Do Dodgers Need to Be Concerned About Jack Flaherty Entering Crucial Postseason?
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has confirmed Jack Flaherty will be the Game 1 starter for the National League Division Series against either the San Diego Padres or Atlanta Braves.
It isn’t how the Dodgers drew it up when they traded for Tyler Glasnow in the offseason but it is the hand they have been dealt with Glasnow on the injured list.
However, Flaherty has postseason experience, and had a good year overall for the Dodgers and Detroit Tigers. He was 13-7 with a 3.17 ERA in 28 starts this season and helped lead the St. Louis Cardinals to the NLCS in 2019.
Would the Dodgers rather have Glasnow, Stone, or any of the other six injured starters available? Sure. But sending Flaherty and Yoshinombu Yamamoto in the first two games is not a disappointing option and it is better than an injured Clayton Kershaw and inexperienced Bobby Miller, like they did a year ago.
Should the Dodgers be concerned about Flaherty?
According to Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times, maybe.
“Although Flaherty helped steady the Dodgers’ rotation when he arrived at the trade deadline, his last three starts raised some red flags,” Harris writes. “In 14 total innings, he gave up 10 runs, 14 hits and nine walks. His fastball velocity was down in the last two outings, averaging less than 92 mph. And he worked into the sixth inning in just one of the three, something he failed to do only once in his first seven starts with the team.”
Harris thinks the Dodgers should be more worried about Yamamoto, who is still building his arm up since returning from the IL four starts ago.
In his first three starts after returning from the injured list, he managed only four, four, and three innings. However, over the weekend in Colorado, Yamamoto finally pitched five innings — in the most hitter-friendly ballpark in baseball, no less.
Despite the limited innings, Yamamoto posted a 3.38 ERA across his four September appearances, which is far from terrible.
What the Dodgers desperately need more than anything else is for their top starters to pitch deep into games to avoid putting more strain on an already fatigued bullpen.
Both pitchers have shown they’re capable of doing this at points during the season, but those performances have been rare recently, casting doubt on whether they can deliver ace-level outings in the playoffs.
Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
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