Nothing Wrong With Back of the Rotation SP for LAD

I said it when Roki Sasaki was struggling…If not Roki, who?  He finally started to pitch with more confidence and he put together a string of positive starts.    Yes, there were those who forgot about his previous four excellent starts and instead focused on his CWS start.  He is a back of the rotation pitcher.  He is not an Ace. There is still time as he is just 24 years old.

Then there is the other back of the rotation RHSP that many do not care for, Emmet Sheehan.  Comments like he should not pitch to batters a third time through, or 4 and done.  Sheehan is all of 26 years old, and has accomplished 6.0+ innings multiple times this year and in his career.  He is a back of the rotation pitcher.  He is not an Ace.  Was not drafted to be and is not expected to be.

The difference this year over last year is the number of HRs allowed.  But consider that he is in the 90^th percentile for Chase and 85^th percentile for Whiff.  It is not his stuff.  It is his command.  He has had it on multiple occasions, but he is struggling with it thus far.  With his ability for chase and whiff it is probably a mechanics issue, not stuff.  How does he get it back?  He pitches. 

I have had a couple of really good conversations with my son this past week.  He is not a big LAD fan and he loves to argue with me.  He knows I like Sheehan and he decided to watch Sunday’s game, just to argue with me.  But he surprised me.  He said there are going to be a lot of fans criticizing Sheehan, but he liked what he saw.  For five innings he dominated.  He made a horrible pitch for the HR and it looked like it deflated him.  Then he told me, “I don’t think fans understand just how hard it is to try and pitch a shutout.” 

With the LAD lackluster offense, Sheehan may have thought he had to pitch a shutout for 6-7 innings.  While he did not experience stress with runners on base in the first five innings, it was the stress of trying to be being perfect.  One bad pitch ended the day for him.  Of course it should not have, but he is a young back of the rotation pitcher trying to stick in the LAD rotation.  He knows Glasnow and Snell will be back.  He is not making millions.  He is just above MLB minimum.  He is not going to make the big $$$ unless he sticks in a rotation.

Go back and look at Yamamoto’s early season struggles when he was not getting any offensive help.  On May 12 he gave up 5 runs in a 6-2 loss, and the next start he lost 1-0.  His last four starts have been extra special, but he got a lot of run support…5 runs, 9 runs, 9 runs, and 7 runs.  How different might it have been if he was getting his early season run support?  Yama is an Ace and is being paid as an Ace.

So if not Sheehan, who?  River Ryan?  IMO Ryan is legit, but he may be more suited to be a high leverage reliever come the end of THIS year.  He has 55.1 total AAA IP.  32.0 IP with 7 starts this year.  That is 4.5 innings per start.  He is not fully ramped up yet.  Close, but not yet.  After Ryan, there is NOBODY.

Sheehan is having a better year over many proven SP.  He would be #2 for the Cubs only behind Imanaga. He would be #3 for Milwaukee and NYM.  #3/#4 for a number of teams.  But he is with the Dodgers, and Dodger fans want pitchers who can qualify for top of rotation status. 

Just like I stuck with Sasaki, I am sticking with Sheehan.

• Eric Lauer – 4 starts, 22.1 IP – 3.22 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, .228 BAA, 5 BB, 17 K, 5 HR
• Emmit Sheehan – 13 starts, 64.1 IP, 4.76 ERA, 1.20 WHIP. .244 BAA, 17 BB, 72 K, 12 HR
• Roki Sasaki – 12 starts, 62.1 IP, 4.76 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, .246 BAA, 24 BB, 64 K, 11 HR

ACL Reds 4 – ACL Dodgers 2

The Reds scored 4 off SP Jose Taveras in the 1^st inning.  In 3.2 IP, he gave up 5 hits and issued 4 BB.

The Dodgers did not have a hit in the first four innings.  In the 6^th, they scored 2 runs with a double, error, BB, and single.  They got their 3^rd hit in  7^th.  LF Leider Padilla had a double for the only XBH.  No hitter had more than 1 hit.

Box Score

DSL Reds 4 – DSL LAD Mega 2

RHRP Nehemias Valdez had a good 2.0 innings of scoreless pitching.  No hits or walks and 1 K. For 2026, 4 games, 4.1 IP, 1 ER allowed, 1 hit, 1 BB, 3 K.

No DSL LAD Mega hitter had more than 1 hit.

• C Robert Saucedo, double (3). 
• CF Helvin Mendoza, double (2).
• DH Jose Rivas, double (2).

Box Score

DSL LAD Bautista 16 – DSL Royals Fortuna 5

German born LHSP Tom Apfelbaum completed 3.0 scoreless innings.  He allowed 2 hits, 1 BB, and 2 K.

CF Rubel Arias is thus far proving he was worth the hype.  Will it continue?  Can he emulate Eduardo Quintero?

• CF Rubel Arias – 3-5, 1 run, 2 RBI, 1 SF, triple (1)
• 3B Adrian Del Cid – 2-4, 2 BB, 3 runs, 1 RBI, double (2)
• 1B Oliver Chapman – 2-5, 3 runs
• RF Jeibert Rondon – 3-3, 2 BB, 3 runs, 1 RBI, double (1)
• C Haram Hernandez – 4-6, 2 runs, 4 RBI, double (3)
• LF Jhosman Theran – 2-4, 1 BB, 2 runs, 1 RBI, double (2)

Box Score