Los Angeles Dodgers veteran left-hander Scott Kazmir made his second rehab start for High-A Rancho Cucamonga on Sunday, giving up just one hit and one run in three innings of work. He struck out two and issued one walk against the Lancaster JetHaws (Colorado Rockies affiliate).
Kazmir had a good week leading up to the start, having thrown a bullpen session at Angel Stadium that impressed Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “He was a lot better than he was before,” Roberts said.
“He’s worked really hard to get back. There was a change in his delivery to simplify things and just repeat it. Life in the zone was good, velocity was up.”
Kazmir took that intensity from the into his outing with the Quakes, as the southpaw retired the first seven hitters faced. The streak ended on a one-out walk in the third, which led to a bit of a shaky inning.
The 33-year-old gave up a two-out single and issued another walk to load the bases. The JetHawks scored their lone run off Kazmir on a wild pitch. He limited the damage by inducing a soft groundout.
Kazmir threw 53 pitches in his three innings of work, then he went to the bullpen to cap off the start and continue to hone in on mechanics. It is unknown what the Dodgers intend the next step to be for Kazmir.
He could appear in another rehab outing, but the Dodgers may also be in a position where they need a starter this weekend. Hyun-Jin Ryu is slated for a bone scan on a left foot that’s still a source of pain, while Brandon McCarthy is on the 10-day disabled list due to knee tendinitis.
McCarthy was scheduled to throw a simulated game with the Quakes on Monday. He’s eligible to come off the DL this weekend.
