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Get Ready For the Six-Man Rotation

The Dodgers’ Rotation is going to look something like this starting today, as Shohei Ohtani and Ben Casparius join the rotation with Emmet Sheehan right behind them. Yamamoto Ohtani Sheehan May Kershaw Casparius The immediate effect is that this is going to tax the bullpen even…

By Mark Timmons3 min readJump to 129 comments

The Dodgers’ Rotation is going to look something like this starting today, as Shohei Ohtani and Ben Casparius join the rotation with Emmet Sheehan right behind them.

  1. Yamamoto
  2. Ohtani
  3. Sheehan
  4. May
  5. Kershaw
  6. Casparius

The immediate effect is that this is going to tax the bullpen even more, as Ohtani, Casparius, and Sheehan are in no way “built up.” However, it is a necessary step. Wrobleski, Dreyer, Sauer, Banda, and others will be taxed in the short term. They may even work in Little, Miller, and others. Roki Sasaki is shut down, and it’s unclear whether we will see him later this year. The move to the six-man rotation was necessary for Yamamoto, who is much more effective with extra rest, and Ohtani, but it may help every starter go an extra inning or two. This we shall see.

Shohei Ohtani will allegedly open tonight. It would be great if he could go two or three innings, but anything over one inning is a plus. I would think that following him with Wrobleski would be a good plan, but what do I know? It’s going to be fun to see. Remember, MLB now has the “Ohtani Rule: “If Ohtani starts the game as both pitcher and DH, and then is removed as a pitcher, he can stay in the game as the DH without the team losing the DH spot.

So, Ohtani will start the game as the DH and Pitcher, and when he comes out of the game as a pitcher, he will still be the DH. Very cool! This is what we have all been waiting for, and the Dodgers just got a whole lot stronger.

The Rafael Devers Debacle

I am not going to beat this dead horse very long, but I feel the same way about Rafael Devers that I did about Manny Ramirez. They are both supremely talented superstar hitters who are selfish, bad human beings. Manny beat up a 60+ year old team employee and was despised by many of his teammates. Rafael Devers is a highly productive, homegrown slugger who was signed through 2033, and the Red Sox traded him because they felt they were better without him. It’s called addition by subtraction.

Now, it is possible that he changes his stripes and becomes an unselfish teammate, but it is highly unlikely. In my experience, people like this do not change. Maybe he will… but my guess is that he will mess up the Giants team chemistry after an initial honeymoon period. Here’s what I said about Manny: “I would rather lose without him than win with him!” I feel the same way about Devers, and I am glad he is a Giant!

X-CITES

https://twitter.com/Dodgers/status/1934288324199632932

Discussion (129)

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  1. John FergusonJune 16, 2025

    CBeisbol, thanks for your thoughtful comments on the Kike question. Keep in mind, I was not saying Kike should not be allowed to comment, just that I wish he would not. Part of my reasoning is for his sake as I believe 50% of the population will now judge him negatively and probably write him off from this point forward. This is unfortunate as he is obviously a man of great joy and effervescence. This mentality has been nurtured in large part by partisan media on both sides that encourage us to jump to conclusions and make assumptions about anyone with a political viewpoint outside of their litmus test norm. I submit that we actually agree on far more than we disagree on. I seriously doubt, for example, that CBeisbol would be against arresting a rapist just because he also happens to be an immigrant. Conversely, I would not be in favor of putting someone in prison just because they were an immigrant. Perhaps hidden inside my pinstripe suit is an inner 1960’s hippie, but a little more love and a bit less judgement could do wonders for our country right about now. A beautiful summer of baseball and a Clayton Kershaw 12 to 6 curveball won’t hurt either.

  2. CBeisbolJune 16, 2025

    “The Dodgers’ Rotation is going to look something like this starting today”

    In order as best as I can tell.

    16: Ohtani & Sauer

    17: Casparius

    18: Sheehan

    19: Yamamoto

    20: Kershaw

    21: May

    22: Ohtani & Sauer

    23: OFF

    That gives everyone 5 off days since their last appearance .

    Wrobleski could go on 4 days to piggy back Sheehan.

    They will need to take someone off the roster to add Sheehan.

  3. dodgerdadJune 16, 2025

    PCA and Andy P have basically the same numbers, so pretty much the same player! So what do they need to? a left fielder? a long relief guy? Duran? probably not going to happen now. i’m not sure what AF will do. BUT , regardless of what some say, i do believe he counters the Giants move with something significant! He has to. not necessarily out of necessity, more out of “ now what you gonna do Buster?”. … i would like to see Dalton get some more at bats. we know he’s going to hit at this level. 3 at bats every 4 days might not be enough for him to get his timing down. Right now, kike and Conforto have restricted his ability to get more at bats. maybe they should just put kike on the il and keep him on ice till the playoffs! He’s just bored during the regular season! Conforto? don’t believe he’s going anywhere, but if he doesn’t get better, he could be left off the playoff roster during the postseason!

  4. Duke Not SniderJune 16, 2025

    I appreciate all the X comments that Mark adds to his post, but Blake Harris gets a bit carried away in glazing Pages.

    He’s having a terrific, potential all-star season…. but it’s pretty clear that Pete Crow-Armstrong, not Pages, will win the gold glove in CF. PCA might win the platinum.

