Let’s build a bullpen. the evaders planning to fill theirs at some point with these relievers, veterans all:
Blake Trains, Daniel Hudson, Caleb Ferguson, Jimmy Nelson, Victor González, Danny Duffy and Tommy Kahnle.
Today they all populate the injured list.
See the three starters with injuries — Walker Buehler, Dustin May and Andrew Heaney — and it’s mind-boggling that the Dodgers still boast some of the best pitching in the National League.
By far.
The Dodgers team earned on average after a 5-2 win about the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night was 2.94. The second lowest ERA among NL teams was the San Diego Padres’ 3.60. The Dodgers have reported the fewest hits and walks in the league. Opponents hit a weak .220 against them.
And that while pitchers rush in and out of the training room as often as customers enter and exit Costco.
Rookie Ryan Pepiot and three relievers calmed the Rockies’ bats and passed home runs from the first pitch Max Muncy and Mookie Betts provided enough offense for the Dodgers to start this 11-game homestand with five wins in six games.
Pepiot, who was making his fourth start, gave up one run in five innings, struckout six and walked once, marking his first Major League-win. He walked 11 and hit two batters in 11 1/3 innings over his first three starts, so his command was much improved.
“My fastball command was good, and that made my change effective,” he said. “Getting the win is definitely special, but the most important thing is that I went deep enough to help the bullpen and help our team win.”
Pepiot, 24, was called up from triple-A for the spot start to give the entire rotation an extra day of rest. A well deserved reward for a great rotation.
The spectacular turnout of starters Tony Gonsolin and Tyler Anderson was a godsend. They are a combined 19-1 with a 2.33 ERA. Clayton Kershaw was excellent when healthy, and Julio Urías was a model of consistency.
All four are All-Star candidates.
Seventeen relievers have made their appearance this season. None of them are All-Star candidates. Evan Phillips, Brusdar Graterol, Alex Vesia and Phil Bickford get props for being healthy for most of the season. Veteran David Price must watch it all with bewilderment.
Bickford was hit for a solo homerun by Kris Bryant to start the sixth inning, replacing Pepiot, but he retired the side before making way for Phillips, who retired four — three via strikeouts. It was Bryant’s first home run since signing a seven-year $182 million contract with Colorado during the off-season.
The Dodgers scored their fifth run in the eighth on an RBI single by Trayce Thompson, whose three-run homerun highlighted Monday’s win over the Rockies. The single gave Graterol breathing room to save his second career.
With usual closer Craig Kimbrel offside after being lined in the back on Sunday, Graterol gave up an one-out single when Cody Bellinger was unable to make a slide-catcher in midfield, but struckout two . Manager Dave Roberts said Kimbrel will be back in his final role on Wednesday.
Let’s catch up on a few pitchers on the injured list:
Be able to: The red-haired righthander who is recovering from Tommy John’s surgery is throwing at batters and making good progress. How soon could he start a minor league rehab assignment? “I don’t know, but it’s on the doorstep,” Roberts said.
heaney: The lefthanded starter with a 0.59ERA in 15 innings was eliminated after sustaining shoulder pain on his first start on June 19, after being on the injured list for two months. He threw 30 pitches into the bullpen on Tuesday and probably won’t return until after the All-Star break.
Trains: The setup reliever has been out with shoulder problems since mid-April. He threw 30 pitches off the mound on Monday and Roberts said, “It was pretty good. That’s ahead of where I initially thought he was.”
The Dodgers will proceed with caution with the reliever who could get a closer role in the postseason if Kimbrel continues to struggle.
“With Blake, he is so valuable to our ball club,” said Roberts. “We feel like we have one bullet to get him back and do it right, so we want to be careful and take our time. I just don’t see what it’s like for August.”
CT scan on CT3: broken foot
Dodgers outfielder Chris Taylor heads to the injured list and puts a damper on his bobblehead night.
A CT scan on CT3 revealed a broken left foot. Taylor sustained the injury against the Padres on Saturday, but played against the Rockies on Monday.
Despite the injury, Taylor caught the ceremonial first pitch for Tuesday’s game and did not limp.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times†