After being limited to one inning in each of his first two starts with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani completed his longest outing of the season against the Kansas City Royals on Saturday.
Ohtani worked around a single and walk in the first inning by getting Vinnie Pasquantino to ground into a double play. Ohtani’s final pitch of the frame was a 101.7 mph four-seam fastball, the fastest of his MLB career.
The two-way star then retired the side in the second inning to complete his scoreless outing. Following him on the mound for the third consecutive time was Ben Casparius, who allowed six runs on eight hits in four innings of work.
Although he was under the weather and struggled in his latest appearance, Casparius has enjoyed pitching behind Ohtani, via Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“With Shohei coming off rehab, I think it fits kind of perfectly,” Casparius said. “If he’s got 30 pitches or whatever – I don’t know what his pitch count is but he’s gone one inning twice. I’ve got 70,80 pitches. You get six innings out of your starter, that’s usually what we’re trying to do.”
Casparius is a starter by trade, but he has received the majority of his opportunities with the Dodgers in a relief role.
The right-hander is built up to throw bulk innings, which has been beneficial to an overworked Dodgers bullpen that leads the Majors in innings pitched. Of Casparius’ 23 relief appearances this season, 16 have been longer than one inning.
Casparius earned a win in his first two outings following Ohtani before taking the loss on Saturday. He is 6-2 with a 3.97 ERA, 2.74 FIP and 1.13 WHIP in 56.2 innings pitched across 25 games (two starts) this season.
What role will Ben Casparius have long term?
Casparius initially began to stretch out with the intention of being utilized as a starter, but his days have been lined up with Ohtani’s starts for the time being.
But given that Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell are due back from the injured list at some point, Emmet Sheehan’s emergence and Ohtani eventually getting to the point of making a more traditional start, it stands to reason that Casparius could be shifted back to a bullpen role.
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