On the heels of the announcement that ace Clayton Kershaw would return later next week, the Dodgers got a glimpse of the rookies that will aid them down the stretch in 19-year-old Julio Urias and now, De Leon.
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Assuming the Dodgers are able to get by their first-round opponent (as the standings now sit, the Dodgers would square off against the Washington Nationals in the NLDS, with the Cubs playing the victor of the wild-card game), their chances of bouncing the Cubs depend heavily on stealing at least one game when Jake Arrieta is on the mound.
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (back) will rejoin the Dodgers’ rotation on Friday in Miami. “This was actually the first time they’ve seen me pitch since I signed in 2013″. Nevertheless, as FanGraphs’ Dave Cameron (an NL Cy Young voter) detailed Friday, Kershaw has easily outperformed the rest of his league’s elite this season. All guys that have had different experiences with it.
In another section of Dodger Stadium, De Leon’s parents were on the edge of their seats, having hurriedly travelled from Puerto Rico on short notice to watch their 20-year-old son’s debut in the midst of a pennant race.
He threw 35 pitches in the game and another 15 in the bullpen to reach his 50-pitch limit for the night. “There’s no hard number but I will be aware of usage”, Roberts said. “I look forward to staying in the rotation”. The Dodgers (76-60) hold a three-game lead in the National League West over the Giants after San Francisco (73-63) fell to the Chicago Cubs on Sunday.Puig went 1-for-2 with two walks, making him 3-for-6 since he came back from Triple-A Oklahoma City.Yasmani Grandal broke a 4-4 tie with a single that scored Puig in the fifth inning. Kershaw has been out of baseball since June 26. In 16 starts, he went 7-1 with a 2.61 ERA and 0.94 WHIP. The lefthander allowed only an infield hit, struck out five and walked none.
“The good thing about getting into a game is that you’re thinking about getting a hitter out as opposed to how you feel”, Kershaw said.
The game also included appearances by two other Dodgers, Brett Anderson and Andre Ethier.
De Leon (1-0) gave up four runs and six hits in six innings and didn’t issue a walk. The team said that Shoemaker suffered a laceration to the right side of his head.
McCarthy was to pitch Sunday at Rancho Cucamonga. If that goes well, Kazmir (who has been receiving treatment for neck inflammation) could rejoin the Dodgers’ rotation during their three-game series in NY next week. Roberts said Kazmir is expected to pitch six innings or approximately 90 pitches.
Kenta Maeda, Ross Stripling and Brock Stewart will start the three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks beginning Monday.
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“It’s probably not going to be the full game first time out”. That would be four consecutive rookie starters for the Dodgers.
