Justin Wrobleski has been nothing short of an unsung hero for the Los Angeles Dodgers this season amid injuries to Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell, and some inconsistency from Roki Sasaki and Emmet Sheehan.
Wrobleski’s emergence earned him a first career All-Star Game selection, and he started the second half in strong fashion. But while the left-hander is a key member of the Dodgers’ rotation, Wrobleski’s innings total is being monitored by the organization.
“We’re going to keep an eye on him,” manager Dave Roberts said on SportsNet LA before Tuesday’s game. “He’s obviously a huge piece of what we’re doing and what we’re going to be doing. I think with the six-man that we’re kind of beholden to this whole season, I think that’s helped.
“And just each outing, manage how he looks and how he’s feeling, a lot of conversations that we have. But yeah, we’re looking out to play through October so got to be mindful of the workload.”
After his start against the Philadelphia Phillies, Wrobleski has now thrown 106.2 innings over 17 games (16 starts). Though, the outing was cut somewhat short at 89 pitches over 6.1 innings.
“I thought he pitched well enough to put us in a position to win the game,” Roberts explained. “I’ve got all the confidence in Justin, as everyone knows, as he knows. But I wasn’t about to let him lose that game. I thought the stuff was starting to falter a little bit as far as the command, and if you can curb some stressful pitches here or there, I think it’s smart.
“It’s always good when it works out. Evan (Phillips) and Tanner (Scott) did a nice job tonight.”
Last season, Wrobleski threw a total of 123.1 innings between his time with Triple-A Oklahoma, the Dodgers and in the postseason. He’s on track to surpass that mark and set a new career high even with the team’s intention to lighten the workload.
Justin Wrobleski enjoyed return to Citizens Bank Park
Wrobleski’s first start of the second half had the wrinkle of coming at the same stadium where he made his All-Star debut.
“It was fun. I think anytime you get to pitch in these kind of ballparks, it’s fun,” Wrobleski said of quickly returning to Citizens Bank Park. “It’s a good time. For me, going up against (Zack) Wheeler was pretty cool. I think he’s a really good pitcher.
“It’s super fun to have those matchups, and then it was raining, so on top of that just try to battle the elements. It was fun. Just a little adversity out there. I had a good time. It was fun.”
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