Rookie manager Dave Roberts made a loud statement that Los Angeles has World Series title aspirations by pulling left-hander Rich Hill from a flawless game after seven innings in Saturday’s 5-0 victory.
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Hill didn’t pitch in the majors between May 29 and July 2 because of a strained left groin.
Marlins starter Jose Urena pitched 8⅔ innings of four-hit ball.
Last month, Bochy was pacing around the dugout as San Francisco’s Matt Moore closed in on a no-hitter. Yelich, who is hitting.303, had one of the Marlins’ two RBI. Moore threw 133 pitches. A triple-digit pitch count is usually when a manager starts weighing the health of his pitcher against the achievement he’s pursuing.
“They’re not used to throwing 120, 130 pitches”.
“As a manager, you take in a lot of information”, Roberts said.
Joc Pederson ended Urena’s flawless game in the fifth inning with a single to center, but failed to score as Jose continued to mix his pitches well.
“With hard work, you will have benefits”, Urena said in Spanish.
Roberts ultimately erred on the side of caution with his team in the thick of a pennant race, but we’re sure Hill wouldn’t have minded taking a bit of a risk for the chance to do something only 23 major league pitchers have accomplished. Managers around baseball understood the move – and so did Cleveland right-hander Corey Kluber.
This only comes up because Hill is towards the end of his career (he’ll be 37 for the 2017 season), and perhaps personal accolades are something he’d like to strive for if they arise after a tumultuous journey just to get to this point.
“I was working hard to get the complete game, but I knew if I let somebody on base (in the ninth) I would be out of the game”, Urena said. “I think that ultimately when you look at it, that’s the reason, and it’s hard to argue with it”. So at least he’s ideal in that regard.
Ausmus said the score can also factor into the decision.
“To go 89 pitches, weighing the risks versus the opportunity and talking to the training staff and getting their advice and weighing it all up and what is right for Rich and the Dodgers, this is the decision I made”, Roberts said. “It’s about amassing wins, not amassing no-hitters”. He hit.290 with four doubles and three RBIs in nine rehab games for High Class-A Rancho Cucamonga.
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The Dodgers are 43-20 in their last 63 Sunday games, and 51-25 in their last 76 game threes of a series. Seattle and Houston are 1 1/2 games further behind, and it’s another half-game back to Kansas City. It was the last of the Dodgers’ four hits in the game.
