Dodgers News: Mattingly Says Beachy Will Benefit From Stint In Minors
Brandon Beachy has had a rough career since being called up to the Majors in 2010. Many injuries, including two Tommy john surgeries have limited him to appearing in more than 10 games just twice in four seasons, including missing the entirety of the 2014 season.
The Los Angeles Dodgers nonetheless took a flier on the right-hander, well aware he potentially wouldn’t be ready for game action until after the All-Star break. Beachy wound up beating that rough timeline by a few weeks, but largely struggled.
After making two starts for the Dodgers, Beachy was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Although a demotion of sorts, Dodgers manager Don Mattingly explained some benefit that may come of it, via Bill Plunkett of the OC Register:
The biggest thing is we feel this is going to be the best thing for him,” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said of Beachy’s demotion. “He’s going to have a chance to continue on. Honestly, I think this is what we wanted to do from the beginning. We just got caught where we needed a starter. At that point, he was the best guy for that. We still felt like he needed a couple more starts before we started thinking about using him.”
Mattingly added he wants Beachy to see some positive amid his struggles and believes him righting the ship is but a matter of time:
That’s just a matter of time and I think we’re pretty confident that’s going to get there. Brandon’s really tough on himself which is OK. He wants to be perfect, he wants to be really good – which is good. But we also want him to give himself enough credit to say, ‘Hey it’s going to take a little time’ also.”
In each of his two starts, Beachy pitched just four innings and allowed seven runs. He was sent down with a 7.88 ERA and 5.98 xFIP. His first start since being optioned came Saturday, which was a six-inning outing that saw Beachy allow four runs on five hits; two of the hits were home runs.
Given the seemingly constant state of flux the Dodgers’ rotation has been in this season, it isn’t beyond the realm of possibility to see Beachy return at some point.
[divide]Brandon Beachy Disappointed After Dodgers Debut
