Bullpen – Page 5 – Dodger Thoughts

Closing out Game 1, moving on to Game 2

On October 4, 2014

In Bullpen, In case you missed it, Pitching, Postseason

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By Jon Weisman

Over in the far-off reaches of the American League, the Detroit Tigers bullpen has been absolutely battered. In both his playoff games, Detroit manager Brad Ausmus has been ripped for removing a pitcher too soon.

Neither of those occasions came with Clayton Kershaw on the mound. Neither of them came in an inning that began after Clayton Kershaw had retired 16 of his last 17 batters with eight strikeouts, using only 74 pitches over that stretch and 81 in the game to that point.

I’m sympathetic to the argument that by the time nemesis Matt Carpenter came to bat in the seventh inning of Friday’s loss to the Cardinals, 21 pitches later, Kershaw was on thin ice. But I’m having trouble believing that anytime before that, Don Mattingly would have received less criticism for turning the final seven, eight or nine outs of the game to middle relief that has been darkly questioned all year long.

That’s not at all to say the bullpen would have failed, though the walk and home run surrendered by Pedro Baez to his first two batters was not reassuring — and J.P. Howell, who would have faced John Jay with the bases loaded in the seventh if many had had their way, allowed a leadoff single to Jay in the ninth.

It’s simply that between 1) a Kershaw that was allowing singles but also striking batters out, or 2) a fresh Howell or Baez, not only is the choice basically a tossup, but choosing the bullpen is betting against the player that has come through more often than any other pitcher in the game.

Put more bluntly: Imagine the reaction if Clayton Kershaw was in the dugout, having thrown 102 pitches on eight days’ rest, if and when the Dodgers lost their lead.

No one knows better than Kershaw that he didn’t come through. But if you think that he was destined to fail, or if you think he can’t win in the playoffs, or if you don’t think he can come back in his next start from the rare adversity that strikes, I don’t know what pitcher you’ve been watching all this time.

As for the struggles of the 2014 bullpen itself …

Dodger bullpen working double overtime

By Jon Weisman

On September 23, 2014

In Bullpen

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By Jon Weisman

Famous last words before Monday’s game …

The best thing about this taxing roadtrip was probably this: no extra-inning games.

— Dodger Insider (@DodgerInsider) September 22, 2014

Despite seven excellent innings from Dan Haren, who allowed one hit and one earned run, the Dodger bullpen was still forced to throw six more innings in what became a 5-2, 13-inning loss to the Giants.

Dodger relievers have averaged 97 pitches over the past eight games, and 144 over the past two (click to enlarge).

The result of this is that even if Zack Greinke pitches seven or eight innings tonight, the Dodgers might be without Kenley Jansen, who has thrown 44 pitches in the past two days. Perhaps, however, the Dodgers would make Jansen available tonight, knowing that they have a favorable matchup Wednesday with Clayton Kershaw against Tim Hudson, followed by an off day Thursday.

Paco Rodriguez and Pedro Baez, who seem to be emerging as go-to relievers for the Dodgers, should also be available tonight after finishing a two-days-on, one-day-off cycle. And then there’s Chris Perez, who improbably has been one the Dodgers’ most effective relievers this month, throwing seven shutout innings with nine strikeouts and two hits allowed. Perez has walked four in that time, however.

The Dodger defense played a big role in extending Monday’s game. Three errors forced the pitching staff into making extra pitches, with the Matt Kemp-Yasiel Puig miscommunication contributing directly to the Giants’ second run. On the flip side, the Dodgers’ night would have ended two innings sooner if Puig hadn’t fired off this spectacularly accurate throw to preserve the tie in the 11th.

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“A thing of beauty, and a joy forever, to be blessed with an arm like that.” — Vin Scully

— Dodger Insider (@DodgerInsider) September 23, 2014

The Dodgers, and their bullpen in particular, could use a laugher, but with Giants ace Madison Bumgarner throwing tonight, odds are against that happening. Monday’s game was a heartstopper, and tonight might be little different.

Bullpen weekend: Who’s ready?

