Starter-to-reliever shifts arrive with Maeda, Stripling heading to bullpen
08/12 Dodgers at Rockies, 12:10 p.m. PT:
Brian Dozier 2B
Manny Machado 3B
Yasiel Puig RF
Cody Bellinger CF
Matt Kemp LF
Chris Taylor SS
Yasmani Grandal C
Max Muncy 1B
Rich Hill P
by Rowan Kavner
In the moves from the rotation to the bullpen, the question was less “if” and more “who” and “when.” Two answers came Sunday morning.
Manager Dave Roberts told reporters Kenta Maeda and Ross Stripling will shift to the bullpen for a Dodger team with a surplus of starting pitchers and a scarcity of high-leverage relief pitchers, particularly now as Kenley Jansen continues to be sidelined by an irregular heartbeat.
Roberts said he had a good conversation with Maeda, who sees himself as a starter. Right now, though, he’ll be in the bullpen and ready to go Wednesday to pitch between one and three innings. Roberts said Stripling will also be in the bullpen for the time being, though he could return to the rotation soon.
Hyun-Jin Ryu (60-day DL — groin strain) will make his first start since May 2 on Wednesday against the Giants. This would make the rotation next week Clayton Kershaw, Alex Wood, Ryu, Walker Buehler and Rich Hill.
With the moves, Roberts now has a bevy of options to turn to in the middle and late innings. The changes come on the heels of the Dodgers allowing a walk-off homer to the Rockies on Saturday.
There are also changes Sunday in the lineup, where Yasiel Puig and Cody Bellinger earned promotions. Puig hasn’t hit third in the lineup since April, while Bellinger’s only hit fourth or higher in three of his last 19 starts.
Puig homered Saturday and is slashing .304/.364/.588 since coming off his first stint on the disabled list this year May 9. All 15 of his home runs this year have also occurred since that point. Bellinger is slashing .433/.514/.667 in August, with multi-hit games in five of his eight starts this month.
The Dodgers are looking for a win to go even on their six-game road trip against Oakland and Colorado before returning home.
They’ll send Rich Hill to the mound looking for his first career win against the Rockies. Hill allowed just one run in 6 1/3 innings against Colorado at Dodger Stadium on June 29 but suffered the hard-luck loss. He hasn’t started at Coors Field since 2008 and is coming off a performance in Oakland in which he allowed two runs in 5 1/3 innings.
Quick Hits
- Julio Urías will go to Double-A, pitch three innings and be evaluated. He’s expected to add more help to the bullpen soon.
- Roberts said the next hurdle for Caleb Ferguson will be pitching back-to-back and he’s earned the opportunity to pitch in leverage.
