Editorials

Dodgers News: Brett Anderson Glad To Be A Part Of A Rotation

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

When the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Brett Anderson to a one-year, $10 million deal in the offseason, many questioned the move because of his injury-prone past.

Anderson has thrown just over 200 combined innings the past four seasons, including less than 90 combined the past two seasons. On Monday night, the 27-year-old tossed seven innings and topped his most innings thrown in a season since 2011. He had a little scare when Stan Conte came out to check on him, but Anderson said he felt a tweak in his back that shouldn’t be a problem.



The left-hander has become the team’s third starter, and not just because Brandon McCarthy and Hyun-Jin Ryu are out for the season with different injuries. Anderson is 2-2 with a 3.47 ERA in nine starts this season. He’s been able to do something this year that he’s not been able to do in past seasons – be a part of a rotation. “I think I’m a good pitcher and now I’m able to go out there every five or six days. I’ve been able to show what I can do and give us a chance to win some ballgames. It’s fun to be a part of a rotation and be a guy that they can count on to go out there every five or six days,” Anderson said.

In his past four starts, he’s lowered his ERA from 4.21 to 3.47 and struck out 19 batters. He’s been subject to some bad weather in his three starts prior to Monday, prompting him to tweet that any city that needs rain should bring him in for a start. All jokes aside, Anderson has become what the front office expected him to be when they took a chance on the young left-hander. His confidence is growing and he believes things can keep going.

“If I can live up to my own expectations, then that’s going to be a win for everybody. I know I can perform well in this league when I’m able to go out there. Fortunately, I’ve been able to do that and I’ve had a decent run. To get through six and through seven. Hopefully that can be a trend going forward,” Anderson said.

The Dodgers will need him to stay healthy and pitch like he’s done in order to repeat as NL West champions.

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Vincent Samperio

Vince is currently the Associate Editor and Social Media Manager for Dodgers Nation. Hailing from San Pedro, CA and a student at Cal State Long Beach, Vince has previously written for the Daily 49er and LASF Magazine.

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