By Jon Weisman

On September 19, 2014

In Bullpen

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Saturday’s Chicago weather forecast

By Jon Weisman

If Roberto Hernandez goes out and throws a nifty five or six innings Saturday in Chicago, the Dodgers appear ready to turn Sunday’s game over to their bullpen and save Dan Haren for Monday against the Giants.

If Hernandez has an early exit, the relief corps — which has thrown a whopping 25 2/3 innings in the past five days — might once again be thrust into early action Saturday.

And if Mother Nature follows through on her threat of rain, who knows what the result will be?

No matter how you slice it, it looks like a big weekend for the guys in the pen. However, like farewell ceremonies for Derek Jeter, there are lots and lots of them.

This chart shows how many pitches each reliever has thrown in the past five games:

Noteworthy:

The Dodgers’ top two go-to relievers this season, Kenley Jansen and J.P. Howell, have worked the least over the past five games.
No one has pitched two days in a row since Wednesday, meaning that everyone is available to pitch in on Saturday, except whoever might be Sunday’s starting pitcher if it’s not Haren.
Not that it’s likely to break this cleanly, but if Hernandez pitched five innings Saturday, there are exactly 13 pitchers to cover the 13 regulation innings remaining in Chicago.

On 7/4, why No. 74, Kenley Jansen, has been way better than you realize

By Jon Weisman

On July 4, 2014

In Analysis, Bullpen, Pitching

By Jon Weisman

It’s July 4, so let’s take a look at the only active Major Leaguer to wear the patriotic number 74* – Curacao’s own Kenley Jansen. (We’ll pretend we don’t know that Jansen chose that number to match his house number in his homeland.)

Spoiler alert: What looks like the Dodger righty’s worst season might actually be his best.

Dare we ask: Is the Dodger bullpen back?

By Jon Weisman

On June 3, 2014

In Bullpen, Pregame

Monday’s Jon SooHoo photo highlights can be found at LA Photog Blog.

White Sox at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m.
Dee Gordon, 2B
Andre Ethier, CF
Yasiel Puig, RF
Hanley Ramirez, SS
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Matt Kemp, LF
Chone Figgins, 3B
Drew Butera, C
Dan Haren, P

By Jon Weisman

Drew Butera hasn’t pitched for the Dodgers since May 17, and while there was romance to the idea that he was an untapped weapon as a backup reliever, I think the Dodgers are happy that he hasn’t had to shed the catchers’ gear lately.

In fact, since the Dodgers were blown out by Arizona, 18-7, on that Saturday 17 nights ago, the Dodger bullpen has started to find itself.

Ups and downs: Snapshots are not real life

By Jon Weisman

On May 12, 2014

In Bullpen, Thinking out loud

By Jon Weisman

When looking at a team whose fortunes are sinking, people are fond of moralizing and other snap judgments. If a team isn’t winning, it must not be trying. Or the team is just not good.

It takes backbone to see streaks as an exaggeration of reality, rather than a reflection of reality, even though almost by definition, streaks tend to be unusual.

We understand that batting averages and ERAs and every other statistic will fluctuate from week to week, month to month. Not one .333 hitter actually goes 1 for 3 in every game. Yet somehow, winning teams are expected to always be winning.

Having lost six of their past eight since matching a season-high five games over .500 on May 3, the Dodgers are drawing catcalls. It’s part of the game, I suppose. But we don’t know who the real Dodgers are.

Are they the team that started 9-4? The team that then went 9-9? Or the team that is most recently 2-6? Are they even the team that is 20-19 overall this season?

You’ll feel better when …

By Jon Weisman

On May 5, 2014

In Bullpen

By Jon Weisman

… Dodger relievers stop walking opposing batters at rates we haven’t seen, as my grandmother would say, in a dog’s age. More specifically, since before the team’s last World Series title.

