The Dodgers open the playoffs subsequent week, with the identical query hanging over them that haunted them final yr, and two years in the past, and three years in the past. None of these Octobers included a World Collection, and this one doesn’t supply far more optimism, as a result of the Dodgers nonetheless can’t reply that one query.
Can anybody right here pitch six innings?
Orel Hershiser just isn’t strolling by means of that door. Nowadays, full video games are a totally unrealistic expectation.
In October, six innings must be practical.
The Dodgers have performed 15 consecutive postseason video games with out their starter pitching greater than 5 innings. They’ve misplaced their final six postseason video games and their final three postseason sequence.
A Dodgers starter pitching six?
“Sign me up,” supervisor Dave Roberts mentioned.
“In a vacuum, I think any manager would say, ‘If I could get six from a starter and be in a position to win the game,’ they would bank it. But that’s just not the way the game is played.”
The Dodgers don’t want each starter to work six innings, however it’s troublesome to think about them profitable a postseason sequence with out not less than one starter getting that far.
They can’t line up their most popular relievers of their most popular spots in the event that they must go to the bullpen within the fourth or fifth inning each night time. And, in the event that they do, the relievers that have to safe 12 to 18 outs each sport will be vulnerable to exhaustion.
The Dodgers could not win the Nationwide League West. The San Diego Padres clinched a wild-card spot Tuesday and closed inside two video games of the first-place Dodgers with 5 to play.
With the Dodgers in an precise pennant race for the primary time in three years, September tells a narrative, and for them it isn’t a fairly one.
The Dodgers’ starters have posted a 6.20 earned-run common this month, the worst within the league. Their relievers have pitched 95 innings this month, probably the most of any NL bullpen — and 5 greater than their starters.
The depth chart on the Dodgers’ web site lists 9 starters, 5 of them injured. Roberts supplied an unprompted standing report on the 4 wholesome starters. Within the order he talked about them:
Jack Flaherty pitched six innings in his final begin. He’s performed it within the majority of his begins this season.
“Flaherty has shown that,” Roberts mentioned.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto has too, however not since he returned from the injured record this month. In his three begins since then, he has not pitched greater than 4 innings.
“We have to continue to get him built up,” Roberts mentioned.
Rookie Landon Knack pitched 4 innings Tuesday. He has made 14 begins and pitched six innings twice, so intestine really feel could also be as essential as monitor document.
“You have to read and react,” Roberts mentioned.
Walker Buehler, who supplanted Clayton Kershaw because the Dodgers’ October ace, has made seven begins since getting back from the injured record for the second time this season. He went six innings as soon as. His ERA this yr: 5.63.
“Walker certainly has the pedigree,” Roberts mentioned, “but as far as recency, we haven’t seen it.”
The Dodgers can contemplate activating Tony Gonsolin for a couple of innings. They will hope Kershaw can return from the injured record, however they most likely must win a playoff spherical earlier than contemplating him for the next spherical. They will concoct a brew of openers, bulk relievers and bullpen video games.
However none of these choices are preferable to a stable starter delivering six innings. The Padres boast 5 starters who can ship six innings: Dylan Stop, Yu Darvish, Michael King, Joe Musgrove and Martin Perez.
“We do have a deep bullpen,” Padres supervisor Mike Shildt mentioned, “but it is nice that we have been able to have starters go deep recently and been able, between off days and the depth of our bullpen, to be able to pass the ball around and be effective.
“I’m a big advocate that your best bullpen is a good starting rotation and a good offense. Our rotation has been fantastic, and it’s been really good recently.”
Whereas the Dodgers’ starters rank final within the league in ERA this month, the Padres’ starters rank first, at 2.18. That would imply the Dodgers might need to outslug the Padres to win this sequence and clinch the NL West at Dodger Stadium — or to beat the Padres in a potential division sequence battle.
On Tuesday, the Dodgers scored two runs in opposition to the Padres.
