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Justin Wrobleski had a night to forget on Monday, giving up four home runs across six innings as the Dodgers lost to the Seattle Mariners, per the LA Times staff report. It was the kind of start that leaves a mark on the box score and raises real questions about where the young left-hander stands in this rotation right now.

Wrobleski came into the 2026 season as one of the more intriguing arms in the Dodgers’ pitching pipeline. The former fourth-round pick out of Duke has always had the stuff to miss bats — a lively fastball that plays up in the zone and a slider that flashes plus. He earned his rotation spot by pitching well enough to hold off competition in spring training and through the early part of the season. But nights like this one expose the flip side of a young pitcher still learning how to navigate a major league lineup for a second and third time through the order. Four home runs in a single outing is the kind of damage that inflates an ERA in a hurry and puts a starter on a short leash with the front office already eyeing trade deadline pitching reinforcements.

The home run ball has been a recurring issue for Wrobleski at times this season. When he elevates his fastball effectively, he can dominate. When he leaves pitches in the middle of the zone — particularly against a Mariners lineup that has some pop — the results are predictable. Four long balls in six innings suggests his location was off consistently, not just on one or two mistake pitches. That’s a mechanical or game-plan issue, not just bad luck.

For the Dodgers, this outing is poorly timed. We’re days away from the trade deadline, and the front office has already signaled an opportunistic approach to adding pitching. A start like this one from Wrobleski only reinforces the case that this rotation needs another reliable arm, especially if we’re thinking about October. The Dodgers can afford a clunker here and there during the regular season — every young pitcher has them — but the frequency matters. If Wrobleski can’t limit the damage when he doesn’t have his best stuff, he becomes a liability in high-leverage situations down the stretch.

I don’t think one bad start changes Wrobleski’s standing in the rotation long-term. He’s still developing, and the Dodgers have shown patience with their young arms before. But this is the kind of game that gets circled when Andrew Friedman and the front office are deciding how aggressive to be before Tuesday’s deadline. The rotation depth chart looks a little thinner after a night like this, and that matters when you’re trying to win a championship.

Source(s): Staff (LA Times) | First reported: July 29, 2026 5:23 AM UTC

God Bless and Go Dodgers