Pitching coach Mark Prior meets with Hunter Feduccia and Edwin Díaz on the mound during a game against the Milwaukee Brewers on August 14, 2026.
The Dodgers just completed their third stretch this season playing 13 days in a row, going 8-5 in a particularly taxing period on their pitching staff.
The return of Blake Snell was a significant boost, and he pitched six innings and allowed just one run in each of his first two starts back, totaling 15 strikeouts.
The team's six-man rotation was restored for five days before Justin Wrobleski got the rest he needed due to left forearm inflammation.
During this 13-day stretch, the Dodgers had only seven relievers on the active roster, making for a stressful time for the bullpen.
Landon Knack was called up for one day to eat innings and earned a save against the Kansas City Royals.
Jonathan Hernández, who was designated for assignment, became a free agent and signed a new deal with the Dodgers, providing a gift to the bullpen on Saturday.
Edwin Díaz and Tanner Scott each pitched five times in an eight-day stretch, while Evan Phillips did the same in a span that started just before the 13-game days in a row.
Alex Vesia and Jack Dreyer each pitched four times in six days, with Vesia doing so twice and Dreyer three times if overlapping stretches are counted.
Manager Dave Roberts acknowledged the difficulties of managing workload and availability, saying, "That's the hard part, that a lot of people don’t have the information on availability and workload, and redlining guys, trying to keep guys healthy."
In all, 17 different pitchers were used over the past 13 days, with Vesia and Dreyer each pitching seven times, including three times in the last four days.
Seth Halvorsen was up for two days, impressing with a scoreless 10th inning, before being optioned the next day.
Kyle Hurt was optioned on August 10 and returned six days later, while Brock Stewart returned from the injured list on Wednesday.
Even with the turnover, the Dodgers' pitching for the most part was pretty good, going 8-5 with a collective 3.35 ERA.
Díaz, however, was terrible after returning from elbow surgery, allowing nine runs in five innings over his six games.
The team is now looking forward to a well-deserved rest, with off days on Thursday and Monday, August 30, followed by another off day on August 31.
The pitching staff can finally get some much-needed rest before they face another challenging stretch in September.
Tyler Glasnow is also expected back off the injured list next week, adding another potentially stabilizing force to the pitching staff.
Source: Yahoo Sports