The Los Angeles Dodgers lost Clayton Kershaw and Max Muncy to injury during the final weekend of the regular season, and now saw Justin Turner and Joe Kelly leave early in back-to-back National League Championship Series games against the Atlanta Braves.
Turner sustained a Grade 2 left hamstring strain on Wednesday night that has knocked him out for the remainder of the postseason. Turner was replaced on the Dodgers’ NLCS roster by Andy Burns.
Kelly, who started Game 5, failed to make it out of the first inning because of a right biceps strain that has ended his year. “Just kind of the way it reads right now, that will be it for the rest of the season for him,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
With the Dodgers needing to add a new pitcher to their NLCS roster, David Price is the likely candidate. “We’re considering some guys, but David is obviously at the top of the list,” Roberts said.
Then when speaking with media on Friday, Roberts confirmed Price as the selection to take Kelly’s place.
L.A. did not include the veteran left-hander on their active roster for the NL Wild Card Game, which Roberts explained at the time was due to the St. Louis Cardinals having a bevy of right-handed batters.
The Dodgers added Price for the NL Division Series, however he did not appear in any of the five games against the San Francisco Giants. Price, along with Billy McKinney, was removed from the active roster for the NLCS and replaced by Justin Bruihl and Evan Phillips.
Price went 5-2 with a 4.03 ERA, 4.23 FIP and 1.43 WHIP across 39 games (11 starts) this year. He struggled late in the season, which could be attributed to left elbow soreness that surfaced in September.
Dodgers need to replace 2nd pitcher?
Although Roberts did not seem overly concerned, he noted Bruihl was unavailable to pitch in the Dodgers’ 11-2 win. That required Kenley Jansen to pitch the ninth inning of the blowout victory.
“I was going to get Bruihl in there but he couldn’t go. Just some soreness in the arm, so couldn’t get loose,” Roberts said.
If the soreness remains an issue for Bruihl, he too could be replaced on the NLCS roster by a fresh pitcher. But like Turner and eventually Kelly, that would rule Bruihl out from participating in the World Series if the Dodgers are to advance.
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