  5. Andrew Vincent ForteJune 16, 2025

    Sunday scores

    Oklahoma City 7, Albuquerque 5

    Springfield 6, Tulsa 4 (completion of suspended game)

    Springfield 7, Tulsa 1

    Wisconsin 10, Great Lakes 4

    Rancho Cucamonga 4, Inland Empire 2

    The week ahead

    Oklahoma City vs. Round Rock (Rangers)

    Tulsa vs. Midland (A’s)

    Great Lakes vs. Peoria (Cardinals)

    Rancho Cucamonga vs. Lake Elsinore (Padres)

    For more detailed recaps,stats,schedules, daily standings and box scores for Dodger minor league teams go to the top of this page and cIick on MINOR LEAGUE AFFLIATES.

  6. dodgerdadJune 16, 2025

    I thought Yates might have attacked the home plate umpire after the home run last night! balls and strikes were awful the whole series. Now that being said, 4 walks, 2 hit by pitch in 6 innings? Not to mention that a couple of swing and miss were on pitches chased out of the strike zone that would have been ball 4. Dusttin May is eating some innings, but he’s definitely not impressive at the moment. … Vesia and Scott seem to have fixed whatever their issues were! Both looked fresh and dominant! Yates looked good, but even after the missed call 3rd strike, the long ball came back to bite him. understand him being p-ssed off, but he’s the one that grooved the pitch. …. Devers? so Buster is going to all out to play with the dodgers! Looks like Wilmer will be the casualty when it comes to playing time. Good luck Buster! you’ll need it! Think AF might up 1 him? wouldn’t be surprised at all! …. Now i’m not a manager, but maybe it’s time to leave Andy in the 5 hole! Doc sometimes drops him as low as 7. Heck, when Will is out, i would bat him cleanup! … great fathers day! Clayton sure loves being a father! Congratulations To him and his family on the news!

  7. John FergusonJune 16, 2025

    Kiki has issued some pretty strong and public statements against the ICE actions in LA. I’m curious to know how Dan n Pasadena feels about not just this issue but the propriety of professional athletes taking public political stances. Personally, if I were a pro player I would not comment in the belief that sports are a refuge and bring us together in spite of our differences. Last week I ran into a super nice guy at the Waffle House that was from a completely world than mine. He had on a Dodger cap in my small South Carolina town and we struck up a wonderful 30 minute conversation that never would have happened otherwise. Without the cap I would have walked right by his tattoos and piercings and he would have never noticed me in my suit and wingtips. I love how sports soften our diversity. I know players have opinions and the right to express them. I just wish we could have this little oasis from the polarity of our modern political environment. I love Kiki, and still will, just like I love comments by Dan in Pasadena even though I know he is of a very different political persuasion than I. But I kinda wish I did not know it.

  8. Andrew Vincent ForteJune 16, 2025

    Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Sunday that Sasaki (shoulder) halted his throwing program a few days ago, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

    “Per Ardaya, Roberts noted that Sasaki is “pain-free” and isn’t dealing with any sort of setback with his shoulder that will warrant further testing, but the rookie right-hander indicated that he doesn’t feel comfortable yet throwing at full intensity. Initially placed on the injured list May 13 due to a right shoulder impingement, Sasaki resumed throwing two weeks later but hadn’t advanced beyond playing catch before he shut himself down. At this stage, Sasaki doesn’t look like he’ll have enough time to get stretched back out and return from the IL before the All-Star break, and if he’s unable to resume throwing early on in the second half, his availability for the remainder of the season would be in serious jeopardy. Sasaki went 1-1 with a 4.72 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 24:22 K:BB in 34.1 innings over his eight starts before being shelved”.

  9. Andrew Vincent ForteJune 16, 2025

    Out for the 4 game Dodger series.

    The Padres placed Jackson Merrill (concussion) on the 7-day injured list Sunday.

    Merrill will be out for at least the next week after he was diagnosed with the concussion upon taking a hard tag to the head in Saturday’s 8-7 loss to the Diamondbacks

  10. Bill RussellJune 16, 2025

    Well I can answer my own question. He can Pitch and DH at the same time. It’s a rule known as the Ohtani rule.

  11. Bill RussellJune 16, 2025

    Can Ohtani Pitch and DH at the same time? Or does he have to wait until he’s done pitching to be entered into the game at the DH position?

  12. Andrew Vincent ForteJune 16, 2025

    Devers brings a cancerous attitude to the Bay area.

  13. BobbyJune 16, 2025

    Was anyone else as completely disgusted with that home plate umpire last night as I was??

  14. Andrew Vincent ForteJune 16, 2025

    DODGER MINOR LEAGUE STANDINGS 6/16/2025

    Oklahoma City AAA 41-28 1st place 3.5 games ahead

    Tulsa AA 24-39 5th place( last place) 14 games behind

    Great Lakes A+ 32-31 4th place11 games behind

    Rancho Cucamongo A 38-25 1st place 5 games ahead(clinched 1st half)

    ACL Dodgers Rookie 15-17 4th place 3.5 game behind

    For more detailed recaps,stats,schedules, daily standings and box scores for Dodger minor league teams go to the top of this page and cIick on MINOR LEAGUE AFFLIATES.

  15. Dan in PasadenaJune 16, 2025

    I agree Manny & Devers were/are very talented players with deeply selfish personalities. Teams are much better off without players who “contaminate” team chemistry. Yeah, teams have won that hated each other but most know it’s dramatically better to have a “one for all” culture. Which the Dodgers DO have and Dave is a big part of why they do.

    BTW, I include Manny Machado in that group though his problem is he’s a childish punk perhaps more than he’s selfish. If he were not like he is I believe the Dodgers would have signed him to an extension. He was a (very) talented Bandaid.

  16. MattJune 16, 2025

    Back to back series wins vs SD and SF….

    NOW

    WE GO

    Cheers to big Dodgers fan JJ Spaun for winning our Nations Open Championship. Heart of a champion!!!

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