Dodgers Call Up Switch-Pitcher Pat Venditte
If you need any reason to watch a Dodgers game nowadays, here’s your reason. With the abysmal play of the team as of late, it could be difficult to keep interest in the games. On Saturday, L.A. made a roster move, that could spark some intrigue in fans.
Dodgers add reliever Pat Venditte, option Brock Stewart to OKC.
— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) May 12, 2018
To most, Pat Venditte isn’t a house hold name. He’s appeared in only 41 career games, and has an ERA of 4.97. He has spent time with the A’s, Mariners, and Blue Jays. What makes Venditte so unusual, is the fact that he is a switch-pitcher.
Yup, you read that correctly.
Venditte is ambidextrous, meaning he can throw the ball with both hands. When a lefty is up, he throws right-handed, and when a righty is up, he throws left-handed. It’s some pretty neat stuff. He’s been effective so far this season in the minors. In 15 games, he has a 1.53 ERA. He’s thrown 17.2 innings and has 19 strikeouts. More notably, right handed batters are hitting .144 (5-for-44) against him this season.
Analysis
There’s no question that the bullpen has been the biggest concern for the Dodgers this year. They’ve already used 16 relief pitchers, and we’re only six weeks into the season. To put that into better perspective, the Dodgers used only 22 all of last season. All year, L.A. has been looking to find that reliable arm out of the pen. Hopefully, Venditte can continue what he’s been doing in the minors, and be the answer we’ve all been looking for.
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