Dodgers News: Gavin Stone Thinks One Simple Fix Would Solve His Struggles
As the Dodgers season has gone on, they have been forced to rely on their young pitchers to help get the job done. It’s not exactly the plan that the team had in mind at the beginning of the year, but it’s the reality that they find themselves in.
One of these pitchers that will be given more opportunities toward the end of the season is Gavin Stone. Stone has bounced back and forth from the big leagues and minors but is now a factor in the LA rotation. He will also pitch out of the bullpen when needed.
Stone started against the San Diego Padres on Monday, and he looked decent for the first few innings before the rails fell off. He finished the game by giving up seven runs over 5.1 innings pitched.
He spoke about his rocky performance after the game, and believes that he knows how to make sure things get better from here.
“I think I was leaving the ball up a little bit with the changeup and the cutter,” said Stone. “Just leaving it up. I think if I just get the ball down then … a lot less runs.”
Per The OC Register
Stone has been one of the pitchers that LA has been high on for a while now. He does have good stuff on the mound, but it hasn’t translated over to the big-league level on a consistent basis just yet.
In six games this year, he holds an ERA of 10.80. Things will need to change quickly for him, otherwise, he could be sent back down to the minors.
“In some cases, I probably could have done a better job of pounding the strike zone early and hopefully seeing more swing and misses early,” Stone said about the Padres swinging early in the count. “We talked about it, but back to getting the ball down, I feel like that would have helped with them swinging a lot.”
Per The OC Register
His struggles are just a reminder of the issues that have plagued this Dodgers team all season long. Different injuries and inconsistencies have caused them to be uncharacteristically poor on the mound, but with the playoffs coming soon, things will need to change.
The team will continue to use their young arms down the stretch of the season for various reasons. But the fate of the Dodgers season will likely come down to how effective these young guys are.
Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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