The Los Angeles Dodgers fell short of sweeping the San Francisco Giants on Sunday despite Emmet Sheehan turning in another dominant start.
The right-hander allowed just one hit and collected 10 strikeouts over seven scoreless innings. It was Sheehan’s first start since serving as the bulk pitcher in the Dodgers’ series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies last week.
While Sheehan continues to make strides as a starter, he could potentially fill an important role in the Dodgers bullpen during the postseason.
“Yes. Absolutely,” manager Dave Roberts answered when asked if Sheehan is a candidate for a relief role in the playoffs.
Sheehan has only made five career appearances as a reliever in the Majors, including three this season. However, all of his bullpen outings have been multiple innings and not in high-leverage situations.
“I’m not concerned about Emmet,” Roberts said of Sheehan potentially being relied upon in a new capacity. “If you look at things, he’s probably going to be in the ‘pen.
“He’s going on short rest, so there’s thoughts of why I did what I did today, because he’s going to be on short rest and potentially having him ready for the postseason is part of that calculus too.”
Sheehan is in the midst of a breakout year after missing the entire 2024 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. In 14 appearances (11 starts), he owns a 6-3 record with a 2.86 ERA, 3.02 FIP, 0.97 WHIP and 10.7 strikeouts per nine.
While Sheehan has long appeared likely to pitch out of the bullpen come October, how he would be deployed has seemingly changed amid prolonged struggles by Blake Treinen and Kirby Yates, among other right-handed options.
Emmet Sheehan comfortable with bullpen change
Sheehan is expected to make his final start of the regular season on Friday against the Seattle Mariners, which will be on traditional rest as opposed to one extra day.
The thought behind that is to help the 25-year-old prepare for pitching on short notice in the playoffs. Sheehan expressed being comfortable taking the mound on back-to-back days if necessary.
“Yeah. Whatever they want me to do to help us win, I’m ready,” he added.
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