We're only four games into the month of July and the Los Angeles Dodgers find themselves with a 2-2 record thus far. Far too small a sample to make any declarations about the team's fortunes for the month.
However, there is at least one trend worth noting in the early-going: the rotation is struggling.
This stretch started well enough, with Bobby Miller throwing five innings of two-run ball against Arizona on Tuesday. Since then, though, the outcomes have not been terrific. On Wednesday, Gavin Stone threw only three innings and allowed four earned. Landon Knack followed that up with a 4.1 inning outing in which he allowed four of his own.
Tyler Glasnow was able to work through six on Friday, but allowed five earned runs in the process. Four of those came on a Rhys Hoskins grand slam. While the team was obviously able to scratch out a win, it was the second consecutive start in which he's allowed five earned.
It's left the Dodgers with the third-worst starting ERA thus far in July (7.36). Only the Angels & Diamondbacks have been worse among starting groups. At 10.8, their BB% also sits as the fifth-highest.
Again, it's a minuscule sample. And you're talking about two starters, in Stone & Knack, who are young and prone to the occasional clunker of an outing. Perhaps these end up being nothing more than outliers in the grand scheme of the 2024 season.
It is, nonetheless, something worth monitoring as the trade deadline nears. With seemingly every team on the lookout for starting pitching, the recent struggles out of the gate could push the Dodgers' sense of urgency to a level that we hadn't seen to date.
In the meantime, the group stands to get a boost in the near future.