The road back to Major League Baseball has not been an easy one for Brandon Beachy. Now a couple years removed his second Tommy John surgery, the right-hander finds himself in the thick of a competition to round out the Los Angeles Dodgers’ starting rotation.
Heading into camp, the Dodgers very much appeared to be set with six viable starters, excluding Beachy, Mike Bolsinger, Zach Lee and others who made spot starts last season. However, Brett Anderson’s back surgery and the uncertainty surrounding Hyun-Jin Ryu’s return have thrown the rotation for a spin.
The situation could worsen if Alex Wood, who was scratched from Saturday’s start due to left forearm tightness, winds up missing extended time. Wood doesn’t believe the matter to be serious and expects to make his next scheduled start.
With Wood unavailable, Beachy started against the Chicago Cubs at Camelback Ranch. He was originally scheduled to take the mound against the Seattle Mariners in the Dodgers’ other split-squad game.
When asked recently about the health of his elbow, Beachy said it’s not something he worries about, via Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times:
“It’s not something I’m thinking about. I’m not worried about it. It’s either healthy or it’s not. There’s nothing I can do about it.”
After a somewhat inconsistent outing against the Cubs, Beachy said his focus is on improving as Spring Training progress, per Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:
“I’m on track,” he said. “I got better today from the first start five days ago, and I figure to be better five days from now. I wasn’t very efficient, but I am missing barrels.”
Beachy has thrown a combined five scoreless innings over two appearances (one start) this spring, with three hits allowed, three walks and one strikeout. He allowed one double in the first and second innings on Saturday and also bounced some breaking balls.
Beachy ended his start on a high note, however, retiring the Cubs in order in the third inning. The Indiana native elected for free agency last October, but re-signed with the Dodgers in January.
In two starts with the Dodgers last season, Beachy allowed seven runs on 10 hits, with six walks and five strikeouts in eight innings. He was 1-1 with a 3.64 ERA and 1.29 WHIP over 10 games (nine starts) with Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Beachy for his career is 14-12 with a 3.36 ERA, 3.41 FIP and 1.16 WHIP in 48 Major-League starts.
