The Los Angeles Dodgers’ loss to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the Freeway Series finale was a microcosm of the 2016 season so far. Ross Stripling struggled with a lead in the fifth inning, which prompted Dodgers manager Dave Roberts to call on Chris Hatcher for his 19th appearance.
Joe Blanton is tied with Hatcher for the team lead in games pitched this season. Hatcher inherited a bases-loaded jam, gave up a two-run single and the lead was lost. Hatcher then allowed a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the sixth, and the game was essentially over.
The Dodgers have two outstanding pitchers on their staff, one starter and one backend reliever. Every year the doubters wait for Clayton Kershaw to return to Earth, but he continues to astound. Still only 28 years old, Kershaw is off to another outstanding start this year when the Dodgers have needed him most.
He’s 6-1 with a 1.67 ERA, 1.36 FIP and 0.70 WHIP through nine starts. What’s more, he has 88 strikeouts to just four walks over 70 innings pitched. Although it may not have seemed possible, Kershaw is off to one of the strongest starts in his career.
The Dodgers’ bullpen equivalent of Kershaw is closer Kenley Jansen. He owns a 0.55 ERA and 0.49 WHIP to go with 13 saves. Jansen has more than made a successful transition from catcher to reliever to dominant closer.
The only true concern with Jansen, one that is somewhat out of his control, is he has suffered from an irregular heart beat in recent seasons, which has required medical attention. While the Dodgers boast quite the bookend combination of Kershaw an Jansen, the talent level on the pitching staff falls off a cliff after those two.
If the Dodgers do not make the postseason, it won’t take an analytics expert to figure out why. The front office will have to answer for the shaky pitching staff that was assembled, which even the most casual Dodgers fans knew was a big question mark going into the season.
That was particularly evident in the bullpen. While Hatcher has emerged as the team’s workhorse, his role has changed since the season began, and there isn’t much success to speak of. The right-hander sports a 6.35 ERA and 1.88 WHIP, which is far from acceptable for a team with World Series aspirations.
Hatcher, 31, was originally selected as a catcher by the then-Florida Marlins in the fifth round of the 2006 MLB draft. He had a short stint in the Majors for the Marlins as a catcher in 2010 before switching to pitcher.
Hatcher began last season as the Dodgers’ de facto closer with Jansen still recovering from foot surgery, but struggled in the role. He managed to rebound in the second half after a lengthy stint on the disabled list, finishing the season with a 3.69 ERA, 3.39 FIP, 1.23 WHIP and 45 strikeouts to 13 walks in 49 games (39 innings pitched).
CONTINUE READING: Limited options in bullpen, starting rotation far from exempt
The problem is, if not Hatcher, then who? Pedro Baez has appeared in 18 games so far this year but has a 4.67 ERA, which is better than Hatcher, but still not desirable. J.P. Howell has been worse than both of them, with a bloated 7.84 ERA in 14 appearances.
The only two relievers who have been “ok” so far this season are Blanton and Louis Coleman. In 19 appearances, the 35-year-old Blanton has a 3.20 ERA and 0.92 WHIP. His success has led to the right-hander shifting from a long reliever to trusted late-game option for the Dodgers.
As for Coleman, he owns a 3.31 ERA and 0.98 WHIP in 18 games. Although the duo aren’t markedly improved options on the surface, they are All-Stars when compared to the likes of Baez, Hatcher and Howell.
The status of the starting rotation is no better. The truth is, the Dodgers have no second or third starters. Behind Kershaw, they have four pitchers who are at best fourth- or fifth-starters in a normal rotation, and even that might be charitable.
Three of the four, Scott Kazmir, Stripling and Alex Wood, are sitting with an ERA above 4.00, with Kazmir and Stripling dangerously close to 5.00 ERA. Kenta Maeda has an acceptable 2.87 ERA, but it’s somewhat deceptive as he’s faded in recent weeks.
Most fans are excited by the everyday players the team has assembled. Joc Pederson, Corey Seager and Trayce Thompson are young men with seemingly bright futures. They are surrounded by solid veterans, Howie Kendrick, Justin Turner and Chase Utley, among others.
However, the problem is, without a much stronger pitching staff, the Dodgers are unlikely to make the playoffs this year. The silver lining very clearly is found with rehabbing starters Brandon McCarthy and Hyun-Jin Ryu. Brett Anderson is also expected to return at some point.
The trio presumably would improve the Dodgers’ rotation and likely bump Wood to the bullpen. The gamble in that, of course, is the danger in putting too many chips on players to return from significant surgeries. Hitting the trade market to address their multiple needs isn’t much a viable option, but certainly something the Dodgers should pursue.
Talented as Kershaw and Jansen are, they simply can’t shoulder the entire burden of the staff.