In move that anyone could see coming, the Dodgers have designated reliever Russ Ortiz for assignment on Sunday. In his place will be Jon Link, who was acquired as part of the Juan Pierre trade this winter.
I know I've done my fair share of Ortiz bashing, but I actually feel sorry for the guy. He had an excellent Spring Training, pitching 18 innings with a 2.50 ERA, striking out 15. With the injuries to Hong-Chih Kuo and Ronald Belisario, he pretty much forced his way onto the team.
Unfortunately for everyone, he left his good pitches at Camelback Ranch, as he was miserable when the real games started. He gave up eight runs in seven innings, good for a 10.29 ERA.
The final nail in the coffin was this past Friday night against the Giants. After retiring the side in order in the eighth, he let four of six batters reach base, getting charged with four runs and turning a blowout into a close game. A similar situation occurred against the Marlins about a week ago.
There's a chance Ortiz could accept an assignment to Triple-A Albuquerque, so we'll see. I would highly doubt anybody would claim him off waivers.
As for Link, his stay appears to be short thanks to the impending returns of Kuo and Belisario. But, it's a move the Dodgers simply had to make to try and shake up an ineffective bullpen early in the season.
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