The Los Angeles Dodgers may have outlasted the San Diego Padres in an 8-7 extra-innings thriller on Monday night, but that win—just their second straight in June—didn’t add to their win column. It underscored a growing sentiment among MLB insiders: The Dodgers’ regular-season record doesn’t matter. Not yet.
Injuries Everywhere, and Still in First
At 40-27, Los Angeles still leads the NL West, though only narrowly over the surging San Francisco Giants. Despite starting the year with a dominant 8-0 they’ve been a .500 team since posting a pedestrian 32-27 mark. For a team with World Series expectations, that’s raised some eyebrows. But according to MLB writer Mike Axisa, it shouldn’t.
Axisa, writing for CBS Sports, argues that while the Dodgers haven’t been their usual juggernaut lately, the bigger picture tells a different story. They’ve been hit by injuries—hard. Fourteen pitchers are on the injured list, including frontline starters like Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki, and Blake Snell, along with bullpen weapons such as Blake Treinen and Brusdar Graterol. They’ve lost more than 940 man-games to injury, the most in MLB. Yet, somehow, they’re still in first place. That’s not failure—that’s resilience.
Managing for October, Not June
This isn’t new territory for Los Angeles. The Dodgers have long gambled on high-upside, high-risk arms, accepting that IL stints come with the territory. Glasnow, for instance, wasn’t acquired with the expectation of 200-plus innings. He was acquired to be healthy in October. The same logic applies to Shohei Ohtani, who is still ramping up as a pitcher and has yet to appear on the mound this season. That conservative, long-view strategy may sacrifice short-term dominance, but it’s by design. As Axisa puts it, the Dodgers treat the regular season like a “dress rehearsal.”
Even the way Dave Roberts manages his pitching staff reflects that mindset. No Dodgers starter has pitched on regular four days’ rest more than six times all season. They’ve employed a six-man rotation that includes bullpen games and spot call-ups. There’s a deliberate avoidance of overuse—even for low-leverage relievers.
Home-Cooked Offense, Roadside Blues
Then, there’s the split between home and road performance. At Dodger Stadium, L.A. is a powerhouse, posting a 23-11 record with a +50 run differential. On the road, they’ve gone just 17-16 domestically despite a solid +25 run differential. Their offense thrives at home, averaging over six runs per game and slugging at a .500 clip. Away from Chavez Ravine, the runs dip to under five per contest, and the slugging percentage falls nearly 80 points. That disparity complicates long win streaks and gives the illusion of inconsistency—but doesn’t faze the Dodgers internally.
Rest Over Results—for Now
Most importantly, the organization isn’t chasing a gaudy win total. They’re chasing rings. That’s why, just last week, Roberts rested both Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy in the finale of a series against the New York Mets. The Dodgers dropped two of the first three in that set yet still opted to protect their players’ workload over pushing to split the series. They ultimately won the finale anyway. The message? October matters more than June.
Axisa points out that the Dodgers “do not have the pedal on the floor.” They don’t need to. With 12 straight playoff appearances, they’ve earned the right to manage the regular season as a long-form postseason prep. They’ll adjust if they find themselves in a tight race down the stretch. But they’re betting on health, rest, and experience for now.
The Record Isn’t the Story—Yet
We’re conditioned to judge elite teams by their record. But for these Dodgers, the record is just a reflection of strategy—not the measure of success. That comes later.
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