Can Dodgers find enough starting pitchers before 2019 season?
Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers have lost another of their pitchers. This time the unlucky guy was relief pitcher Joe Kelly who suffered back tightness for standing too long cooking Cajun food, according to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
According to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times, Roberts did not reveal much about the injury. Kelly, 30, joined the Dodgers, his home team in December2018 with a three-year, 25-million-U.S.-dollar deal after playing for the Boston Red Sox for four years.
As a matter of fact, Kelly's injury was not the first MLB player to suffer whileonkitchenduty. Brandon Nimmo, an outfielder of the New York Mets, got food poisoning after eating chicken that was not cooked well at the end of February.
Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws a pitch against the New York Mets, May 12, 2016. /VCG Photo
However, as funny as the news about Kelly might laugh. Before Kelly, the team's ace pitcher Clayton sound, it could not make the Dodgers or their fansKershaw suffered from left shoulder inflammation and there's doubt about whether he could play in the opening game on March 28.
Moreover, Walker Buehler, another starting pitcher of the Dodgers, has been limited in camp after a spike in innings in 2018. The Dodgers made it to the 2018 World Series but might be unable to send their best starters at the beginning of the new season.
Under such circumstances, the Dodgers may have to send Ryu Hyun-jin and Rich Hill as their first and second starting pitchers. Last season, Ryu played 15 starts, went 7-3 with 1.97 ERA and had 85 strikeouts and 15 walks. He was also the first South Korean-born player to serve as a starting pitcher in World Series.
Japanese pitcher Kenta Maeda and hard-curveball pitcher Ross Stripling were expected to be put on to the starting list, too, leaving the fifth spot for Buehler. However, if Buehler continues to feel uncomfortable or cannot throw "fireballs", thenthe Dodgers will have real problems.
