One night after Tanner Scott came out of his appearance due to injury, the Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen is facing yet another loss as Ben Casparius was removed early on Tuesday.
The Dodgers announced Casparius exited with a right calf cramp. He was shaking his right leg before walking off the field with a trainer.
It’s not yet clear if Casparius attempted to pitch through the hamstring trouble upon taking over for Yoshinobu Yamamoto, or if it surfaced during the sixth inning.
Casparius did immediately struggle as he issued a leadoff walk, then gave up a double and loaded the bases on another free pass. Casparius then walked Carlos Correa on four pitches to bring in a run, and it prompted him to gesture toward the dugout.
The appearance was Casparius’ 30th of the season. He emerged as a lockdown reliever as the Dodgers dealt with multiple injuries in the bullpen, but then became needed as a starter.
The 26-year-old struggled in that role and was moved back into the bullpen, though he’s yet to replicate the level of success from earlier in the year.
When taking into account Alexis Díaz allowing some of the inherited runners to score on Tuesday, Casparius is 7-3 with a 5.06 ERA. He’s on the hook to take the loss if the Dodgers fail to come from behind.
Dodgers trade deadline focus
Given the group’s struggles throughout the year and in light of Scott’s left elbow injury, manager Dave Roberts said before Tuesday’s game that the Dodgers front office was going to focus on addressing the bullpen at the trade deadline.
Roberts specifically mentioned the team’s need for a relief pitcher to utilize against right-handed batters.
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
