The Los Angeles Dodgers pitching staff is starting to get healthy just in time for October. Left-hander Blake Snell has returned and been dominant throughout his first two starts back from the injured list.
Tyler Glasnow is nearing his return to the starting rotation next week, while two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani has ramped up his throwing progression in August.
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However, in doing so the Dodgers have had to make some tough choices in terms of which arms lose their spot. That included right-hander Emmet Sheehan, whose struggles earned him a demotion to Triple-A earlier this month. In his last start before being sent down, Sheehan allowed five runs including three home runs in a loss to the Boston Red Sox, with his ERA skyrocketing to 5.29 following the outing.
Sheehan was recalled this past Tuesday to become an option for long relief out of the bullpen. However, just days later the Dodgers decided to send him right back down to the minor leagues to continue working back to form. In a corresponding roster move, Paul Gervase was recalled.
Gervase should provide another option out of a bullpen that is now well-rested following Los Angeles’ off day on Thursday. Sheehan will return to the minors and hope to continue building on the progress he has shown down there.
Across two appearances this month he has collected eight strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings. If he continues pitching at that level, given how badly the Dodgers bullpen has struggled, another recall is certainly possible. He could even be a factor in October, just as he was during last year’s run to the World Series. The strikeout ability has never been the question for Sheehan. Limiting hard contact is what he has to figure out.
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