The Dodgers just got through one of the toughest scheduling squeezes of their season, and the pitching staff took the brunt of it.
Over 13 straight days of games, Los Angeles went 8-5 while cycling through arms, patching holes and trying to keep everyone upright. The stretch came with the rotation and bullpen constantly shifting, and it only got more complicated when Blake Snell returned and briefly helped restore a six-man rotation.
Snell looked like exactly the kind of starter the Dodgers will lean on in October. In his first two starts back, he worked six innings each time, allowed one run in both outings and piled up 15 strikeouts. His return gave the club a more stable look, but that lasted just five days.
Justin Wrobleski was then placed on the injured list Sunday with left forearm inflammation, and the bullpen was suddenly even thinner. For those five days, the Dodgers had only seven relievers active, which put a serious strain on the group.
The team had to get creative. Landon Knack was summoned for one day to soak up innings and finished the final eight outs last Wednesday against the Kansas City Royals for a save. Jonathan Hernández, who had been designated for assignment on the first day of the 13-day run, became a free agent and then signed back with the Dodgers, giving the bullpen three innings on Saturday in a loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.
That kind of churn was everywhere. Seth Halvorsen spent just two days with the club, threw a scoreless 10th inning to get the win on August 11, and was optioned the next day for a fresh arm.
Knack was sent down the day after his save. Kyle Hurt was optioned on August 10 and came back six days later.
Hernández was dispatched a second time during the stretch on Wednesday when Brock Stewart returned from the injured list.
Charlie Barnes also came and went. He was not on the 40-man roster when the stretch began, got called up on August 10, and was optioned the next day.
It was his fourth call-up of the season and the third time he has been outrighted to the minors. Emmet Sheehan was added Tuesday but did not pitch over his final two days on the active roster.
Even with all the movement, the Dodgers’ pitching staff mostly held up. The group posted a 3.35 ERA over the 13 days.
The workload, though, was heavy. Edwin Díaz, Tanner Scott and Evan Phillips were all asked to keep coming back, while Alex Vesia and Jack Dreyer were leaned on repeatedly as well. Vesia and Dreyer each pitched seven times during the stretch, and Scott also appeared seven times, including a season-high 27 pitches in a four-out save Tuesday in Colorado before following that with another save and a perfect 10th inning on Wednesday.
Roberts said last Friday, “That’s the hard part, that a lot of people don’t have the information on availability and workload, and redlining guys, trying to keep guys healthy. I don’t have everyone available every single night, and what’s the cost of that night versus the next two or three games and looking also at the rest of the season,” manager Dave Roberts said last Friday.
“Those things I gotta think through, and when you peel that layer back, then your options get a little bit smaller. Then you’re talking about lanes and what’s the best for a particular pitcher.
All those things matter.”
Díaz was the one glaring exception. After returning from elbow surgery, he struggled badly, giving up nine runs in five innings across his six appearances over the 13 days and blowing three saves. The Dodgers had been trying to work on his mechanics in hopes of salvaging what had otherwise become a lost season, but that effort was interrupted Tuesday when he went back on the injured list with neck inflammation.
There is at least some relief coming. The Dodgers have Thursday off, then another off day on Monday and another on Monday, August 31. Tyler Glasnow is also expected back from the injured list next week, which should give the pitching staff another stabilizing piece.
Los Angeles won’t have another 13-game run without a day off this season, but the workload doesn’t disappear entirely. The Dodgers open September with nine straight days of games, then follow that with a 10-day stretch, creating 19 games in 20 days. On the plus side, active rosters expand to 28 players and 14 pitchers on September 1, giving the club one more arm to work with.
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