In the Nippon Professional Baseball league (NPB), pitchers typically get six days of rest between starts. This is often referred to as a “6-man rotation” because a team typically has six starting pitchers who pitch once a week. Some teams in the NPB may also have one day off per week, further increasing the rest time between starts.
Last night, Yoshi Yamamoto pitched on five days ‘ rest. He gave up five runs… including a grand slam in the fourth inning. One can look at his game logs and realize that he pitches better on six days, not five. Roki Sasaki is also used to a six-man rotation, and soon, Shohei Ohtani may join them. Personally, and this is all based upon my observations, not sports science, I think the Dodgers should stay with a six-man rotation. Right now, they have Yamamoto, Sasaki, May, Gonsolin, and Knack as starters. That’s five! Add in Wrobleski, Miller, or maybe Frasso, and soon, Sheehan, and it’s not hard to figure out that they can do it.
I think it is likely Kershaw returns around the 18th of this month and that Snell and Glasnow return in early June. Then Ohtani will return at some point, and that solves all the problems, but until then, keep the pitchers on a six-day rotation. That is respectfully MY OPINION – Just do it!
Dodger Rants & Raves
- Miguel Rojas has just 52 ABs this year. He is already acting like an additional coach in the dugout. Maybe he would be interested in retiring and accepting a key position as a roving coordinator so that Kim could take his place. How about the Dodgers try the same deal with Austin Barnes and bring up Rushing? Huh… Make him the Big Kahuna of Training Catchers!
- Kim took the collar and also struck out three times.
- Conforto is showing signs of coming out of his funk, but the Baseball Gods make you earn it.
- Jack Dreyer has been a revelation!
- How good would it look to have Smith and Rushing sharing time behind the plate?
- Mike Sirota was 3-5 with RC last night. He is currently hitting .348 with a 1.066 OPS, He is old for low-A and needs to move to GL with a quickness!
- Elijah Hainline is also hot, hitting .322, albeit with less slugging.
- Emil Morales (SS), Jake Gelof, Chase Harlan, and Payton Martin are all playing in the Arizona Complex League… some repeating it!
- DePaula and Hope are still hitting in the .280’s at GL.
- Jared Karros continues to struggle at AA (7.82 ERA).
- Dalton Rushing has nothing to prove at AAA (.323 BA/.963 OPS)
- Nick Sensel moved to AAA.
- Michael Kopech failed to record an out last night, but walked five and gave up 5 ER without giving up a hit!
Take a minute to think about it. The Dodgers are in first place with Freddie missing games because of slipping in the shower and recovering from off season surgery,Mookie missing games with a stomach bug, Edman out with an ankle injury on the IL,Teo now on the ILfor one to two weeks with a grade 1 abductor strain,Trienen,Pillips on the IL,Snell and Glasnow unable to pitch right now with shoulder issues, Muncy and Conforto stinking up the joint with their batting averages and lack of homerun power,a weak four man bench offensively and bullpen usuage that is NOT sustainable. Probably have forgotten other issues but we have overcome all these situations with help on the way. It may get bumpy for awile,but NO team can sustain what the Dodgers have gone through.
I’m warming up to your 6 man rotation. Just not in the classical sense. Last Oct. they had 3 starters and a 6 man rotation. Right now they have 4 starters and a 6 man rotation. They move the chess pieces around for the 5th and 6th spots in said rotation. In a perfect world the Dodgers will have 5 stud starters and keep the 6th spot flexible. Andrew is a chess player and loves options. I get it now. You don’t have to have 6 permanent starters on the roster to have a 6 man rotation. Bingo. And that right there is my humble opinion.
Book em
But you have enough arms that you can rotate them so that they only pitch every 6 days.
Until the 1970’s a four man rotation was pretty standard and it changed so I don’t see why some of us have anything against the idea of going to a once-per-week rotation? Particularly since 3 of the starter are or will soon be former Japanese stars who are used to it. And also because injured arms have become SO common. Also, it would SEEM as though it could only help players coming off injuries especially future Hall of Famer, multi time Cy Young winners and legends like Kershaw & Ohtani.
I like the idea of a six-man rotation….especially if the pitchers can go 7, 8 or even 9 innings. Back in the day, pitchers did this often in a 4-man rotation.
I’d rather see more games with two relievers instead of four relievers
It’s great that Sauer and Dryer were able to pitch multiple innings to give their peers some rest.
I hope we see Kershaw soon. A rotation that includes Kershaw, May and Gonsolin would seem like a blast from the past.
