UPDATE (Oct. 12, 5 p.m. PT): Manager Dave Roberts announced Alex Vesia is “highly unlikely” to be on the Los Angeles Dodgers postseason roster for the National League Championship Series due to an intercostal injury.
Alex Vesia was among the four Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitchers manager Dave Roberts turned to in Game 5 against the San Diego Padres, but his appearance was cut short because of injury.
Vesia entered in the top of the seventh and struck out impressive rookie Jackson Merrill to end the inning. The Dodgers were clinging to 1-0 lead at the time but Teoscar Hernández extended it with a solo home run off Yu Darvish in the bottom half of the seventh.
Vesia went back out to the mound to begin the eighth inning but signaled toward the dugout after throwing a warmup pitch. He then walked of the field with a Dodgers trainer and was replaced by Michael Kopech.
“He was going to go out there and start the eighth, and he said he had a cramp,” manager Dave Roberts said after the Dodgers eliminated the Padres with a 2-0 win.
“So obviously it was a no-brainer to take him out of the game. We’re going to get some scans, MRI.”
It’s not yet clear if Vesia’s potential injury will impact his availability for the NL Championship Series, which begins at Dodger Stadium on Sunday.
“I’m crossing my fingers that it’s not any type of intercostal or oblique situation,” Roberts said. “I hope it’s just a cramp.
“But we haven’t got it tested and I don’t know.”
Vesia allowed just one hit and issued one walk in 3.2 innings pitched across three games during the NLDS. Facing one batter on Friday night was his shortest appearance in the best-of-five series.
Alex Vesia part of ‘high-leverage’ Dodgers bullpen
Vesia’s 1.2 innings pitched in Game 4 were part of a record-setting performance by the Dodgers bullpen.
“We’ve got eight, nine, 10 guys that all can come in very high-leverage situations, and I think it shows,” Vesia said after the Dodgers staved off elimination at Petco Park.
“The script for us can be written in many different ways, and I think we use that in our favor big time. We’re not handcuffed when it comes to the bullpen. Tonight was a great team win.”
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