As it currently stands, Brandon McCarthy and Alex Wood appear to be the favorites to join Clayton Kershaw, Kenta Maeda and Rich Hill in the Los Angeles Dodgers starting rotation. The competition this spring has also included Scott Kazmir, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Brock Stewart and Ross Stripling.
Kazmir last pitched in a Cactus League game on March 6, when hip tightness forced him to an early exit. Kazmir threw a simulated game at Camelback Ranch on Thursday, though his fastball velocity was down, and the immediate future remains unclear.
Ryu has pitched well in his two starts this spring. However, the Dodgers don’t appear inclined to push the left-hander. Stewart was recently shut down due to tendinitis in his throwing shoulder.
And while Stripling was viewed as a candidate to start, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said this week the right-hander is in the mix for a role as a long reliever. Whether starting or entering out of the bullpen, Stripling’s desire is to be with the Dodgers in any capacity.
“I think my value is that I can kind of do both (start or pitch in relief),” the 27-year-old recently said. “Last year, Joe Blanton was going to be a long man but turned into an eighth-inning guy, and we never truly used a long reliever.
“This year, I would like to say I’m as much in the mix for a long-man position as anyone if we use it, if I’m not able to get one of the starting spots.”
In large part due to a rash of injuries, Stripling was named the Dodgers’ fifth starter at the end of Spring Training last year. He threw 7.1 no-hit innings in his MLB debut prior to being removed because of a pitch count.
Stripling was sent to Camelback Ranch during the middle of the season as a means to curtail his workload. Upon returning, he pitched as a starter and releiver for the Dodgers. “Obviously, [starting] is what I’ve been doing my whole life. It’s what I feel comfortable doing,” he said.
“But at this level it’s about having success when they hand you the ball in whatever role it is. Every time I go out and pitch I want to have success and put myself in position to get the call whenever a chance comes up. Anything can happen and you just have to be ready, especially me, for any role. That’s my mentality.”
Stripling yielded yielded a 2.22 ERA in eight games as a reliever for the Dodgers last season, compared to a 4.52 ERA in 14 starts.
