Dodgers News: Michael Grove Unpacks Strong Outing Against Texas on Saturday
As the Dodgers figure out their starting rotation plans, the fifth spot is up for grabs. It was expected to be right-hander Emmet Sheehan to take the mantle, but he has been hurt all spring. Now Sheehan will be starting the regular season on the injured list, opening up an opportunity for others.
The names in contention for the final spot of the rotation are Gavin Stone, Michael Grove, Ryan Yarbrough and Kyle Hurt. Hurt and Yarbrough are more likely to be placed in the bullpen, leaving Stone and Grove to battle it out.
Stone has been making his case well, but Grove got a chance on Saturday to show what he could do. He made the most of it all, going 3.1 innings allowing zero runs, one hit and striking out six batters.
It was a solid outing for the young pitcher and one that he desperately needed to keep his stake alive. So far through spring, Grove has posted an ERA of 6.75 over eight innings. He unpacked the impressive performance against Texas, saying he was happy to finally see good results.
“It was great today to get better results,” Grove said. “The last two or three (games) I feel like there’s been a lot of positive to take away. There’s just a couple of stretches I need to clean up — there’s plenty to work on there — but it’s been encouraging.”
Per Michael Grove via Dodgers Insider
Last season, Grove struggled with his consistency, which caused him to be in and out of the rotation. He appeared in 18 games, posting an ERA of 6.13 over 69 innings of work.
“I’m just trying to make the team,” he said. “It’s going to depend a lot on who is healthy and what we look like as a team going into Korea. So I’m just going to keep trying to do my job when they give me the ball.”
Per Michael Grove via Dodgers Insider
If Grove can continue to perform the way he did Saturday, he will be in good shape. However, his previous games have left a lot to be questioned, but if anything, Saturday was a promising sign of what could be for the Dodgers.
Photo Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
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