Exactly As Good As You'd Expect

 I'm writing this post as the Dodgers are in danger of losing their first game of the season, to the Braves...a team that has yet to win a game this season. The Dodgers starter getting clobbered is Blake Snell, one of their many multimillion dollar signees from this offseason. The Braves starter getting by is Bryce Elder, who struggled mightily last season and wasn't even factored into the team's 2025 rotation. So far he's only given up a Tommy Edman home run. 

This, ultimately, would be the first thing this season for the Dodgers to go wrong. Everything else at least had airbags worked in. Roki Sasaki's first few starts were unspectacular, the pen can still salvage it. Max Muncy isn't hitting, alright, well basically everyone else is. Gonsolin's still hurt- fine, but Dustin May is healthy and surging. And even a loss to the struggling Braves, if it happens, would be buttressed by the preceding success, and the knowledge that more success will follow. 

Because ultimately, this is still the Dodgers. They're still going to win a lot of games this year.

Having Tyler Glasnow back, and healthy, will certainly help this. I found out recently that a friend of mine's dad is an old friend of Glasnow's dad. They're Yankee fans as well, and the remark was 'I always used to hate him cause he killed the Yankees til I found out'. Having him in the NL takes the sting out of it a little. Glasnow's first start of the season went as well as it could possibly go, going 5 innings but striking out 8 of 20 batters and only allowing 2 hits. And considering that Glasnow is FOURTH in this rotation, behind Yamamoto, Snell and Sasaki, and he's that dominant...that's a very good sign. My hope is that he's steadier than ever and can stay consistent and healthy, or perhaps that's wishful thinking for a Dodgers pitcher. 

Right now the Dodgers are getting peak offensive production out of Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Will Smith and Tommy Edman, picking up directly where last season left off. They have Yamamoto, Glasnow and May in excellent shape. Tanner Scott is shaky but can close games. Treinen and Yates are excellent bullpen pieces. The Freeman loss is temporary and not a dealbreaker, as Kiké Hernandez has been fine covering first. The eyes, understandably, are on Sasaki to come into his own but even if he doesn't there are other options. This is all looking...very good.

However, now that everyone knows, rightfully, that the Dodgers are the ones to beat, it's going to be a much tougher road repeating. The tape will be studied, the weaknesses could be exploited, and everyone's gonna try to get the leverage in October if given the opportunity. The Padres got so close last time, and now that they're similarly running an undefeated first week [and succeeding!], they may look to get their revenge, much like in 2022. The Dodgers must be ready for that, because if not the hubris will eat them alive, like everyone was expecting it to last year. 

UPDATE: They didn't lose the game. They came back, by the strength of Muncy, Conforto, and, inevitably, Shohei Ohtani. They're still undefeated, as are the Padres. This is gonna be one hell of a season.

Coming Tonight: He emerged after one of the last 2014-6 Orioles left the team as a future star in the making. Now he's the elder statesman of a team destined for greatness.