again, weren’t similar claims once made about Ohtani?
As for Glasnow, he remains on track to pitch on Friday.
Manager Dave Roberts said Glasnow skipped the Cincinnati leg of the trip to better prepare for his starting assignment at Dodger Stadium against the San Francisco Giants.
“Get him acclimated to Pacific Standard Time,” Roberts said.
Glasnow was sidelined for 3 ½ months because of back problems, and Roberts intimated something could be wrong with him after his most recent start. In his last two appearances, the 6-foot-8 right-hander gave up a combined eight runs, 11 hits and seven walks in 10 innings.
The questions about Snell’s and Glasnow’s health came at a time when the rotation was coming together before the postseason.
Snell in particular was sharp after returning from an elbow cleanup that cost him three months. Before his early departure on Wednesday, Snell was 4-0 with a 1.04 earned-run average since he was activated from the injured list on Aug. 11.
Snell wasn’t the only Cy Young Award-caliber pitcher rounding into shape.
The day before Snell scaled the mound, it was Yamamoto’s turn to do so, and last year’s World Series Most Valuable Player pitched seven scoreless innings in a 4-0 win over the Reds.
The seven-inning start was the third in a row for Yamamoto, who improved his record to 14-8 and lowered his earned-run average to 2.51.
“I feel really good and I don’t have any physical problems,” Yamamoto told reporters in Japanese. “I want to treat practice each and every day with importance and go into October in the best condition.”
The opening game of the series was started by Tarik Skubal, the two-time Cy Young Award winner who was acquired from the Detroit Tigers before the trade deadline.
Skubal pitched seven scoreless innings of his own in a 4-1 victory over the Reds. In his previous start, which was also against the Reds but at Dodger Stadium, Skubal pitched 7 ⅓ innings.
Just last week, the Dodgers had a playoff rotation that would have looked to other teams like the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
Now, there’s a chance they could be forced to send Roki Sasaki and Emmet Sheehan to the mound in playoff games.
The Dodgers could conceivably win a championship with a rotation of Yamamoto, Skubal, Sasaki and Sheehan but that would require their offense to be productive.
How much can the Dodgers count on that, considering the physical problems Ohtani and Freeman have encountered? And how would using Sasaki as a starter instead of a reliever affect their bullpen?
Snell removed himself from his start on Wednesday so the Dodgers wouldn’t have to find out. The question is whether he did so in time. Their season depends on it.
