Scott Kazmir came out of his last outing less than 100 percent, but confident the left thumb/wrist soreness would not prevent him from making his next scheduled start, which is Wednesday against the Miami Marlins.
Kazmir threw 88 pitches over five innings, giving up six hits and four runs to the Colorado Rockies. The outing was another up-and-down effort, which has been the norm for Kazmir dating back to Spring Training.
He managed to throw in the time leading up to Wednesday, however not off a mound. “He threw on flat ground [Tuesday] and feels back to normal. Kaz is a pro, he doesn’t want to use [the injury] as an excuse,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
“But, when you have the wrist or thumb issue, it’s hard to for him to get on top of the baseball. I think he was getting outside and under it. Just even watching him play catch, he was getting the extension he needed, the ball was coming out really well.”
Roberts wasn’t aware if Kazmir would only throw on flat ground between starts for the remainder of the season. Roberts is, however, putting his trust in Kazmir’s assertion of being healthy. “With a guy like Kaz, who has been around a long time, you have to give him the benefit of the doubt,” Roberts said.
“His track record as far as being a Major League player, needs to carry some weight. So, when a player like that says he’s ready to make his start, I think we have to take him at his word.” On the season, Kazmir is 1-1 with a 6.63 ERA, 6.03 FIP, 1.42 WHIP and has 15 strikeouts to six walks in 19 innings over four starts.
After throwing six shutout frames in his Dodgers debut against the San Diego Padres, Kazmir has allowed at least four runs in each of his last three starts.
