Dave Roberts Won’t Confirm if Landon Knack Will Be Part of Dodgers Playoff Rotation
Landon Knack had only allowed four earned runs in his first 11 major league appearances before Friday. That all changed when he took the mound at Truist Park in Atlanta.
By the second inning, the rookie had given up five runs, which set up the Braves for a 6-2 victory. Six of the first nine batters Knack faced reached base.
The right-hander also allowed three consecutive hits in the first frame, followed by a pair of two-run homers in the next inning. After a 44-pitch outing, Knack made his departure.
“Just really wasn’t that sharp today,” Knack told Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register. “Missing slightly off with the fastball, just wasn’t getting ahead of guys then when they got their pitches they took advantage. Really didn’t do my job of getting ahead and put us in a tough spot.”
The deficit was too big for a Dodgers lineup that failed to respond, a frightening trend at this point in the season.
It’s no secret the Dodgers rotation remains a mystery in lieu of the myriad injuries. Friday night was Knack’s opportunity to cement his spot in the postseason rotation. Instead, the rookie was rocked.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Knack’s performance didn’t affect his chances of landing an October role.
“I don’t think it weighs into our decision at all,” Roberts said.
“I look forward to his next start. I don’t think as far as the postseason or any outings going forward, this is affected.”
Knack knows the Dodgers are watching him closely as they finalize the starting rotation for the postseason. Clayton Kershaw, Tyler Glasnow, and Gavin Stone all seem like a remote possibility at this point. Yoshinobu Yamamoto returned from the injured list but has only made one start since then. He’ll need plenty of more outings to ramp up for the playoffs. Furthermore, Walker Buehler and Bobby Miller haven’t looked their best on the hill to secure a starting slot.
Knack knows the stakes are high.
“Obviously you can’t help but think about that,” he said. “But honestly, it’s continuing to take it a day at a time. Focusing on the future you can’t really take advantage of the present. So it’s really just trying to continue to be consistent day by day and make adjustments quick after a day like today.”
Photo Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
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