Dodgers Pitcher Posts 0.82 ERA Through First Seven Starts

A Dodgers pitcher delivered seven scoreless innings with eight strikeouts on Wednesday night in a win over the Giants. The outing improved the pitcher's season ERA to 0.82 through seven starts while recording at least 50 strikeouts. That mark represents the best start by a Dodgers pitcher since Fernando Valenzuela's 1981 season.

Valenzuela posted a 0.29 ERA across seven consecutive complete games to open that year. The current performance also places the pitcher as the seventh player in major league history since 1912 to post a sub-0.85 ERA and 50 or more strikeouts in his first seven outings.

The statistics come from MLB researcher Sarah Langs. The list of previous pitchers to achieve the feat includes Jacob deGrom in 2021, Johan Santana and Zack Greinke in 2009, Valenzuela in 1981, and Dutch Leonard in 1914.

161 batting average against. 108 average and 42 percent whiff rate. The curveball has not been hit for a single this season and carries a 41 percent whiff rate. In addition to the league-leading ERA the pitcher ranks in the top three in the National League in WHIP at 0.82 and wins above replacement as a pitcher at 1.6 according to FanGraphs.

The pitch count reached 105 in Wednesday's outing the highest total since returning from a second Tommy John surgery last year.

The team has removed the pitcher from the batting order for the third consecutive pitching start and fourth time in the last five mound appearances. The decision allowed continuation into the seventh inning after the pitch count had reached 90 following the sixth.

An inning-ending double play from a base-running mistake helped complete the scoreless outing. The team continues to balance the pitcher's workload between starting and hitting duties. 796 OPS. The slugging percentage sits more than 200 points below the levels posted in each of the previous three seasons though it remains above league average.

The pitcher stated a desire to contribute on the mound even during periods of offensive difficulty. The team expressed confidence that the batting slump will end after an opposite-field home run was hit on Tuesday night.