Dodgers: Three reasons they’ll end up losing the NL West

They’ve proven to be anything but a pitching juggernaut

A rotation of Clayton Kershaw, Yu Darvish, Alex Wood, and Rich Hill was supposed to be how the Dodgers got the easier road to the World Series. Phenomenal play from Alex Wood in particular to start the season was what really got the hype train going.

Then, consistent performances from Rich Hill helped that. Having Clayton Kershaw on your roster was already a given that there was going to be a strong performance.

And then they added Yu Darvish at the trade deadline.

In one of the more bizarre sports trades in terms of timing, the Dodgers suddenly got what they wanted from the Texas Rangers in pitcher Yu Darvish. Supposedly, Darvish would be the second best pitcher in the lineup behind Kershaw, but he hasn’t lived up to any of the talk outside of a decent start or two.

That’s not going to cut it in the playoffs, and as discussed on the latest episode of the LA Sports Hub Podcast, guest Michael J. Duarte of NBC Los Angeles said that he could see Darvish dropping to as low as fourth on the totem pole come playoff time.

Producing in the post-season needs to be the focus of this team. They can’t afford to just keep saying they’re the best in baseball without winning games.

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They’re fortunate to still be ahead in their division given the way that they have been losing lately. But if they can’t figure out their pitching woes, don’t expect their quest for a pennant to go deep at all.