Pitchers break, even Dodger pitchers

Andrew Heaney, David Price and Blake Treinen went on the injured list last week for the Dodgers and it exposed the biggest weakness on this team.

It has little pitching depth.

It has more than most teams. When Clayton Kershaw is the No. 3 starter, the pitching staff is in good condition.

But losing Heaney moved Tyler Anderson into an emergency start, his first of the season, and it didn’t go as well as it could have.

Anderson started the game Saturday night against those pesky San Diego Padres, and while he didn’t pitch poorly, he left the game in the fifth inning with the Dodgers trailing 2-0.

That had more to do with Padres starter Yu Darvish pitching his best game of the season than Anderson struggling against the Padres.

Still, if Heaney starts that game, what is the likelihood the Dodgers and Padres are playing a scoreless tie in the eighth inning?

It doesn’t do well to dwell on what might have been.

But it still presents a pitching problem for the Dodgers.

The Dodgers are down to four quality starting pitchers: Walker Buehler, Julio Urias, Tony Gonsolin and Kershaw. Even Gonsolin has proved to be good for five innings at best. 

It looks like bullpen games are in the near future again for the Dodgers, and if history is an indication, that isn’t always the best path to follow.

Despite the pitching woes, the Dodgers compiled the best record in baseball, 8-2 at one point, and won seven games in a row.

They won Friday night’s game against the Padres, 6-1, and extended their winning streak against the Padres to 10 games.

That all came to an end Saturday, when the Dodgers lost to the Padres, 3-2 in 10 innings.

It was another extra-inning loss, an annoying habit the Dodgers had a hard time shaking last season.

While the Dodgers pitchers took a beating last week, some of the struggling Dodgers hitters were showing signs of life.

Mookie Betts and Max Muncy are off to slow starts. After Sunday's game, Betts was hitting .196 with 16 strikeouts in 14 games. Muncy was hitting .140 with 13 strikeouts in 15 games. They both broke out in Friday night’s game against the Padres though. 

Betts was 2-for-3 with two home runs and scored three runs. Muncy was 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs. They are not completely out of their slumps, but it looks like they are heading in the right direction.

The Dodgers ended the week with a 10-2 win over the Padres on Sunday. Kershaw improved to 3-0. Bellinger hit two home runs and drove in four runs.

For those keeping score at home, Bellinger leads the Dodgers with four home runs, is second on the team with eight RBIs and is hitting .273 after 15 games.

Dodger starters power rankings:

1. Clayton Kershaw
2. Julio Urias
3. Walker Buehler
4. Tony Gonsolin
5. Tyler Anderson

The Dodgers (11-4) are off to Arizona for a three-game series against the lowly Diamondbacks starting on Monday and then head home for a weekend series against the Detroit Tigers starting on Friday.