Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Justin Wrobleski has entered the franchise record book for an unwelcome reason after allowing four home runs in consecutive starts. In a 10-5 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Monday, Wrobleski surrendered four long balls over 4 1/3 innings, marking the second consecutive start in which he has given up four home runs. This dubious distinction makes him the first pitcher in Dodgers history to achieve this feat in multiple games within the same season, let alone in back-to-back outings.
This recent slump has seen Wrobleski's earned run average climb from 2.62 to 3.31, his highest mark since joining the Dodgers' rotation in early April. The string of home runs began last week against the Seattle Mariners, where he also allowed four homers.
Despite the concerning trend, Wrobleski expressed a degree of frustration with his execution, noting that even pitches he felt were well-thrown were hit hard. "I think sometimes teams are gonna have, honestly, good swings off you," he said. "And yeah, today that happened. But there’s no excuse. I think I need to be better than I have these past two."
Manager Dave Roberts acknowledged the struggles, stating, "When he did make mistakes, it just seemed like they went out of the ballpark." Roberts, however, downplayed concerns about Wrobleski approaching a career-high workload, suggesting the issue might be more about opponents being particularly locked in. He added that the team would need to investigate further to determine if there are underlying issues, such as predictable game-planning or potential pitch tipping.
Wrobleski himself is considering the possibility of pitch tipping, finding it difficult to reconcile his recent performances. "I changed the game plan pretty significantly today, and felt like they were still on some stuff," he said. "At the end of the day, I just need to continue working and get back to being better."
The Dodgers' loss to the Cubs extended their losing streak to a season-long four games. Wrobleski's performance on Monday included surrendering key home runs in the first, second, third, and fifth innings, including two-run shots from Seiya Suzuki and Kevin Alcantara, a two-run drive from Carson Kelly, and a solo blast from former Dodgers prospect Michael Busch off a sinker that Wrobleski considered a reliable pitch.