And the beat goes on for the injury-riddled Dodgers.
Takashi Saito becomes the latest big-name player to get shelved as he is done for the next 6 weeks with a sprained elbow ligament. The timetable was pretty much what was expected, as a quick return seemed very unlikely when he was hurt.
For those of you keeping score at home, that's now the 15th player to hit the DL this season. I don't know... I sometimes wonder if this team is just cursed. They've had a roller coaster first half of the season with wins and losses, but the injuries have just derailed them from the start. What can you do?
While Saito heals, Jonathan Broxton is suddenly thrown into the closer's role. He's done it before, though not too successfully. Still, I think the Dodgers are much more prepared to replace a closer temporarily than most other teams are. Broxton is a stud who throw flames, so I think he'll be fine.
Now that Broxton is pushed up to the 9th inning, the domino effect takes place for the rest of the 'pen. One theory is to have Chan Ho Park return, meaning that Clayton Kershaw can be called back up to start. Joe Beimel could also pitch in the 8th.
A couple of other theories I heard that I tend to like. The first is that Hong-Chih Kuo can pitch the 8th and 9th on nights he's available. He's been terrific this year, so I like that. The other is to seriously consider using Brad Penny as the closer. He has great stuff, and with the starting rotation already set, it's worth a try. 2 great options in my mind.
Whatever the case, I still hope Saito comes back. Maybe I'm higher on him than some other people are, but even at 38, I still love him as the closer. Let's hope he'll be fine by the end of August.
No comments:
Post a Comment