Dodgers left-hander Rich Hill is likely to miss “significant time” after slicing open a blister during his start Saturday, Pedro Moura of The Athletic tweets. “This is as bad as I’ve seen it,” manager Dave Roberts said of Hill’s long-running blister issues. Roberts added that the 38-year-old Hill will require a rehab assignment before returning to LA’s rotation, which indicates that a stint on the disabled list is a foregone conclusion. Prior to Saturday, when he exited after just two pitches, Hill had already gone on the DL multiple times in recent years on account of blisters. Hill’s injury – not to mention the absences of Clayton Kershaw and Hyun-Jin Ryu – should keep righty Ross Stripling in the Dodgers’ rotation, as Roberts noted (via Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register) that “to have Ross as your sixth starter or whatever is a huge luxury for us.” Stripling has been highly effective as both a starter and a reliever this year, having combined for a 2.08 ERA/2.37 FIP with 10.34 K/9 against 2.34 BB/9 in 34 2/3 innings (15 appearances, four starts). [Update: Hill will miss at least four weeks, Roberts told Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times and other reporters.]
More pitching-related items…
- Royals lefty Danny Duffy logged yet another poor start Saturday, pitching 4 2/3 innings of five-run ball in a loss to the Yankees, and spoke frankly about his struggles afterward (via Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com). “Sometimes you’re not special at something. Right now I’m not special at pitching,” he said. “What are you going to do? Run from it with some phantom DL crap? I’m not going on the DL. I feel great. Do they want to talk about the bullpen? I don’t know. That’s their decision.” Duffy had been a more-than-capable starter for the Royals entering the year, having earned a $65MM extension prior to 2017, but has registered a woeful 6.88 ERA/6.48 FIP through 51 innings in 2018. The 29-year-old’s trade value may be nil at the moment, then, even though he was in demand across the league as recently as the offseason.
- The Cardinals have taken advantage of minor league options and the 10-day DL with their pitching staff this year, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch explains. Specifically, the Cardinals have shuttled four pitchers with options – Mike Mayers, John Gant, John Brebbia and Jack Flaherty – between the majors and minors to quality results. The quartet has combined for a 3.28 ERA over 49 1/3 innings, and Mayers, Gant and Brebbia have formed “Voltron” in relief, Goold writes. Although the instability likely hasn’t been easy on those pitchers, both Mayers and Brebbia suggested to Goold that they understand the Cards’ plan. For his part, president John Mozeliak said that he’s not sure “if it’s going to become the new norm or not,” adding: ““It’s not intentional to do that. This is not us trying to manipulate any system. It’s just you look at the moves we have made and they’ve all been very logical. If you’re carrying 13 pitchers, it’s because you feel there’s some vulnerability there. I think a lot of this has been more circumstance. You play the hand your dealt.”
- The Rays will take yet another unconventional route with their rotation Sunday and start reliever Sergio Romo for the second straight game, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Before Saturday, when he worked a perfect, three-strikeout inning against the Angels in his first-ever start, the 35-year-old Romo had amassed 588 straight relief appearances. The Rays started Romo in order for their second pitcher, lefty Ryan Yarbrough, to avoid facing the top of the Angels’ lineup (an all-righty group) three times. The plan ended up working, as Yarbrough fired 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball en route to a win.
Go, go Romo!
First pitcher to ever start back to back games?
I seen on Twitter that Greinke started three straight. He got ejected in the first in one game, so they started him the game after as well. Then there was the all star break so he started the first game after that as well for three in a row.
There were a bunch of pitchers in early baseball who started both ends of a doubleheader and completed both games, the last was in the 1920s. There are 1860s and 1870s pitchers who started many games in a row but they were throwing from 50 feet, underhand, and the batter told them where he wanted the pitch so the arm strain was basically non existent.
Wilbur wood pretty recently.
Romo has to be LIVID that he didn’t put any games started clauses in his contract!
C’mon man he’s a ray, if he had that in his contract they wouldn’t do this
Rich Hill has the hands of a 2 week old baby.
Actually, the blister problem is cropping up a lot in recent years. More than a few pitchers have suggested the altered (juiced) ball has a lot to do with it. The tighter seams, which aren’t raised as much, force a tighter and different grip, especially on the curve, which is Hill’s out pitch. Obviously gripping a ball more tightly than one is used to could cause all kinds of problems with blisters and other skin lacerations.
All of which is true…but that is an important pitch for many big leaguers, and I don’t know any pitcher who has been on the DL as much as HIll over the past few years. I do feel for him, as he finally got it going at the MLB level, but facts are facts: the guy is on the DL far too much.
Hill’s curveball grip is unique to him – one reason why it’s effective – and maybe a callous would alter that grip? A pitcher cannot, I believe, put superglue on his hands and pitch in a game legally.
It’s a knuckle-curve or something like that. Whatever it’s called, this is the pitch that remade his career three years ago. Possibly if he’d developed it earlier in his career he’d have already built up the toughness in his fingers that he needs to throw it consistently now.
Yes, other pitchers have had blister issues recently, but I don’t recall it being a chronic condition for anyone else than Hill. Most people who get blisters from repetitive tasks form calluses, be it a chef from his knife, a weight lifter, or someone who does posts of yard work. Not sure why Hill can’t develop one on his pitching hand, but at this point he needs to try something else besides sitting on the DL and letting soft new skin form in the same spot. Put some super glue on it and go throw thousands of baseballs.
Superglue wouldn’t be allowed as it is a foreign substance.
What if I get a super glue that was made in America?
Hill was having some issues with blisters when he 1st made it back as a reliever then with boston and blame then was using the curve over 50% of the time, but the issue pretty much went away, even when he was starting with a curve heavy pitch use. maybe something they do?
Have noted before Josh Becket Had problems in Miami missing turns with blister issues and came to Boston with them in the Hanley Ramirez deal. those disappeared and never read of pitchers in Boston suffering from them either. Why doesn’t LA ask Becket what was done to stop his problems since it looks like Hill is going to be sidelined forever off and on with this issue since Hill probably doesn’t remember exactly what was done for him there.
Instead of asking Josh Beckett, why doesn’t LA ask the best sports medicine docs they can find?
Probably because they already have.
Rich Hill should learn to throw without using his hands
Genius. Get this man a front office gig.
Duffy…total enigma. Talented but perhaps to intense for his own good. He doesn’t seem to be able to move on from a bad pitch much less a bad game. My amateur observation tells me that his problems are mostly between his ears. If you watch him pitch, you can see his gears grinding over every bad pitch, every hit, every home run. Maybe it’s the pressure of the $65 million contract or maybe it’s the pressure of pitching on a now bad team and he feels like he has to be perfect. He might be a perfect change of scenery candidate.
How much is Herrera on KC making? Dodgers should try to trade for him and Moustakas and move him to 1B.. they can work another deal with someone else for a SP. they have prospects to get big names, average names , and just anyone not complete trash as fillers.
Rich Hill is starting to remind me of Darren Driefort. Perhaps he should consider a bullpen role.