PHOENIX — Dave Roberts has said it repeatedly about the Dodgers’ unreliable bullpen.
“These are the guys we have,” the manager said as recently as Tuesday night’s loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks, when three relievers gave up five runs in the final three innings.
Desperate times call for desperate measures and the guys Roberts has to choose from are changing. Roki Sasaki was activated from the injured list before Wednesday’s game with veteran Kirby Yates going to the IL. And Clayton Kershaw was expected to pitch in relief at some point Wednesday night.
For Sasaki, it is a five-day audition for a possible postseason role – doing something he has never done before. Sasaki’s only experience pitching as a reliever is two games with Triple-A Oklahoma City to end his minor-league rehabilitation assignment last week.
“What am I expecting? I think just convicted throws, knowing that it’s going to be short bursts compared to what he’s used to,” Roberts said. “I just think giving everything he has for an inning or two at a time, and let the performance play out. Just go after guys and be on the attack.”
There could be something “freeing” about that for Sasaki, who seemed to wilt under the weight of expectations when he started the season in the Dodgers’ starting rotation.
“And also, it’s freeing that you can go out there and give one or two innings, versus trying to navigate 100 pitches. I think that can be freeing,” Roberts said. “It’s been good so far, so I’m looking forward to seeing it with our club.”
Sasaki showed increased velocity during his final outings with OKC, hitting 100 mph with his fastball. It is what the Dodgers expected when they signed him last winter. But he had a 4.72 ERA in eight starts with the Dodgers, averaging 96 mph on his fastball before going on the IL in May with a sore shoulder.
With so little time left, Roberts said there is really no chance to ease Sasaki into low-pressure situations.
“In games that we need to win, there aren’t too many low-leverage situations,” he said. “So I guess it’s fair to say I’m just going to throw him in on the deep end. Because if we’re expecting him to potentially pitch for us in the postseason, they’re all leverage innings. So I don’t think we’re going to run from putting him in any spot.”
Kershaw, meanwhile, has pitched in relief before (both in the regular season and in the playoffs) but not since 2019.
The plan, Roberts said, was to use him for one inning potentially “in any situation.” Roberts would not rule out Kershaw filling a high-leverage role pitching out of the bullpen in the postseason. The veteran left-hander is scheduled to make his final regular-season start on Sunday in Seattle but is not expected to be in the starting rotation for the best-of-three wild card series next week.
“Well, he’s done it before,” Roberts said. “If his (postseason) role is in the ’pen, I could see anything from Clayton in any role.”
It is a reflection of how poorly the Dodgers’ primary relievers have performed over the past month that options like Sasaki and Kershaw are being evaluated in the final days of the regular season.
“That’s just kind of where we’re at,” Roberts said.
“(We’re looking for) guys that we trust. What does that mean? It means guys that are going to take the mound with conviction, that are going to be on the attack, that are going to throw strikes, quality strikes, and compete and be willing to live with whatever result.”
STEWART STATUS
After throwing on flat ground Tuesday, right-hander Brock Stewart threw a bullpen session on Wednesday with General Manager Brandon Gomes and the training staff watching. He still has “some residual soreness” in his shoulder, Roberts said. It now seems unlikely that he will be activated from the IL before the end of the regular season, though Roberts said “there’s still a chance.”
“He’s pitchable,” Roberts said. “I think tomorrow will be a light catch day. He wants to be a part of things and he’s doing everything he can. We’ve just got to be mindful of the health, the performance part of it. So it’s day-to-day.”
ROSTER MOVE
Yates officially went on the IL with a hamstring injury. But he has been dealing with an ill-defined hamstring-pelvis-lower back issue for much of the season and went on the IL before.
“He’s doing everything he can to post, but it just clearly has taken a toll on him,” Roberts said. “So we’re going to retroactive him (to Sept. 21) and try to get him back for something down the road.”
UP NEXT
Dodgers (RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 11-8, 2.58 ERA) at Diamondbacks (RHP Zac Gallen, 13-14, 4.70 ERA), Thursday, 12:40 p.m., SportsNet LA, MLB Network (out of market), 570 AM
Originally Published:
