Dodgers’ Justin Wrobleski Achieves Rare Feat Not Seen in 35 Years

With all the star power coming from the starting rotation this season, the Los Angeles Dodgers couldn't have imagined that left-hander Justin Wrobleski would be one of the team's better arms. Wrobleski has been a very nice surprise for the Dodgers to open the season, proving himself time and time again when called upon.

Overall, the left-hander has made six appearances (five starts) this season, posting an ERA of 1.25 over 36 innings.

Since moving to the starting rotation, Wrobleski has allowed just two earned runs over 32 innings for a 0.56 ERA.

Justin Wrobleski has made five starts this year:

6 IP, 0 ER, 0 K, 83 pitches vs. Cardinals
6 IP, 0 ER, 6 K, 109 pitches vs. Cubs
7 IP, 1 ER, 3 K, 97 pitches vs. Rockies
8 IP, 0 ER, 2 K, 90 pitches vs. Mets
5 IP, 1 ER, 2 K, 78 pitches vs. Blue Jays

That's a 0.56 ERA. Dominance. pic.twitter.com/KWAnoh1vRv
— Noah Camras (@noahcamras) May 3, 2026

The left-hander has given the Dodgers a nice boost while starter Blake Snell has been out due to injury.

In his most recent outing against the St. Louis Cardinals, Wrobleski accomplished something not seen in almost 40 years. The left-hander became the first Dodgers pitcher to throw six scoreless innings with zero strikeouts since Mike Morgan in April 1991.

Courtesy of @Rick_K21 …

The last time a #Dodgers SP pitched 6+ scoreless innings with 0 strikeouts was Mike Morgan on April 19, 1991. https://t.co/2L52tbYSOZ
— David Vassegh (@THEREAL_DV) May 4, 2026

But even with all the success that Wrobleski has seen on the mound, the one concern with him has been his lack of consistent strikeouts. Before the game against St. Louis, Wrobleski was coming off his highest strikeout total of the year, punching out six against the Chicago Cubs.

The league has placed a heavy emphasis on strikeouts, and with increased velocity in recent years, teams are now viewing them even more highly. Overall, the lefty has only registered 15 strikeouts all season long, but nobody within the organization seems overly concerned at this time.

“Some days you’re not going to get strikeouts. Some months you’re not going to get strikeouts. Some days you’re going to get a lot. It’s just kind of the ebbs and flows of the game," Wrobleski said after his most recent start. "Yeah, I notice. Joking with Mark [Prior], I was, ‘Maybe some time today they’re going to swing and miss with two strikes.’ It’s funny. Just keep moving forward and I’m sure the strikeouts will come."

While the Dodgers and Wrobleski would love to see more strikeouts coming, the name of the game is to get outs. And Wrobleski has done a great job at making that happen to open the season for Los Angeles.

“You’re either going to chase strikeouts and work behind and nibble and not be efficient, go shorter in games, or you’re going to keep going after guys and getting outs,” manager Dave Roberts said. “And I think for me, just to kind of push back on the unlucky or the lucky part of things, there’s a lot of soft contact, there’s a lot of lazy fly balls, soft grounders, pop-ups and things like that.

"So is he going to have a 1.00 [ERA] at the end of the day? Probably not. But I still think he’s done a great job as a starting pitcher for us.”

Wrobleski is having a breakout year for the Dodgers, and even without being a heavy strikeout guy, he has found a recipe for success on the mound. For now, all he can do is keep performing at a high level, and eventually, the punchouts should come for the young pitcher.

Los Angeles believes in his ability to help them win games, and that is all that matters. The left-hander has established himself within the pitching staff, and the team will likely continue to put him out on the mound this season, even when Snell returns.

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