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It’s a big week for bullpen games at Dodger Stadium, so let’s check in with how well-rested the Dodgers bullpen pitchers are heading into Tuesday night’s game against the Pirates.
Monday saw Andre Jackson impress in his major league debut with four scoreless innings following an opener. Mitch White threw four innings in his last time out, and will be the bulk pitcher on Wednesday. In between is David Price on Tuesday, making his seventh start since joining the rotation on a regular basis.
After going three innings on July 9, in his first non-spot start of the season, Price has lasted at least four innings in his last five starts. He’s pitched into the sixth inning twice in those five starts, averaging 4⅔ innings.
In other words, it’s another busy series for the bullpen.
Since the Dodgers started this stretch of 13 straight game days, the bullpen has held up nicely despite heavy usage, pitching nearly as many innings as the starters.
Pitching group effort
| Pitching role | IP | BB | K | ERA | FIP | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pitching role | IP | BB | K | ERA | FIP | WHIP |
| Starters | 33⅓ | 15 | 38 | 1.89 | 3.22 | 1.140 |
| Bullpen | 30⅔ | 15 | 40 | 1.47 | 1.94 | 1.011 |
The staff as a whole has allowed 15 total runs over the last seven games, including five games giving up no more than two runs.
Sunday’s blowout win in New York did wonders for restoring order in the bullpen. Two of the three relievers used in that game — Darien Núñez and Edwin Uceta — were optioned to Triple-A on Monday.
That means, of the nine relievers active as of Tuesday morning, only one — left-hander Alex Vesia — has pitched more than once over the last three days, and nobody has pitched more than twice in the last four days.
Dodgers recent relief workload
| Pitcher | Thu, Aug 12 | Fri, Aug 13 | Sat, Aug 14 | Sun, Aug 15 | Mon, Aug 16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pitcher | Thu, Aug 12 | Fri, Aug 13 | Sat, Aug 14 | Sun, Aug 15 | Mon, Aug 16 |
| Kenley Jansen | 1.0/13 | 2.0/20 | 1.0/11 | ||
| Blake Treinen | 1.1/20 | 1.1/8 | |||
| Corey Knebel | 1.0/13 | 0.1/7 | |||
| Phil Bickford | 1.0/15 | 1.1/13 | |||
| Alex Vesia | 1.0+/25 | 1.1/16 | 1.0/11 | ||
| Brusdar Graterol | 0.2/9 | 0.2/20 | |||
| Justin Bruihl | 1.0/9 | 0.0/15 | 1.0/12 | ||
| Conner Greene | 1.0/9 | ||||
| Neftalí Féliz | 1.0/11* |
Neftalí Féliz, just called up from Triple-A Monday, has pitched once in the last six days. The Dodgers could reasonably express Victor Gonzalez and/or Joe Kelly back from the injured list at some point this week.
Evan Phillips, claimed off waivers on Monday, is out of options, so he figures to provide a fresh arm. He last pitched on Friday, a three-inning save.
That’s about as well rested a bullpen as you could hope for in the middle of a stretch like this, with six more games before the Dodgers’ next off day.
Game info
Teams: Dodgers (73-46) vs. Pirates (42-77)
Location: Dodger Stadium
Time: 7:10 p.m.
TV: SportsNet LA