Steve Webb
LOS ANGELES, CA — Not that we needed anybody to tell us this, but a noted pitching guru has surveyed the lay of the land and declared the Dodgers are this seasons’ best pitching staff.
Rob Friedman, better known as the “Pitching Ninja”, says as much in an online article posted on Monday. “Despite their pitching staff being bitten by multiple injuries,” Friedman writes, “losing ace Walker Buehler and navigating injured list stints for many others, including Clayton Kershaw, Tony Gonsolin, Brusdar Graterol and Blake Treinen (as well as not having the electric Dustin May for most of the season), they’ve had arguably the best pitching staff in the game.”
He labels Clayton Kershaw “still an ace,” and calls Julio Urias an “underrated ace,” proceeding to offer video evidence to back up his claims. Friedman’s Pitching Ninja twitter feed has become known online for its “filthiest pitches” feature, in which many Dodgers have been featured.
Friedman also praised the bullpen, impressed with what he called Evan Phillips’s “wicked cutter” and the passion that greets a big Alex Vesia strikeout: “Another exciting thing about Vesia on the bump is that he turns into an electric factory after a big strikeout. I love it!” saith the Ninja
In spite of heaping praise on almost the entire staff, Friedman strikes a cautionary note. “The Dodgers’ pitching has been stellar all season,” he writes as the article closes. “Will they have enough healthy firepower to win it all?”
That, Mr. Ninja, is indeed the question.
You can check out all of the Pitching Ninja’s insights on the Dodgers by clicking here.
