Dodgers to Give 5-Man Rotation An Extra Day’s Rest Against Giants
The Dodgers have been among baseball’s most aggressive teams when it comes to giving their starting pitchers an extra day’s rest. Since Andrew Friedman took over as the team’s president of baseball operations, five days of rest between starts has been normalized.
The Dodgers are in the middle of a streak of playing seven consecutive games at home. Finding the extra day of rest for their starters poses a challenge.
Tuesday’s starting pitcher will be a familiar one to Dodger fans: Johnny Wholestaff.
What’s the big deal with extra rest?
The Dodgers’ game against the San Francisco Giants will be their eighth of the 2024 season. By contrast, the Milwaukee Brewers awoke Tuesday having played only three regular season games.
The Dodgers and San Diego Padres began their seasons a week earlier than the other 28 teams on March 20-21 in Seoul, South Korea. Although starting pitchers Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto enjoyed a full week off afterward, the pair had to ramp up their preseason regimens ahead of schedule to be ready for the first two games of the season. So did every relief pitcher who appeared out of the bullpen in Seoul.
As a result, expect the Dodgers’ front office and coaching staff to take extra precautions with their pitching staff to prevent injuries. The baseball regular season is famously longer than any other sport’s. When Game 162 is finally in the books, the Dodgers will then have to play another month’s worth of meaningful games — at least, if they reach their goal of winning the World Series.
Glasnow figured to be the starting pitcher Tuesday against Giants ace Logan Webb. Instead, he’ll get an extra day of rest and pitch Wednesday. The Dodgers have an off-day Thursday while they travel to Chicago to play the Cubs.
In the meantime, who will Dave Roberts call on to pitch Game 2 of the Dodgers’ series against the Giants? There’s one obvious candidate to pitch the bulk of the innings, explains Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register:
Left-hander Ryan Yarbrough (who pitched the final three innings of the home opener last week) will figure into the pitching plan on Tuesday, Roberts said.
“I wouldn’t say it’s threading a needle, but you have to get some length from your starters,” Roberts said. “Having guys on your roster that can go multiples (innings) is certainly helpful. And what Yarbs did for us the other night, what we expect him to do tomorrow night, it certainly allows us a lot of flexibility.”
— via Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register
Yarbrough, a 32-year-old left-hander, has appeared in 13 games since joining the Dodgers in a midseason trade last year. He’s started two games and relieved the other 11. Overall, he has a 4.36 earned-run average, three saves, and a 4-2 record in his time with the Dodgers.
Photo Credit: Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports
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60 year dodger faan now in Eugene Oregon.
I totally understand the strategy to give the starting pitchers extra rest. What I don’t understand is the timing. They are only going through the rotation for the first time and they have an off day on Thursday. So why not use Thursday to give them all an extra day, what’s the rush?
Because Tyler Glasnow wouldn’t get an “extra” day off on Thursday. The bullpen game specifically gives our #1 Starter, who has never pitched more than 120 innings in a single season in his entire MLB career, an extra day off. That’s the timing part of it that you’re missing. If we want Glasnow dealing 97-MPH filth in October/November, it makes sense to start getting him extra rest RIGHT NOW. Brilliant strategy, if the Dodgers can make it work. I think it’ll do exactly what the front office hopes it will.
Just remember: NOTHING than any Dodgers employee does today is strictly about TODAY. It’s about October/November. This is all about winning a World Series in 2024. Survive the first 162 games, and then thrive for 11 more.