May 5 pregame: Pedro Baez and position switches

By Jon Weisman

On May 5, 2014

In Bullpen, Pregame

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Dodgers at Nationals, 4:05 p.m.
Dee Gordon, 2B
Carl Crawford, LF
Hanley Ramirez, SS
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Matt Kemp, CF
Andre Ethier, RF
Juan Uribe, 3B
Miguel Olivo, C
Zack Greinke, P

By Jon Weisman

Continuing their efforts to fill their bullpen with healthy and rested arms, the Dodgers have called up righty reliever Pedro Baez from Double-A Chattanooga, optioning Sunday starter Stephen Fife to Albuquerque.

The news comes one day before the Dodgers’ expected activation of Clayton Kershaw from the disabled list.

Baez, looking to make his MLB debut, has a 2.84 ERA in 12 2/3 innings for the Lookouts, though he hasn’t been striking out batters at his customary rate in the early going. Having averaged 8.5 strikeouts per nine innings last season in the minors, Baez has eight whiffs so far this season. He last pitched Friday, throwing two shutout innings with two strikeouts.

As many of you know, Baez began his pro career as a third baseman before making a Kenley Jansen-like conversion to pitching. Below: Cary Osborne’s story for the March 2014 Dodger Insider magazine on position switches in the farm system (click to enlarge).

May 2 pregame: Shutout relief is Wright on

By Jon Weisman

On May 2, 2014

In Bullpen, History, Pregame

Dodgers at Marlins, 4:10 p.m.
Dee Gordon, 2B
Yasiel Puig, RF
Hanley Ramirez, SS
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Andre Ethier, CF
Miguel Olivo, C
Carl Crawford, LF
Chone Figgins, 3B
Josh Beckett, P

By Jon Weisman

Unsung hero of the Dodgers’ Thursday nightcap victory — Jamey Wright.

The 39-year-old shut out Minnesota from the ninth inning through the 11th, scattering a single and a walk and lowering his 2014 ERA to 2.70. It was the longest stint of his Grover Cleveland-esque Dodger career.

The list of recent Dodger relievers who have thrown at least three shutout innings is an interesting one. Before Wright, Chris Withrow was the only Dodger to do it since 2010, when Jeff Weaver and Ronald Belisario did it in the same game. Weaver accomplished the feat four times in all in 2009.

The last time a Dodger pitched four innings of shutout relief was June 2, 2010, when Travis Schlichting did so in the game won by a Garret Anderson walkoff single in the 14th.

But the longest shutout relief stint in Dodger history was turned in by Orel Hershiser, who put zeroes on the scoreboard from the 14th inning through the 20th in the June 3, 1989 game at Houston, which ended in the 22nd with a two-strike, two-out single by Rafael Ramirez off third baseman-turned-relief pitcher Jeff Hamilton.

May 1 pregame, the sequel: Chris Perez nearly flawless in 2014

By Jon Weisman

On May 1, 2014

In Bullpen

Dodgers at Twins, 4:10 p.m.
Dee Gordon, 2B
Yasiel Puig, RF
Hanley Ramirez, DH
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Matt Kemp, CF
Scott Van Slyke, LF
Juan Uribe, 3B
Justin Turner, SS
Drew Butera, C
(Red Patterson, P)

By Jon Weisman

It’s been a near-perfect start to the season for Chris Perez, the righthanded reliever the Dodgers signed this past offseason.

With his five-out save today, Perez has pitched scoreless baseball in 13 of his 14 outings in 2014, while stranding 11 of 12 inherited runners. Of the 45 batters he has faced, only nine have reached base, on two doubles, three singles, three walks and a hit batter.

Really the only blemish against Perez this season was the two runs he allowed in the top of the 12th inning against Arizona, in his second inning of work that night.

Perez used 22 pitches to retire the final five batters of the first game of today’s doubleheader, striking out two. He now has nine strikeouts in 13 1/3 innings to go with his 1.35 ERA and 0.60 WHIP this season.

Previously on Dodger Insider: Chris Perez hopes health is on his side in 2014

Photo: Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers

April 24 pregame: Jansen doing work

By Jon Weisman

On April 24, 2014

In Bullpen, Pregame

Phillies at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m.
Dee Gordon, 2B
Carl Crawford, LF
Hanley Ramirez, SS
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Yasiel Puig, RF
Andre Ethier, LF
Juan Uribe, 3B
Tim Federowicz, C
Dan Haren, P

By Jon Weisman

Speaking to reporters today, Don Mattingly addressed the chatter about the usage of Kenley Jansen, who leads the Majors in appearances, though it is mitigated by the fact that the Dodgers have spread their 23 games over 32 days.

