Dodgers Rookie: Not Winning World Series Would Be ‘Basically a Lost Season’

In a rotation hampered by injury, rookie starter Gavin Stone has been one of the few consistent pitchers for the Los Angeles Dodgers this season, but has struggled as of late.

While Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler and Yoshinobu Yamamoto have all spent time on the injured list, Stone was essentially obligated to step into a crucial role for the Dodgers.

“When you have a good team, the only question is if everybody can stay healthy,” outfielder Teoscar Hérnandez told Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. “Obviously we had a lot of injuries lately. But we just have to keep making things, try to make it happen.

“Not thinking about the injuries that we have, just trusting the guys we have in this room and going and battling. We want to win, obviously. But we know it’s not going to be easy. All the teams, they’re gonna play better when they play against us.”

Stone’s last start against the Oakland Athletics was rather chaotic and ended in a 6-5 loss for the Dodgers. He’s struggled on the mound since June and has a 3.63 ERA after Friday’s defeat, but his latest performances haven’t caused Dodgers manager Dave Roberts to lose faith in Stone.

“He’s been our most consistent starter as far as taking the baseball, giving us length. But I think if you look back at, since that (shutout) … it hasn’t been what he was doing the first few months of the season,” Roberts said.

“I don’t know if it’s fatigue. Everything I hear from our guys, he still feels strong and the fastball velocity at times during an outing is right in line with where it has been. That’s a good thing. I don’t know if it’s fatigue, but it very well could be.”

The Dodgers’ 2022 Branch Rickey Minor League Player of the Year understands what it means to play for a highly-touted club like the Dodgers. The pressure he faces is palpable.

“It’s where you want to be: To be in an organization where it’s not just the goal [to win the World Series], but it’s demanded,” Stone told Yahoo! Sports’ Russell Dorsey. “And if you don’t meet those expectations, then it’s basically a lost season. And that’s what I love about being in this organization. They want to win. And that’s what I want to do.”

Los Angeles is a city full of winning teams, or at least that is what’s expected each year. Though the Dodgers have been plagued by injuries this season, the team is not exempt from the reputation the city demands of its sports teams.

Stone will make his next appearance on the hill against the Phillies on Wednesday. If he can keep things from falling apart, especially in his later innings, Stone will set in motion his comeback to being one of the most effective pitchers in MLB.

Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

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