PHOENIX — The math is simple. The solution is not.
If the Dodgers are going to ask less of their relievers, who lead the majors in innings pitched (167) through Thursday, the only way to do it is to ask more of their starting pitchers, who have thrown the fewest innings in the majors (167).
“It’s tough,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Each night you look back and, whether it’s Roki (Sasaki) throwing 98 pitches in five innings and I don’t want to put him in harm’s way and go deeper. It’s Dustin May throwing 90-something pitches to get through five innings.
“Those are things that they’ve got to put us in position to run them deeper. That’s just the way it goes. Tony (Gonsolin) made his second start back with us (Tuesday). There’s that fine line of trying to run those guys deeper but also trying not to break those starters too. It’s not an exact science.”
It is simple math, though. The Dodgers’ starting pitchers have been among the least efficient in baseball, averaging 16.75 pitches per inning pitched, the seventh-most in the majors this season. More pitch efficiency is one way to get deeper into games.
“Yeah, it is,” Robert said, pointing to the lack of efficiency as a major factor in the low innings total for the team’s starters.
“I think there’s a lack of efficiency. … Early on in the season I was mindful of making sure guys got their feet under them. Now that they’ve got their footing I feel more comfortable extending them to the century mark (100 pitches) with certain guys.”
Yoshinobu Yamamoto is the only Dodgers’ starting pitcher to throw 100 pitches in a start this season. He did it twice before Thursday.
The Dodgers can also shift the workload to the starting pitchers by relying on fewer ‘bullpen games.’ They will do that Sunday by starting Tony Gonsolin on four days of rest against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Gonsolin will be the first Dodgers starter this season to start a game on four days’ rest (excluding openers).
WILD START
Right-handed reliever Michael Kopech started his rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday night by walking all five batters he faced. Kopech threw 23 pitches, only three strikes.
Kopech’s start to the season has been delayed by forearm discomfort last fall, an illness this winter and a shoulder impingement this spring. He is on the 60-day injured list and Roberts said he will likely make a handful of rehab appearances before “it’s a real conversation” about activating him.
FRIENDLY FIRE
Tommy Edman has done some running to test his injured right ankle and faced live pitching Thursday. That pitching came from Emmett Sheehan, who has progressed to facing hitters in his recovery from Tommy John surgery one year ago. Sheehan threw 40 pitches in Thursday’s session.
Edman, meanwhile, is eligible to come off the IL on Saturday but is not expected back until next week.
“I think he came out of it pretty well,” Roberts said. “He took five at-bats with Emmet Sheehan today, which is great. So today was just another positive day for Tommy.”
ALSO
Shohei Ohtani is expected to increase the workload in his weekly bullpen session on Saturday. He is scheduled to do an ‘up-down’ – simulating the break between two innings. Roberts repeated again Thursday that Ohtani is “a ways away” from facing hitters in his throwing sessions and is not likely to pitch in games until after the All-Star break.
UP NEXT
Dodgers (RHP Roki Sasaki, 1-1, 3.86 ERA) at Diamondbacks (LHP Eduardo Rodriguez, 1-3, 5.92 ERA), Friday, 6:40 p.m., SportsNet LA, 570 AM