Dodgers News: Dave Roberts Praises Ryan Brasier for Resurgence in LA
The Dodgers’ 2023 season has been marred by injuries to pitchers like Dustin May, Clayton Kershaw, Tony Gonsolin, Shelby Miller, and Joe Kelly.
The bright spot in all these injuries is that the Dodgers had to get creative to replace these arms by looking at available free agents and potential trade pieces.
This is where the Dodgers found Ryan Brasier, who was released by the Red Sox in May and signed with the Dodgers in June.
Since joining the team, Brasier has dominated.
“Ever since we got him he’s really kind of embraced being here and found his comfort zone and understands his value and his usage,” said manager Dave Roberts. “And right there he goes through the teeth of that lineup with three punchouts was pretty impressive.”
(via Carry Osborne, Dodger Insider)
Brasier started the 2023 campaign on the Red Sox where he posted a 7.29 ERA in 21 innings of work for the team out of Boston.
Early into his Dodgers career, Brasier was put into low-leverage situations showing his newly acquired cutter that the Dodgers wanted him to use. Slowly over time, Brasier kept getting put into higher leverage appearances up until now, where he is facing the heart of the order seemingly every time he steps onto the field.
His pitching since he started with the Dodgers has only improved, currently owning a 0.81 ERA in 33.1 innings pitched.
The 36-year-old veteran has not given up an earned run since August 6th, when he gave up a solo home run in a 6-1 ballgame.
What changed with Brasier?
The Dodgers introduced a cutter with Brasier as the team does with a lot of pitchers they bring into their system. It is a sharp cutter that does not drop much in velocity from other fastballs but provides just enough movement at the end to miss barrels and bats.
The Dodgers also tweaked Brasier’s sinker having a -2.5 inches of drop compared to its -1.6 inches in 2022.
The changes have turned Brasier into a middle-relief monster, similar to that of Evan Phillips last year.
The Dodgers are gearing up for a long postseason run and expect to see Brasier shutting down the side in the 7th or 8th innings of games when the team needs a 1-2-3 inning.
Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
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