By Jon Weisman
A day after Brandon Beachy threw 92 pitches in six innings of his fifth rehab start from his second Tommy John surgery, Don Mattingly did not rule out the 28-year-old right-hander as a possible starter for the Dodgers against the Brewers on Saturday.
While cautioning that the Dodgers weren’t near a decision and were considering a number of candidates, Mattingly conveyed an upbeat report on Beachy, saying he touched 93 mph Monday, though he did allow 12 baserunners in those six innings while striking out five.
“He’s throwing the ball well,” Mattingly said. “We haven’t really gotten to the candidates for this weekend. We know he’s feeling good. … In fact, his velocity was kind of back to where he was in the past.
“One of the things we’ve talked about a lot with Brandon, was to give him the time not only be physically be ready but mentally be at the point where he’s ready to compete. … He could be a guy that we use.”
Beachy’s last MLB start was August 20, 2013 with Atlanta. He has a 3.23 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings in his 46-game, 267 2/3-inning big-league career.
Douglas Ferguson
It would be cool for Beachy to pitch…..but what about giving Scott Baker a start? He has been lights out at AAA