Mattingly said that the Dodgers are monitoring every pitcher’s workload, that it’s a day-by-day adjustment and that the extra-inning games and some shorter outings by some starting pitchers has had an impact.

Going forward, you might see those factors reverse – there are fewer off days, but the starters are revving up for longer outings.

There’s room for debate on how overworked Jansen is. As you can see from his game logs (click the image below to enlarge), though he has all those appearances (and, as Mike Petriello points out at Dodgers Digest, hasn’t had consecutive days off since April 10-11), the most pitches he has thrown on consecutive days is 39, and he hasn’t worked three days in a row.

Because he’s the closer, he’s also not someone who has had to warm up and sit down a lot — once he’s up, he almost always goes into the game.

In the past eight days since he made 30 pitches in a game at San Francisco, Jansen has thrown 58 pitches, or 7.25 per day. Not incidentally, he’s been on his game. In his past four outings, he has faced 14 batters and allowed only two singles while striking out seven. Jansen’s K/9 this year is 16.6.

April 22 pregame: Short bench, long bullpen

By Jon Weisman

On April 22, 2014

In Bench, Bullpen

This is not a new backup infielder for the Dodgers. Hyun-Jin Ryu Bobblehead Night is May 27.

Phillies at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m.
Carl Crawford, LF
Yasiel Puig, RF
Hanley Ramirez, SS
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Matt Kemp, CF
Juan Uribe, 3B
Dee Gordon, 2B
Tim Federowicz, C
Hyun-Jin Ryu, P

By Jon Weisman

Since Chone Figgins was sent to Albuquerque, I’ve spent a little time thinking about this four-man bench the Dodgers are using. Normally, a 13-man pitching staff strikes me as excessive, but it’s hard to deny that right now, the 25th spot on the roster is better spent on an arm than … well, an arm and all the other body parts that position players use.

The five existing outfielders have the grass portion of Dodger Stadium covered. Juan Uribe, Hanley Ramirez and Adrian Gonzalez aren’t coming out for a pinch-hitter anytime soon, and Dee Gordon and Justin Turner have locked up second base. If anyone needs a rest or is knocked out by injury mid-game, Scott Van Slyke can play first, and Turner the rest.

The Dodgers are thin in the pinch-hitting department, but it’s also not something they’ve done much of. In 20 games, the Dodgers have used 29 pinch-hitters — less than two per game. That’s not to say that with a deeper bench there wouldn’t have been more, but it wouldn’t have been much more. Last year, the Dodgers gave 209 plate appearances to pinch-hitters.

Figgins, believe it or not, is the only Dodger pinch-hitter to reach base more than twice this season, and 20 games into 2014, the Dodgers still don’t have a pinch-homer, pinch-triple or pinch-double. (They do have a pinch-sacrifice fly, from Justin Turner.)

By comparison, the 2014 Dodgers have gone to the bullpen 79 times, practically four times a game, for a total of 74 1/3 innings. And even the guys who have struggled some this year have an impact by taking away innings that would otherwise stress out the others. In most cases, a pinch-hitter is there for a minute and then gone.

Where the Dodgers could benefit is where every MLB team could benefit. It would be nice if their backup catcher weren’t held hostage and chained to the bench by the potential of an emergency. For most games, the backup catcher doesn’t exist as an option, meaning that realistically, the Dodgers’ four-man bench is actually three. But until the pitching changes decrease, less is probably more when it comes to the bench.

* * *

This is from a couple weeks back, but still worth a look. “Dr. James Andrews explains why Tommy John surgery is on the rise,” via Craig Calcaterra at Hardball Talk.

