Gavin Stone May Have Pitched His Last Game for the Dodgers for a Bit
Dodgers rookie Gavin Stone had his worst start yet as a big leaguer on Sunday. Not that any of the other ones have been great up to this point. He served up 7 runs in just 2 innings, struggling to fool Rays hitters. It put the LA bullpen in another tough position forced to eat up 7 innings in the near comeback win. It also was enough to get manager Dave Roberts thinking about Stone’s future.
After the game, Doc said the club will reassess the starting rotation situation this week.
Dave Roberts didn't commit to Gavin Stone starting again next time through the rotation
— Jack Harris (@Jack_A_Harris) May 28, 2023
“Given how today went, it’s prudent to just reassess and make sure that whatever we do is best for Gavin and best for us.”
Michael Grove would be the other option if the team makes a change
Admittedly, Stone hasn’t had the easiest entry to the show. In his first three starts he’s faced the Phillies, Braves, and now the Rays. If he were to start in turn, he’d face the Yankees next at Dodger Stadium.
“He’s had some tough lineups to go against. My thought is he’s going to be better for it,” Roberts said. “But given how today went, I think it’s prudent to re-assess and make sure that whatever we do is best for Gavin and best for us. But I do think that looking back, this was good for him. We wouldn’t do this to a player we didn’t feel could handle it emotionally.”
Via OC Register
It’s not how the Dodgers envisioned the start of Stone’s career at the big league level. The situation isn’t what Stone pictured either. In Sunday’s outing, the rookie looked pretty beat down as hit after hit kept falling for the Rays. “I think you’ve just got to stay positive,” Stone said. “I’ve got to go back to work on fine-tuning some things.”
Whether he goes back to work with LA or back at Triple-A will be decided soon. If the Dodgers do option Gavin, they’ll likely turn to Michael Grove who is ready to come off the injured list after tossing a gem in his second minor league rehab assignment. Another rookie, Bobby Miller is set to start on Monday at Dodger Stadium and coming off a gem of his own in his MLB debut last week. If Miller puts together another quality start, he could buy himself a handful of starts while Julio Urias and Dustin May are on the IL.
At this point, it just would feel unfair to keep letting Stone run out there and get beat up, and it sounds like Roberts sort of agrees with that.
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To Dave Roberts:
Why Gavin Stone only?!?!
Can’t you see that Phil Bickford can’t pitch at this level? Every time you, Mr Roberts, fielded Bickford, it’s 99% the Dodgers will lose the game.
You’re mismanaging the Dodgers again.
This one’s on Robert. What manager in their right mind would leave a pitcher in to give up so many earned runs? It was like he was conceding the game in the second inning! Mind-boggling, irrespective of a “tired” bullpen. Maybe if LA would invest in some mid-relievers geared toward multiple innings, we wouldn’t constantly get jammed by a “tired” bullpen and coaching staff…