The Los Angeles Dodgers entered the final month of the regular season with the best record in MLB and are well-positioned to advance to the playoffs for the 11th consecutive year.
While a postseason berth is inevitable, the Dodgers’ potential starting rotation for a first-round matchup will not be decided any time soon.
Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are currently sidelined due to injury, with the former two players’ respective timelines still uncertain.
However, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said player performance will ultimately determine the team’s playoff rotation, via Jim Alexander of the Southern California News Group:
“Performance will dictate everything,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said late Tuesday afternoon. “So we’ve got a lot of things going on as far as injuries. All we can deal with is: Who’s taking the baseball? And he (Buehler) is one of the five right now. And he’s gotta pitch well.”
The Dodgers’ current rotation consists of Jack Flaherty, Walker Buehler, Bobby Miller and Gavin Stone. Flaherty has been solid since joining the team at the July 30 trade deadline, but the other three have struggled with injuries and/or inconsistencies this year.
Yamamoto is joining the rotation in the coming week and should provide them with a boost.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers are hopeful that both Glasnow and Kershaw return by the end of the regular season. Glasnow recently played catch and could increase his intensity, while Kershaw is still wearing a walking boot to help bring down some of the swelling in his left big toe.
Dave Roberts: Dodgers out of rotation options
For Miller, his ERA stands at 7.79 in 49.2 innings with a 1.65 WHIP. Despite the struggles, the right-hander is going to continue making starts for the Dodgers, manager Dave Roberts said.
“I don’t think that right now we have another alternative,” Roberts said. “I think he’s going to start the last day against the Cubs, so he’ll get a couple days extra (rest). But yeah, he’s going to make his next start.”
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