Editorials

Recovering Pitchers May Lead To More Rotation Shuffling

[new_royalslider id=”141″] While Kevin Correia’s latest start did little to instill confidence with respect to the starting rotation, the Los Angeles Dodgers may soon have close to a full deck of starting pitchers.

Zack Greinke threw 105 pitches in seven innings on Saturday and showed no ill-effects of his sore right elbow. While the outing was encouraging, more of the concern centered on how Greinke would respond the following day.



The right-hander reported positive results and manager Don Mattingly has shifted his focus to setting the rotation, reports Steve Dilbeck of the LA Times:

Greinke “said he came out of it pretty well,” Mattingly said. “From this point, we’ll start moving forward to make plans about what we’re going to do with the rotation.”

As the Dodgers did for their three-game series in San Francisco, Mattingly pointed to upcoming series with the Giants having an influence on how he sets the rotation:

We’re always trying to line up with San Francisco, so that will have something to do with it.”

The Dodgers will face the Giants in two three-game series, first in San Francisco from Sept. 12-14, then at home from Sept. 22-24. As for the more immediate future, the Dodgers have off-days on Monday and Thursday, which will afford Mattingly some flexibility.

Hyun-Jin Ryu is eligible to come off the disabled list Friday and if he doesn’t return on that date, he’s expected to shortly after. Ryu is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Tuesday and should it go well, would likely set him up for a return Friday when the Dodgers begin a three-game series in San Diego.

With Greinke and Ryu on the verge of being back in the fold, the plan, as it was previously, is to place Correia in the bullpen. Assuming no further injuries or acquisitions, the Dodgers’ starting rotation may soon consist of Clayton Kershaw, Greinke, Ryu, Dan Haren and Roberto Hernandez.

Josh Beckett is attempting to avoid season-ending surgery, but a return this season appears to be a long-shot.
[divide] Dodgers History: MLB Facts About Clayton Kershaw’s No-Hitter


Please enable Javascript to watch this video

Staff Writer

Staff Writer features content written by our site editors along with our staff of contributing writers. Thank you for your readership.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button