When the Los Angeles Dodgers completed their trade with the Chicago White Sox to acquire Joe Kelly and Lance Lynn, it was with a hope — if not expectation — that both pitchers would turn their respective seasons around.
Lynn figured to at minimum provide the team with an ability to pitch deep into starts on a regular basis, but he also arrived having given up the most home runs in baseball. Some of the long ball trouble has persisted but Lynn otherwise has pitched well in his three starts for the Dodgers.
The right-hander’s latest outing was only five innings because of a high pitch count, though the Colorado Rockies managed just one run (unearned) and Lynn finished with nine strikeouts. He also did not allow a homer.
“I had good stuff. I missed a little bit here and there, which made the pitch count rise. They fouled some good pitches off too, but I was able to put them away when I needed to,” the veteran said after the Dodgers’ 6-1 win.
“Limited the damage and let the offense get going late.”
A base hit, walk, infield single and throwing error allowed the Rockies to tie the game in the fourth inning and also left runners on second base and third base with nobody out.
“I can’t exactly tell you what I tell myself, but it’s time to get going, for sure,” answered Lynn when asked how he mentally approached escaping the jam.
“You try to make sure you make every pitch. You obviously can’t overhype the situation to make mistakes, but you know that you’ve got to make pitches. … When you get runners on, you try to make sure you don’t give up any. That’s the No. 1 goal.”
Lance Lynn’s stats with Dodgers
Through three starts with the Dodgers, Lynn is 3-0 with a 2.00 ERA, 4.38 FIP and 0.94 WHIP.
“I’ve been pretty decent in my career. The first half wasn’t any good and right now I’m in a good spot,” he said. “Like I said, working well with the catchers and offense is scoring runs, so it makes it easy to pitch.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts credited Lynn for bringing stability to the starting rotation, and the 36-year-old has also enjoyed being part of a team that sits atop the National League West standings as a World Series hopeful.
“It’s exciting,” Lynn said. “It’s like this season has a rebirth for me. I’m excited, I’m enjoying my time and I’m doing everything I can to help the team win.”
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