Emmet Sheehan addressed reporters on July 12, 2026, following a loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks, rating his first half as "probably not very good" but expressing satisfaction with the work done to reach his current level.
The Los Angeles Dodgers acknowledged that walking batters at the bottom of the lineup and throwing uncompetitive pitches had been a recurring problem earlier in the 2026 season. "Not great 2026, just walking guys down at the bottom and uncompetitive pitches," he noted. Sheehan identified staying on the attack and keeping pitches in the zone as the key adjustments behind his recent improvement, adding that a more settled delivery has provided the conviction fueling his better outings. "Just having a delivery locked in a little bit better," he explained, though he acknowledged the feel for it slipped somewhat toward the end of a stretch before returning.
Sheehan pointed to his slider approach as a particular factor in going deeper into games. "Especially with the slider just being competitive with it, not getting two strikes and then thinking I got to spike it or something, helps," he stated. He also said his feel for his curveball and changeup has been at its best in the 2026 season over the past two weeks, a claim he attributed to the combination of delivery consistency and a more aggressive zone-attack mindset.
One moment that illustrated the approach came in a 14-pitch at-bat against Ketel Marte. Sheehan said he had to show Marte everything but remained committed to staying in the zone. "Just try to stay on the attack, stay in zone with everything and had to kind of show him everything, but yeah, it worked out," he added. Sheehan and catcher Fonzie were described as aligned throughout the outing, with Sheehan crediting Fonzie for calling a strong game behind the plate.
When asked about his role going forward, Sheehan expressed openness to continuing his Sunday starting slot in the second half of the 2026 season. "I like throwing the day game. I like, you know, whatever they want," he said.