When the Los Angeles Dodgers placed newly acquired Rich Hill on their disabled list he became the 23rd player the club sent to the DL this season, setting a National League record. That number grew by two on Wednesday with Louis Coleman and Adam Liberatore lost to the DL.
Liberatore’s stint is retroactive to July 30. The relievers were two of the more trusted arms in what’s been a resilient Dodgers bullpen after a shaky start to the year. Liberatore has been particularly impressive as he set a franchise record with 28 consecutive scoreless appearances.
The performance added validation to Liberatore telling manager Dave Roberts during a Spring Training conversation that he’s the best left-handed relief pitcher in baseball.
Liberatore’s string of scoreless appearances came to an end July 24 against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. That was also the same evening the southpaw tweaked his right knee which rendered him unavailable for two games.
According to Andy McCullough of the LA Times, Liberatore said the knee issue also exacerbated the left elbow soreness he was pitching through since June:
Adam Liberatore said elbow has been sore since June. The discomfort increased after he hurt his knee in STL, which affected his delivery.
— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughTimes) August 3, 2016
While Liberatore’s fastball, slider and changeup velocity has largely remained unchanged throughout the year, there’s a noticeable difference in his release point(s), via Brooks Baseball:
Liberatore was formally placed on the DL with left elbow inflammation. He owns a 1.62 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in a career-high 44 games. The 29-year-old is tied for fifth among Dodgers relievers in appearances, and is seventh on the team with 33.1 innings pitched.
Liberatore joins Kiké Hernandez and Trayce Thompson as Dodgers who are publicly known to have played through injury this season before ultimately landing on the disabled list. Hernandez has since returned from left rib cage inflammation, while Thompson’s back injury was more severe than initially believed and he remains sidelined.