His answer: it’s not an anomaly, it’s a trend. And an alarming one, he says, in that so many more of the surgeries he’s performing are for high school pitchers as opposed to professionals with a few years under their belt. Kids are bigger and stronger these days, and their ability to throw harder is outpacing the development of their ulnar collateral ligaments.

But the biggest risk factor he and his researchers are seeing: year-round baseball. The fact that not only do pitchers throw year-round, but that they are pitching in competition year-round, and don’t have time to recover. Also: young players are playing in more than one league, where pitch count and innings rules aren’t coordinated. Another factor: the radar gun. Young pitchers who throw over 85 or so are at risk, and all of them who are on a major league track are throwing that fast or faster, and are going up in effort when scouts with guns are around.

April 20 pregame: Playing the elements

By Jon Weisman

On April 20, 2014

In Bullpen, Pitching, Pregame

Diamondbacks at Dodgers, 1:10 p.m.
Dee Gordon, 2B
Carl Crawford, LF
Hanley Ramirez, SS
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Yasiel Puig, RF
Andre Ethier, CF
Juan Uribe, 3B
Tim Federowicz, C
Josh Beckett, P

By Jon Weisman

In 18 games so far this season, Dodger starting pitching has held opponents to one run or less 14 times (while going at least five innings). Which is pretty cool.

Los Angeles is 10-4 in those games. The four losses were:

March 30, when an ailing Brian Wilson allowed three eighth-inning runs after Hyun-Jin Ryu had pitched seven shutout innings in San Diego.
April 15, when Josh Beckett through five shutout innings and the Dodgers led, 2-1, in the ninth inning before San Francisco tied the game off Kenley Jansen and then outlasted the Dodgers in 12.
April 16, when Paul Maholm allowed one run in six innings but San Francisco scratched a game-winning run off J.P. Howell in the seventh.
April 18, when Zack Greinke allowed one run in six innings and the Dodgers twice rallied from one-run deficits, only to lose in 12 innings.

Each of these games is a what-might-have been-a-win, but note that the bullpen never a lead of more than one run to protect – and twice had no lead at all. Those are slim margins, indeed. Some, if not all, of those bullpen losses are really losses you could pin on the offense – not that the offense wasn’t challenged by playing at San Francisco.

Baseball today in a sense boils down to four elements: starting pitching, relief pitching, offense and fielding. (You could say two elements if you combined everything but offense into defense, but work with me.) If you have at least three of those elements working for you in a game, your chances of winning will be excellent. The Dodgers are a pretty good bet almost every day out.

Putting Kenley Jansen’s usage in perspective

By Jon Weisman

On April 13, 2014

In Bullpen, Pitching, Uncategorized

By Jon Weisman

Kenley Jansen’s sudden appearance Saturday in a game the Dodgers led 8-2 heading into the bottom of the ninth (the score was 8-5 when he entered, and when he finished four pitches later) added to concerns that Jansen is being overworked early. The Dodger closer leads Major League pitchers with eight appearances.

Keep in mind, however, that Jansen’s totals are skewed by the Dodgers’ Australia start and numerous off days so far. Below is a small chart of Jansen’s appearances, how many days off before each appearance and how many pitches thrown.

Date Days Pitches
3/22 * 15
3/23 0 5
4/1 8 18
4/5 3 22
4/6 0 17
4/8 1 19
4/9 0 19
4/12 2 4
*Opening Day

In only two games this year has Jansen thrown more than five pitches without resting the day before, and he didn’t surpass 20 pitches in either of those games. The second game of the Detroit series on April 9 without a day off was a high-stress outing for April, but essentially that was his only such outing of the year.

While the 77 pitches he threw in five days last week is noteworthy, it’s also an anomaly.

Last year, Jansen pitched 27 games on zero days rest and was pretty amazingly effective, as you’ll see from this Baseball-Reference.com snippet:

This is not to suggest that Jansen should be used recklessly. Just offering some context.

Chris Perez hopes health is on his side in 2014

By Jon Weisman

On February 12, 2014

In Bullpen, Health/injuries, Pitching

Chris Perez will be at the center of the Dodger bullpen mix in 2014. ( Jon SooHoo/© Los Angeles Dodgers, LLC 2014)

By Jon Weisman

GLENDALE, Ariz – From virtually the beginning of Spring Training a year ago, Chris Perez wasn’t 100 percent physically.

