The Los Angeles Dodgers dropped their second of a four-game series against the Colorado Rockies on Friday night, falling 5-4 at Coors Field despite holding a 4-3 lead in the seventh inning.
Kenta Maeda got the start on the mound and he got off on a negative note as two batters into the bottom of the first inning he had already given up two runs after allowing a single to Charlie Blackmon and a home run to DJ LeMahieu.
Maeda settled in from there though, and wound up making it through 5.1 innings, allowing six hits and three runs while striking out seven and walking three.
Maeda was forced to be almost perfect with the placement of his pitches considering how small home plate umpire James Hoye’s strike zone was, which he believes affected his outing, via Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:
“Especially in the first inning, I felt like I had to throw the ball down the middle,” Maeda said through an interpreter. “Right before the second inning, I talked with [catcher Yasmani Grandal], and we decided that, ‘Hey, we just have to keep pounding the zone and keep attacking the zone.”
This outing could very well have been an audition for Maeda as there have been whispers about him potentially moving to the bullpen in the wake of closer Kenley Jansen being placed on the 10-day disabled list with an irregular heartbeat that could keep him out as long as 4-6 weeks.
With Alex Wood due back in the coming weeks, the Dodgers will have six healthy starting pitchers. Given Maeda’s history and success he has had as a reliever, he is the prime candidate to make that move. He has been one of the Dodgers most consistent starters, so Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has a tough decision on his hands in the near future.
