Despite a prognosis that won’t see him pitch until late spring at the soonest, veteran pitcher Rich Hill says that his free agent stock has still drawn interest from multiple teams across the majors.
While some folks close to the Dodgers do not anticipate any major changes to the roster over the winter, there is still bound to be some minor movement, especially among the team’s free agents.
Today, the Dodgers begin the second half of the season and probably their toughest stretch of games this year, facing four teams with better records that the Dodgers themselves currently possess, and one of those teams twice.
The Dodgers on Tuesday afternoon reinstated left-handed pitcher Rich Hill from the 10-day disabled list and optioned right-handed pitcher Brock Stewart to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Hill had missed nearly three weeks due to complications resulting from a broken fingernail on his throwing hand.
As it’s difficult to actually put into words how much injuries have had an impact on the Dodgers‘ performance so far this year, the good news is that there may be a few players who are close to returning to action.
While there hasn’t been an overwhelming number of injuries so far this season, there have been enough to create a hindrance in some of the key areas of the Dodgers roster, perhaps even having an effect on the club’s overall performance.
(Mandatory Credit: Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
The Dodgers on Wednesday afternoon recalled left-handed reliever Adam Liberatore from Triple-A Oklahoma City and placed left-hander Rich Hill on the 10-day disabled list, retroactive to April 15. The team is describing the injury as finger inflammation; however, Hill himself says the cause is a cracked nail on his middle finger.
First and foremost, happy 30th birthday to the best pitcher on the planet, our very own Clayton Kershaw. Even though it seems that he has been with the Dodgers for a nice long time, it doesn’t seem that he should yet be at the ripe old age of 30.
(Mandatory Credit: Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
Here’s a history lesson (I will keep it very short, I promise).
Way back in the 1930s, there was an outstanding St. Louis Cardinals pitcher named Dizzy Dean. Dean was a great pitcher, racking up 120 wins, 970 strikeouts, 19 shutouts and 30 saves while averaging a ridiculous 306 innings per season from 1932 to 1936. He led the league in strikeouts four consecutive seasons. Dean won 30 games, the National League’s Most Valuable Player award and the World Series in 1934.