by Cary Osborne
Brent Honeywell, wearing №40 on his jersey, also represented numbers 31 and 14 for the Dodgers.
The Dodgers have utilized 31 pitchers this season — tied for the second-highest total in the Majors. Fourteen different pitchers have started for the Dodgers — the third-highest total in the Majors.
Honeywell was Nos. 31 and 14 for the Dodgers.
The 29-year-old right-hander, designated for assignment by the Pirates on Friday and claimed by the Dodgers Saturday, started on Sunday and gave Los Angeles three scoreless innings in Detroit.
But those numbers — 31 and 14 —also tell the difficulty it has been for the Dodgers to get to the All-Star Break.
The Dodgers have hit the All-Star Break with a 56–41 record and holding a mixed-bag first half.
They lost their second game in a row with a lead heading into the bottom of the ninth inning and second in a row in walk-off fashion.
The Dodgers lost 4–3 to the Tigers on Sunday in Detroit, with reliever Yohan Ramirez surrendering two runs in the bottom of the ninth.
Due to usage, Ramirez was the last remaining available pitcher in the Dodger bullpen, said manager Dave Roberts.
“I do think that the All-Star break is coming at the optimum time and gives guys a chance to reset,” Roberts said.
The Dodgers lost five of six games on the roadtrip. They are 4–8 in July and 5–10 over their last 15 games.
Yet they have a 6 ½ game lead in the National League West.
They were 51–38 and in second place at the All-Star Break last season, trailing first-place Arizona by a ½ game.
Honeywell retired nine of the 10 batters he faced in a scoreless debut for the Dodgers.
Honeywell was followed by four Dodger relievers, leading to Ramirez in the ninth.
The Dodgers’ three runs all came in the first inning on a Teoscar Hernández RBI double, Andy Pages RBI single and Pages score on a Miguel Rojas caught stealing.
The Dodgers were 3-for-26 from the second inning on and left the bases loaded in the top of the ninth inning.
The Dodgers ended their first half with games started by: Honeywell (Sunday), rookie Justin Wrobleski (Saturday), James Paxton (Friday), reliever Anthony Banda (Thursday), rookie Gavin Stone (Wednesday) and Bobby Miller (Tuesday).
Second half thinking
Dodger health is also a mixed bag for the immediate second-half future. Yet there is room for optimism. In addition, the trade deadline is approaching on July 30.
Shortstop Mookie Betts was active during the Dodgers’ last homestand, shadowfielding and throwing in the infield. Betts, who suffered a fractured hand when he was hit by a pitch on June 16, recently progressed to taking short ground balls. His original timeline to return was six to eight weeks.
Right fielder Jason Heyward has been active this week on his road back from a right knee contusion.
But third baseman Max Muncy continues to be an unknown as his right oblique strain continues to linger.
The starting rotation is trending toward having Tyler Glasnow back early and possibly Clayton Kershaw not long after. Walker Buehler has been an uncertainty after going on the injured list on June 19 with right hip inflammation and Miller begins the second half in the Minor Leagues.
We now know that Yoshinobu Yamamoto will be out till at least mid-August, as he was moved to the 60-day injured list on Sunday with his right rotator cuff strain.
Dustin May won’t be back this season after July 10 surgery to repair his esophagus and stomach.
The Dodgers have the following pitchers on rehab assignments:
Kershaw, after throwing three scoreless innings with Triple-A Oklahoma City, will pitch another rehab game on Friday with a target of four innings. He is trending toward a potential late July Major League return.
Joe Kelly logged his fourth game on his rehab assignment on Thursday. Roberts has said Kelly is looking at a post-All-Star Break activation.
Brusdar Graterol made his first appearance of the year on Friday, throwing a scoreless inning for the Arizona Complex (Rookie) League Dodgers.
Dodgers limp into All-Star Break, but see healing on the horizon was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.