Editorials

Don Mattingly Says Dodgers Back End Of Rotation Nearly Set

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

It’s been exactly a month since the season started for the Los Angeles Dodgers and they’ve already used nine different starting pitchers.

First, an injury to Hyun-Jin Ryu left the Dodgers with four starters to start the season, and then a season-ending injury to Brandon McCarthy put them at three. David Huff, Mike Bolsinger, Scott Baker, Carlos Frias and now Joe Wieland have all had at least one start for the team, with Baker and Frias the only two to get a second start. Wieland got his start on Wednesday night in Milwaukee and allowed a pair of home runs in the first inning to put the Dodgers down five. He was able to make it into the fifth inning after settling down, but the offense was unable to overcome the early deficit. He will likely be sent back down before Thursday morning’s game.



According to J.P. Hoornstra of the LA Daily News, manager Don Mattingly believes the back end will be set in the near future:

We’re getting to the point where someone has a better chance of hanging,” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said.

Of the five that have thrown, Bolsinger and Frias had the best first starts, yet Bolsinger was sent back down after his start. Mattingly says that some moves were imminent, no matter the outcome of the start:

Honestly there have been guys who have come up and thrown well, but it didn’t matter … they were going back down,” Mattingly said. “That was part of the plan.”

With a stretch of just three days off in the next two months, the Dodgers would be better-suited naming fourth and fifth starters for the time being in order to keep some continuity and help their pitchers out. Mattingly was also asked if the team was near a decision and he replied with, “It’s getting there.”

For the starters and the Dodgers, sooner rather than later would be beneficial for everyone.

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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.

One Comment

  1. Dodgers are playing good base balll the ftont Office is playing sheet. Thats the bottom line in all this pure sheet

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