While the Los Angeles Dodgers went a stretch without the services of their top three left-handed starting pitchers in Clayton Kershaw, Rich Hill and Hyun-Jin Ryu, reinforcements have since arrived.
Kershaw was activated off the 10-day injured list on April 15 and the Dodgers are undefeated in his three starts, Ryu missed all of 11 days with a strained groin, and Hill is making his 2019 debut in the series finale against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Hill’s return has entailed a steady build up to getting back off a mound after he suffered a strained MCL in his left knee during Spring Training. He successfully pitched in a simulated game before beginning a rehab assignment.
The knee injury has required Hill to wear a knee brace and also led to a slight adjustment in his delivery. The 39-year-old believes the tweak has been a blessing in disguise, as he is noticing a sharper break on his curveball, per Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:
“It actually was even better. It forces me to throw the ball more correctly,” he said. “The quality of it is much better. It works even better than before. Now when the ball gets to a certain point, it takes a right turn. Silver lining.”
Prior to being sidelined, Hill had thrived in four Cactus League starts, posting a 3.27 WHIP and 1.18 WHIP with 11 strikeouts against four walks over 11 innings pitched.
Now with an upgraded curveball — one of his most deployed pitches in recent years — Hill will look to build off that success when he eventually returns to the mound for an actual start. And all signs point to that being soon, which is certainly good news for the Dodgers.
Furthermore, Hill has solved the early trouble he had with the knee brace. As he was playing catch and going through the rehab process, he expressed some hesitation with potentially wearing it upon being reinstated.