And I can’t wait to see Shohei on the mound in due course. He is quietly on pace to threaten another 50-50 season. But the Full Ohtani requires some dominant pitching too.
What I keep hoping for – and yeah, it’s probably a pipe dream – is that Kershaw comes back pitching like he did in his Cy Young seasons. He never really relied on pure heat though he threw hard enough to set up his fantastic curve. I don’t have the numbers at hand but I THINK he threw maybe mid 90’s at best. Later he threw low 90’s even high 80’s.
So if (BIG “if”) he is truly without pain anywhere in his body – feet, back, shoulder or arm (he’s never had TJ which of course would end his career @ 37), it might be possible he comes back very much like he once was. But even if that happened it couldn’t last all that long I wouldn’t think.
A last hurrah for Kershaw–ending with him playing a big role in another WS championship–would be a beautiful thing. He’s morphed from a dominant ace to a classic crafty southpaw.
On paper, the second-half rotation options also still include Shohei, Snell, Glasnow and Sheehan to go with incumbents Yamamoto, Sasaki, Gonsolin and May. And still in the wings would be Knack, Miller and Casparius…. Maybe more.
I keep thinking, OK, the Dodgers could deal from this depth to upgrade the roster. But then somebody gets hurt and it seems time for another bullpen game…
Kim looked lost at the plate last night. I love his speed, but we’ll have to wait and see if the bat plays. Read an article yesterday, talking about rushing. They say that the Dodgers are being unfair to Dalton. Now I’m not sure that’s the whole truth, but sooner or later hopefully sooner they got to give the kid a shot. I’m not sure Barnes is willing to step away right now, but that bad of rushing deserves a shot. Conforto hit the ball hard last night with nothing to show for it I still believe he’ll break out of it, but when Teo comes back if he still hitting a buck 39, the Dodgers could have a major decision on their hands. Max? two hits last night, but he could also strike out three times tonight. After the first inning last night, Yamamoto struggled. It happens, as you say mark let’s move on. Nothing to see there. Tonight‘s a big test for Sasaki. …. Could Phillips season be over? I sure hope not. He’s very valuable in that bullpen…… excited to see Clayton back in the rotation or however, they plan on using him…… I said before the season started Freddy was my sleeper pic for MVP this season. I’m looking like a genius right now,, I’m actually learning how to open doors! It’s a long season, and I’m sure there’s at least five other guys in the NL who will be strong contenders for MVP…. I have to admit Stephen Nelson has improved calling games. Just keep him and Jolly Jess separated!…. hopefully Dodgers can take at least two out of three rest of the series. And happy Mother’s Day to all the moms all over the world this Sunday! My wife is a wonderful mother and my two sons love her dearly. Miss my mom every day as I’m sure a lot of you guys do. Mom’s do all the behind-the-scenes work and receive not nearly enough credit. Enjoy the weekend!
I don’t follow other teams, but this teams plan is to go with the Vets. It seems to work the last ten years or so. I remember back when James Loney batted .400 or so in Spring training and STILL didn’t make team. Finally he was doing so great they had to bring him up. So guys like Rojas, Conforto, Taylor, Barnes etc will have to turn to dust before some ‘kid’ is brought up. Pages is here for now. Hey with three guys under the Mendoza line we have best record in baseball
Thursday’s scores
Oklahoma City 6, Albuquerque 5
Amarillo 6, Tulsa 5, game 1
Amarillo 5, Tulsa 4, game 2
Dayton 3, Great Lakes 2
Rancho Cucamonga 13, Visalia 0
ACL Reds 3, ACL Dodgers 2
Highly regarded RC 19-year-old outfielder Eduardo Quintero had a big game with two home runs and a single, and is now hitting .295, .966. Mike Sirota also had three hits and his 1.066 OPS leads the California League, while his .348 batting average is second.
Friday schedule
Albuquerque (Carson Palmquist) at Oklahoma City (Nick Frasso), 5:05 PM PST
Tulsa (Jacob Meador) at Amarillo (Jose Cabrera), 5:05 PM PST
Great Lakes (Brooks Auger) at Dayton (Brian Edgington), 4:05 PM PST
Rancho Cucamonga (Hyun-Seok Jang) at Visalia (Lorenzo Encarnacion), 6:30PM PST
For more detailed recaps,stats,schedules, standings and box scores for Dodger minor league teams go to the top of this page and cIick on MINOR LEAGUE AFFLIATES.
