Los Angeles Dodgers elect to go with six-man starting rotation

MLB: New York Yankees at Los Angeles Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers are in the process of getting ready for the 2019 Major League Baseball postseason. Part of that process is to make sure players are healthy for October. Among the decisions Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has made as of late is to go with a six man rotation. Those starters in the group of six at the moment are Hyun-Jin Ryu, Clayton Kershaw of Dallas, TX, Walker Buehler of Lexington, KY, Kenta Maeda, Tony Gonsolin of Vacaville, CA and Dustin May of Justin, TX.

It will be interesting to see what happens when Ross Stripling of Bluebell, PA and Rich Hill, MA return to the roster. Stripling is on the injury list with a stiff neck and is expected to be back to the lineup on September 1 as a middle reliever and Hill is on the injury list with a flexor strain and is expected to return to the starting rotation, around the time frame of September 8 according to Dodger Blue.

It is fair to say that the top three pitchers in the Dodgers starting rotation this season have been lights out. Even though he was rocked by the New York Yankees on Friday, Ryu has a record of 12 wins and four losses with an earned run average of 2.00 with 133 strikeouts and 19 walks. Buehler has a record of 10 wins and three losses, an earned run average of 3.16 with 174 strikeouts and 26 walks. Kershaw has a record of 13 wins and two losses, an earned run average of 2.71 with 147 strikeouts and 31 walks.

Even Maeda has had a very productive year. Even though he has a rather high earned run average of 4.13, he has an excellent strikeout to walk ratio of 146 strikeouts to 44 walks.

As far as the new kids on the block go in Gonsolin and May, Gonsolin has an earned run average of 2.74 in 23 innings and May has an earned run average of 4.26 in 19 innings. On Saturday in the 2-1 Dodgers win over the New York Yankees, Gonsolin only gave up one earned run in five innings of work. Meanwhile the Dodgers were led offensively by Justin Turner of Long Beach, CA, who hit a two run home run.

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