Pedro Baez placed on injured list with right groin strain

The Dodgers on Thursday placed relief pitcher Pedro Baez on the injured list with a right groin strain.

Baez in 11 games has a career-worst ERA (3.97) and FIP (5.35), with eight strikeouts and five walks in 11⅓ innings. Baez allowed home runs Monday and Wednesday, and has allowed at least one run in three straight appearances, matching the longest streak of his career.

So far in 2020, Baez is averaging 94.4 mph on his fastball, the lowest velocity of his career and down a mile and a half per hour from last season.

“You would expect after making the seven outings that you kind of see an uptick. That’s not the case,” Roberts said Saturday in Anaheim. “It’s not that we’re concerned about it, but it’s something that we’re just digging into.”

The Dodgers recalled Josh Sborz, who was on the taxi squad for this brief, two-game trip. That gives the Dodgers 11 relievers on the roster, though in reality only eight might be available to pitch Thursday, after extended outings Wednesday by Dylan Floro (2⅔ innings, 24 pitches), Victor Gonzalez (two IP, 32 pitches) and Dennis Santana (35 pitches in parts of two innings).

“The bullpen did a great job yesterday eating up some innings, which was very helpful,” Roberts said on a conference call Tuesday. “But where we’re at, I think we’re in pretty good standing in the pen.”