Dodgers 2014 Player Reviews: Dan Haren
After a disappointing year with the Washington Nationals, Dan Haren joined the Los Angeles Dodgers for the 2014 season.
With Haren in the fold, the Dodgers fielded an impressive five-man rotation that already included Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Hyun-Jin Ryu and Josh Beckett, who albeit was recovering from offseason surgery.
Haren looked to put his 2013 campaign behind him as he went 4-0 with a 2.39 ERA over his first six starts as a Dodger. However, he struggled as the season progressed including a stretch of losing five consecutive starts and seeing his ERA rise as high as 4.46.
By season’s end, Haren had turned things around and finished the year 13-11 in 32 starts while pitching a 4.02 ERA. Due to manager Don Mattingly opting to go with Kershaw in Game 4 of the NLDS, Haren didn’t see any time during the postseason.
2014 Highlight
Midway through the season, the Dodgers and Cleveland Indians met for an Interleague matchup at Chavez Ravine. Dan Haren took the mound in the series opener and found himself in a pitcher’s duel with Korey Kluber.
In seven innings of work, Haren held the Indians without a run as he fanned five batters while only allowing one hit. Unfortunately for the Dodgers, the game entered the bottom of the seventh in a scoreless tie.
Then, Clint Robinson pinch-hit for Haren and drove in Andre Ethier to score the decided run.
2015 Outlook
When Haren reached the 180 innings pitched plateau, his option for 2015 vested. A week after undergoing arthroscopic surgery at season’s end, Haren decided to use exercise option for a second season with the Dodgers at a base salary of $10 million.
As for his recovery, the Dodgers are expecting Haren to be back in time for Spring Training and he should once again return to his spot as the fourth starter in the rotation.
