While Rich Hill threw two scoreless innings against the Milwaukee Brewers in his 2017 Spring Training debut, he noted there was room for improvement. That didn’t come Friday, as Hill was off his mark against the Kansas City Royals.
The veteran left-hander worked around a one-out walk to complete scoreless first. However, Hill then issued another walk in the second inning, followed by a trio of hits. He was chased after allowing three runs in 1.2 innings.
Overall, Hill was charged with four runs, walked two and struck out one. He lamented the subpar performance and put an onus on himself to produce better results, via SportsNet LA:
“First inning was good, second inning was just terrible. Overall, I need to keep working, that’s it. It wasn’t exactly what I’d like. It’s something that will bother me for the next four days now. Some of the pitches weren’t coming out of my hand the way I wanted them to. Even though it’s Spring Training, I don’t look at it as [just] Spring Training. Every time I get the opportunity to go out there and pitch, it’s got to be better than that.”
Hill’s next start presumably will come Wednesday in another outing against the Brewers at Maryvale Baseball Park. Dodgers pitching coach Rick Honeycutt previously outlined a plan that will provide starting pitchers with extra rest during the midway point of an elongated Spring Training.
Although Hill has yet to come away completely satisfied after a start this year, the nagging blister trouble that plagued him last season have not been an issue.
Hill re-signed a three-year, $48 million contract with the Dodgers during the offseason. He, along with Clayton Kershaw and Kenta Maeda, is considered a lock to be part of the club’s starting rotation come Opening Day of the 2017 season.
