Garland is done for the year

Well that was quick.

Jon Garland's season is over before it barely even started, as he will have season-ending surgery on his right shoulder. The surgery is exploratory, so he can only hope that more damage isn't found once he's under the knife. Either way, he won't be back this year.

It's a shame that Garland's season is already over, mostly because he was considered a lock to pitch lots of innings as the #5 starter. It was a good idea to sign him in theory since he has been so stable in his 12-year career, never once appearing on the DL. But even for someone who's been incredibly healthy to this point, the bottom line is a pitcher is always at risk of arm trouble just from wear and tear alone. Wouldn't you know it, this is the year it all caught up to him.

When Garland has pitched this season, it wasn't too bad. He went 1-5 with a 4.33 ERA, and 28 strikeouts in 54 innings pitched. Take away two starts in which he was bombed, and he really was the pitcher the Dodgers thought they were getting for the back end of the rotation. But alas, it wasn't meant to be.

In his place will be Rubby De La Rosa, who's been filling in the starting rotation since June 7. Right now he's 3-4 with a 4.39 ERA. He's given up only four runs in 14 innings his last two starts, but zero offensive support led to loses. The stuff is definitely there, so he'll get plenty of time to adjust to the big league level as the year progresses.