Dodgers News: Mat Latos Discusses Debut, Dealing With Jet Lag

The starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday wasn’t even in the same state as the team until Saturday.

Right-hander Mat Latos was traded to the Dodgers from the Miami Marlins on Thursday and was originally expected to be with the team on Friday; however, issues at the airport left him stuck and he didn’t arrive to Dodger Stadium until the middle of the game on Saturday afternoon. Despite that, Latos went out on Sunday and tossed six innings of one-run ball and earned a no-decision in the team’s extra-inning victory.

After the game, the newest Dodger talked about how he felt out on the mound. “I was a little tired from jet lag. Nervous as can be too. I was just trying to go out there and make every pitch count,” Latos said.

Latos finished the day with just 80 pitches and was asked if he wanted to go back out for the seventh inning. “Yea I was a little fatigued from being jet lagged and switching over to West Coast time. I was pitching down in the zone, didn’t have my best stuff but I would have loved to went out there,” the 27-year-old said.

It was a hot Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles and Mattingly decided to go to the bullpen in the seventh. Juan Nicasio tossed a scoreless frame, but Jim Johnson allowed a game-tying home run in the eighth and then Pedro Baez allowed a game-tying double again in the ninth. The Dodgers won when Andre Ethier hit a two-run, walk-off home run in the 10th.

With little time to prepare, Latos admitted that he trusted his catcher, Yasmani Grandal. “I’m just going off of him. Whatever he calls, I’m throwing,” the right-hander said. Grandal was catching the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for the third day in a row, and the Dodgers swept.