BOSTON — On a day the Dodgers have been going through considered one of their former longtime starters, Dustin Could confronted the prospect of probably quickly having the identical distinction.
Within the final week, commerce rumors have began to swirl round Could, the oft-injured right-hander who’s lastly wholesome this season — but additionally having an up-and-down marketing campaign in his ultimate 12 months earlier than free company.
It’s an concept that, on a number of ranges, is smart to discover: The Dodgers will quickly need to demote somebody from the rotation (probably Could or Emmet Sheehan) to make room for Blake Snell’s return subsequent weekend. And there are few foreseeable situations during which Could would pitch huge innings within the postseason, given his 4.85 earned-run common and the truth that, in his return from a 2023 elbow surgical procedure this 12 months, he’s properly previous his earlier career-high for innings pitched.
Could hardly appeared shocked to see his title talked about as doable commerce bait in a number of studies this week; having way back grown accustomed to such hypothesis throughout his rise as a prime pitching prospect.
“Shocker,” he deadpanned earlier this weekend. “It’s there every year. It’s not anything new.”
And, whereas it’s uncertain he alone would web a lot of a big return as a rental participant who has posted below-league-average manufacturing, potential Dodgers commerce companions have devoted scouting consideration to him not too long ago, based on an individual with information of the scenario not licensed to talk publicly.
All of it made Sunday’s begin, towards former Dodgers rotation-mate and present Boston Crimson Sox right-hander Walker Buehler, a pivotal one for the 27-year-old Could — offering him one final probability to attempt to keep within the rotation, and the Dodgers’ entrance workplace another knowledge level to guage forward of the deadline.
The consequence: A disappointing five-inning, four-run begin within the Dodgers’ 4-3 loss towards the Crimson Sox, with Could largely cruising by means of the primary 4 innings earlier than getting ambushed in a three-run fifth.
Dodgers beginning pitcher Dustin Could reacts after retiring the ultimate Boston batter of the fourth inning Sunday.
(Jim Davis / Related Press)
What comes subsequent stays wholly unclear.
“We’ll kind of push it down the line a little bit,” supervisor Dave Roberts stated earlier than the sport when requested concerning the crew’s plans for Could. “In all honesty, things seem to change a lot each week. So I think that right now I don’t want to put anyone into a corner. We’ll just kind of read and react after this start.”
For some time on a depressing Sunday afternoon that began with a 40-minute rain delay, Could out-pitched Buehler within the latter’s first begin towards his outdated crew.
Buehler issued three walks within the third, together with one to Freddie Freeman with the bases loaded to attain a run. He gave up a house run to Michael Conforto (who additionally had two doubles, however two misplays in left discipline) to steer off the fourth, earlier than later strolling Miguel Rojas (who reached base all 4 occasions he got here up) and giving up an RBI single to Mookie Betts (making his first begin of the weekend at his outdated dwelling stadium).
Could, in the meantime, settled down after giving up a fast run within the first, retiring 9 in a row — together with 5 on strikeouts — between the second and fifth innings.
However with one out within the fifth, Abraham Toro singled, Roman Anthony hit an RBI triple on a shallow fly ball that richoceted off the Inexperienced Monster, and Alex Bregman flipped the sport with a two-run homer, turning the Crimson Sox’s as soon as 3-1 deficit to the Dodgers right into a sudden 4-3 lead.
From there, the Dodgers (61-45) squandered each probability they needed to reply again towards Boston (57-50). Rojas and Conforto (twice) have been stranded after doubles within the fifth, sixth and seventh innings. They noticed a two-on, one-out risk within the eighth extinguish when Teoscar Hernández lined into an inning-ending double-play at second base, the place Ceddanne Rafaela stretched to make the catch earlier than beating pinch-runner Hyeseong Kim to the bag with a dive. They once more had a runner at second within the ninth, just for Tommy Edman to floor out and finish the sport.
The missed alternatives — the Dodgers went one for 11 with runners in scoring place and left 13 males on base — left Could on the hook for the loss, dropping him to 6-7.
Whether or not or not it will likely be his final begin, or outing of any form, in a Dodgers uniform will stay in query till the commerce deadline at 3 p.m. PDT Thursday.
