While the Los Angeles Dodgers have lost Clayton Kershaw, Rich Hill and Hyun-Jin Ryu to the 10-day disabled list, the starting rotation has remained afloat, if not thrived, thanks to contributions from Walker Buehler, Kenta Maeda, Ross Stripling and Alex Wood.
Brock Stewart was pressed into duty most recently. He’d previously made relief appearances this season but was needed for a spot start when Hill had another relapse with the blister on the middle finger of his left hand ripping open.
Stewart allowed two runs on five hits and went four innings against the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the right-hander had done enough to warrant consideration for another start, but he declined to commit to such at the time.
That’s since changed, as Roberts named Stewart the starter for Monday’s series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies, which pushes Maeda back one day, per Doug Padilla on MLB.com:
Roberts confirmed that Brock Stewart will start in Monday’s series opener against the Phillies and Kenta Maeda will pitch Tuesday.
While Stewart is receiving a second start, his time in the rotation might be coming to an end in the near future as Kershaw is progressing toward a return from left biceps tendinitis.
In his four games with the Dodgers, Stewart has pitched to a 3.72 ERA, 6.11 FIP and 1.45 WHIP. He’s 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in five starts for Triple-A Oklahoma City. Stewart admitted frequent travel between the Majors and Triple-A is challenging, but he embraces any opportunities presented to him.
That Maeda is again receiving an extra day of rest between starts is hardly a surprise. He’s pitched under such circumstance in his last four outings and been particularly dominant in the second two.
In the starts against the Miami Marlins and Rockies, Maeda has gone 2-0, allowed four hits and recorded 20 strikeouts over 14.2 scoreless innings. He’s benefitting from a mechanical change to slow down his delivery, and is also taking it upon himself to answer the bell amid injuries.
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