Tyler Glasnow delivers promising start during Dodgers' loss to Giants

Of the many variables that could influence the Dodgers ’ World Series chances the rest of the year, one factor will be more important than all else.

The Dodgers need Tyler Glasnow to stay healthy, pitch well and — regardless of what they do before Tuesday’s trade deadline — perform like an ace at the top of their rotation.

To that end, Wednesday was an encouraging sign.

After his first injury scare of the season, a two-week stint on the injured list because of back tightness, Glasnow made a much-needed return to the rotation, giving up two runs in five innings during the Dodgers’ 8-3 loss against the San Francisco Giants.

Glasnow was far from flawless. His command escaped him at times, leading to four walks. He exited with a deficit after giving up two runs in the fourth inning, including a solo home run to Matt Chapman. And if not for a couple of well-timed double plays, his stat line might have looked very different.

“My mechanics felt a little weird,” Glasnow said. “Not really in a good rhythm. Just the whole night was kind of a struggle.”

The Dodgers’ five-game win streak ended on a night they failed to record a hit until the seventh inning while facing left-hander Robbie Ray in his Giants debut (though they got a bases-loaded walk in the first). L.A. also lost Chris Taylor (who had the knock with his seventh-inning double) to a groin injury as he was running the bases — further underscoring the team’s need to bolster the lineup.

The game was close until the eighth, when the Giants exploded for six runs against relievers Yohan Ramírez and Joe Kelly to clear out most of a season-high crowd of 54,070 at Dodger Stadium.

Still, just having Glasnow — the Dodgers’ hard-throwing, high-profile acquisition this past offseason — was a welcome sight for a staff short on reliable October options at the moment.

“It never feels good to lose,” manager Dave Roberts said. “But the takeaway is that he feels good, he feels strong.”

Consider the state of the rest of the staff:

Yoshinobu Yamamoto is probably a month or more away from returning from a shoulder injury. Gavin Stone is having a strong rookie season but never has pitched in the playoffs. And while the Dodgers will be on the hunt for an “impact” arm, as general manager Brandon Gomes said this week, this deadline market possesses few top options that will be easy (or cheap) to add.

It means, in all likelihood, Glasnow remains the team’s best hope of being a legitimate front-line starter. So the biggest priority will be keeping him healthy and pitching well — a tight needle to thread for a pitcher who is just six innings away from last year’s career-high total of 120.

“As far as injury or health, I’m good to go,” Glasnow said. “I’m not thinking about it or anything like that. I think from now, it’s just go out and do business as usual.”

When Glasnow went on the IL before the All-Star break, it conjured familiar concerns about his lengthy injury history that has limited him to one 20-start season (last year) and one extended October run, when he helped the Tampa Bay Rays reach the World Series in 2020.

As it turned out, his back injury was just as the Dodgers hoped: a minor ailment that, given his workload concerns, also served as a beneficial midseason break, giving him a couple of weeks off that should help keep his innings under control.

Still, the Dodgers are being mindful of Glasnow’s usage. Roberts said he will look for opportunities to “save” an inning every now and again in Glasnow’s starts. Another break at some point over the final two months isn’t out of the question either.

The trick will be keeping Glasnow in top form without overloading his workload. As Wednesday showed, he remains the Dodgers’ most talented pitcher. But, even after a brief absence, there still was some rust that needed to be knocked off.

“Today was one of those where there was a little more rust with the delivery, but I expect with another side [session] and another start in seven days, he’ll be where he needs to be,” Roberts said.

The Dodgers hope so. It could be a defining subplot to the rest of their season.

Taylor hitting IL

Taylor was placed on the IL and James Outman was called up before Thursday’s game.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times .