The way he feels now is a bigger change than switching uniforms from Cleveland to Los Angeles.

“I feel great this year,” Perez said today at Camelback Ranch. “This time last year I was already hurt. It’s a lot better being healthy and being able to get my work in and work on stuff, instead of just going into the training room to get ready to go on the field. Compared to last year, I feel a night-and-day difference. It’s encouraging and it’s exciting.”

Perez struggled in 2013 with a strained lat muscle that emerged after only his second bullpen session of the spring. That cascaded into a mixed bag of a year – while his strikeout rate remained strong (54 in 54 innings), his WHIP rose from 1.127 in 2012 to 1.426 in 2013.

Jon SooHoo/© Los Angeles Dodgers, LLC 2014

“It’s like racing against the clock – you don’t want to miss any time,” Perez said of dealing with the early injury. “You always seem like you’re behind the 8 ball. You’re trying to get there for your teammates and get there for Opening Day, but at the same itme, you’re not getting all your work in.

“Those bullpens are important, especially for bullpen guys, because during the season, you don’t really get to work on stuff that much, because you have to be ready for the game.”

Perez, who is still only 28 despite being a six-year MLB veteran, added that his mechanics never quite recovered in 2013. But an offseason that allowed him to “rest some aching muscles and reboot mentally” has cleansed the palate, he hopes.

“Once I got healthy in the second half of the year, I went back to my normal arm slot,” he said. “But I had been pitching three of four months from different arm slots. I was in between arm slots, which is tough to do, especially in my role last year as a closer. … This year, coming in healthy, I’m back to my normal arm slot and hopefully it stays there all year.”

In addition to changing jerseys and ideally medical records, Perez’s function is changing as well. Given the presence of Kenley Jansen and Brian Wilson, the Dodgers’ plan for Perez involves a great deal of work before the ninth inning or even the eighth. Not that Perez minds.

“I think the fans and the media blow it a little more out of proportion than we do,” he said. “We’re all professionals here. Maybe four or five years ago, when I was a young guy, I kind of paid attention to it a little bit, because you’re trying to make a name for yourself. You’re trying to get to that role. But now it’s just about winning.

“We know who are closer is – it’s Kenley. We know Wilson’s going to be throwing the eighth. So now it’s just me trying to fit in any way I can and help the team. If that’s to come in and get a couple outs in the sixth, so be it. I’ve done that closing role; I’ve done that set-up role. It’s fun – don’t get me wrong – but it’s a lot better when the team’s winning and you can contribute to that.”

Perez also isn’t stressing over being asked to enter a game in the middle of an inning and get the Dodgers out of a jam.

“You have to just be aware of a couple more things – (the) bunt game, steals and stuff like that,” Perez said. “But honestly, early in my career, that’s how I came in, with guys on base. You try to get ahead of the batter early, and you try to get a ground ball. It’s not easy, but if you get a ground ball, you get two outs right away.

“It’s not like I never pitched with men on base before. Last year I had guys on base all the time,” he added with a laugh.

Dodger Thoughts

Jon Weisman's outlet for dealing psychologically with the Los Angeles Dodgers, baseball and life

Category: Bullpen (Page 5 of 5)

Closing out Game 1, moving on to Game 2

Dodger bullpen working double overtime

Bullpen weekend: Who’s ready?

On 7/4, why No. 74, Kenley Jansen, has been way better than you realize

Dare we ask: Is the Dodger bullpen back?

Ups and downs: Snapshots are not real life

You’ll feel better when …

May 5 pregame: Pedro Baez and position switches

May 2 pregame: Shutout relief is Wright on

May 1 pregame, the sequel: Chris Perez nearly flawless in 2014

April 24 pregame: Jansen doing work

April 22 pregame: Short bench, long bullpen

April 20 pregame: Playing the elements

Putting Kenley Jansen’s usage in perspective

Chris Perez hopes health is on his side in 2014

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