Quintero is a prospect that is easy to overlook. He’s a bit younger than Hope, Sirota, De Paula and George but could be a fast riser. And Jose Ramos, now 24, may be breaking through in Tulsa.
Quintero came out of Venezuela as a catcher–but the Dodgers liked his speed so much he was converted to the OF.
Mark is right, I think, to speculate about possible moves regarding Rojas and Barnes. While I expect both to be on the roster for the rest of the season, I can’t help but think this team would be stronger with Rushing, Kim and Freeland replacing Barnes, Rojas and Taylor.
I believe that while it’s early in the season the Dodgers should absolutely keep Yamamoto and especially Sasaki on a routine that are use too. Perhaps after the all star break slip in a five day rest to get them ready so they could possibly pitch twice in a five game playoff. I’m not sure I’d even do that with Sasaki. We need them healthy in October.
Before I’d make coaches out of Barnes and Rojas, I believe when Edman comes back someone from the bench gets a slight hamstring pull. Kim had a tough night last night which is expected from all players especially young ones. What is important is how he bounces back and make sure that he doesn’t have a long memory. I agree that the Dodgers need to find a place for Rushing and probably Ward.
Ward is playing great, but he never seems to be considered. He’d be better off on a small-market team that needs a DH.
But if Conforto pulls a hamstring….
The truth is that stadium has always been difficult for visiting pitchers; even Kershaw has struggled there.
Gonsolin will start Sunday against the Diamondbacks, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
“Gonsolin was slated to start Tuesday against the Athletics, but the Dodgers will bypass a bullpen game Sunday and instead start him on regular rest. Gonsolin has been sharp in two starts this season, maintaining a 17:2 K:BB across 11 frames of work”.
Whats up with Joe Davis?
He is doing less and less games and they pulled his bobblehead night. Its not on the promotions and giveaway page anymore…what gives?
“Joe Davis is doing fewer Dodger games primarily because of his increased national broadcast commitments with Fox Sports, including calling the All-Star Game, World Series, and NFL games. These national assignments have limited him to 90 regular-season Dodger broadcasts per year”.
Yes more so wondering why he no longer has a bobblehead game….was looking forward to that one….
i’m fine with six man rotation. we have enough arms to get it done. Especially if it means our pitchers will benefit.
Down the road with healthy bodies returning like Kershaw,Sheehan,Snell ,Glasnow ,the Dodgers will be able to maintain a quality 6 man rotation which includes Ohtoni as the sixth starter which will not affect the bullpen of 8 relievers because of the MLB Ohtoni rule counted as a position player and pitcher. When it takes full effect is when Ohtoni returns to the mound, probably sometime in June or after the All Star break.
9:40 PM ET
Dodgers (25-13)
Diamondbacks (20-18)
SP Roki Sasaki R
1-1 3.86 ERA
SP E. Rodriguez L
1-3 5.92 ERA
Confirmed Lineup
DH S. Ohtani L
SS Mookie Betts R
C Will Smith R
1B F. Freeman L
RF Andy Pages R
3B E. Hernandez R
2B Miguel Rojas R
CF James Outman L
LF Chris Taylor R
In a Domed Stadium
Miller is not ready for prime time. He walks way too many hitters. I would not even consider him as one of the top 10 starters in the Dodger system, I would put Frasso in front of him. Matt Sauer looks like a legitimate long man; he is perfect for a bullpen game to eat innings. Knack looked pretty good his last time out, but I am not sure the Marlins are a real test.
Rushing pulled from tonight’s game at OKC after being hit on the wrist by a Frasso wild pitch. Kersh and Kopech will pitch on Sunday. Phillips will not pick up a baseball for at least two weeks after his MRI showed elbow inflammation.
Just like yesterday, the game ended early!
Not so fast, Banda gives up another granny.
Wow, this really shocked me, the Dodgers are losing again after a good lead!
I see that I was very wrong in believing that this game was already lost from the beginning, right?
But there is still a lot of game left, this game can still be won, right?
I hope they win this game to forget and not give importance to the poor pitching and game in general, and so everything will be perfect!
I got news for you
Marte enjoyed his first HR a lil too much for my taste.
“He who laughs last laughs longest”
It looks like on the surface,the two Japanese pitchers are going to need 6 days off between starts as proven by both their recent performances. Hopefully both will adjust to 5 days when the real 6 man rotation goes in effect including Ohtoni.
NO strikeouts or swing and misses by Sasaki in 4 innings pitched last night.