This story was excerpted from Sonja Chen’s Dodgers Beat publication. To learn the complete publication, click on right here. And subscribe to get it commonly in your inbox.
The Dodgers have already discovered themselves in an all-too-familiar spot.
That leaves the Dodgers with three wholesome beginning pitchers, though they’re going to achieve one again when Tony Gonsolin is activated off the IL to start out Wednesday’s finale towards the Marlins. They acquired via most of April with 4 starters on a once-a-week schedule, plugging in spot starters and bullpen video games as wanted.
However that will likely be a tougher activity as soon as the calendar flips to the subsequent month. Los Angeles didn’t play greater than six days in a row in April, however Might begins with 10 video games in 10 days. There are solely 4 scheduled workforce off-days in the whole month.
That is across the time when the Dodgers may need begun utilizing a six-man rotation, had they’d a full complement of arms at their disposal. However they do not have that luxurious on the massive league stage and might want to discover a approach to piece issues collectively.
Listed here are some choices which might be on the desk within the wake of Glasnow’s harm:
Shift each starter to 5 days’ relaxation
Each Dodgers starter has been pitching as soon as per week to this point. It has been useful for Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki, who’re used to that schedule from their Nippon Skilled Baseball days, in addition to Glasnow and Dustin Might, for workload administration. However when the workforce performs seven or extra days in a row, that simply may not be possible.
Yamamoto has expertise pitching on 5 days’ relaxation; he made 11 such begins final yr. That cadence could also be extra of a query mark for Sasaki, who’s pitching within the Main Leagues for the primary time.
Even so, it could be a necessity. It might permit the Dodgers to navigate the upcoming chunk of the schedule way more equally to how they acquired via April.
“That’s a dialog as properly,” supervisor Dave Roberts stated. “… It’s one other thought so far as given the quantity of video games we’ve in a row, to have them have much less relaxation in between begins.”
Stretch out Ben Casparius
If the Dodgers transfer away from their once-a-week pitching schedule, they’re going to nonetheless want at the very least yet one more arm. The most effective one out there would possibly already be up with the workforce.
Casparius has been the Dodgers’ major lengthy reliever, and he got here in on brief discover for Glasnow when he exited along with his shoulder harm on Sunday. The rookie right-hander threw 54 pitches throughout 3 2/3 scoreless innings — each season highs — and has put collectively a superb first month.
Casparius spent most of Spring Coaching getting ready to be an choice out of the bullpen, the place he is thrived. There had been no discuss of shifting the 26-year-old to the rotation till this newest harm to Glasnow, however Roberts has acknowledged that it has turn out to be a chance.
The Dodgers even have Justin Wrobleski, Landon Knack and Bobby Miller ready within the wings at Triple-A Oklahoma Metropolis. Along with being choices for spot begins, one of many three may assume a long-relief position in L.A.’s bullpen if Casparius finally ends up shifting to the rotation.
Expedite Shohei Ohtani’s return to the mound
To be clear, this is not going to occur.
The Dodgers have been slow-playing Ohtani’s buildup as a pitcher, largely as a result of they don’t want him within the rotation proper now. They could be attending to the purpose the place they do want one other Main League-caliber arm, however they don’t seem to be going to hurry Ohtani again into two-way duties.
“I believe Shohei is separate, so far as the method,” Roberts stated. “I believe it was [GM Brandon Gomes] who stated … it’s a week-to-week factor, and I simply don’t actually know. However the availability of the opposite pitchers has no bearing on Shohei’s program.”
This can be a widespread thread with each rehabbing Dodgers pitcher. From Snell to Glasnow to Clayton Kershaw, the workforce intends to take the time to make sure that its arms are coming again totally wholesome. The aim is for everybody to be out there to contribute down the stretch, and hopefully, in a deep postseason run.
