LOS ANGELES The Los Angeles Dodgers, who were unexpectedly thrown into a closer division competition than anyone could have predicted, seemed to be discovering a tempting potential answer to their rotation problems.
Then, after hitting a slider to Michael A. Taylor of the Pittsburgh Pirates, River Ryan shook his right hand and groaned, ending his fourth big-league start. Twelve minutes later, the Dodgers announced that Ryan had left the game due to tightness in his right forearm. This was concerning for a squad that has spent more time than any other team in baseball on the injured list overall.
“Obviously, when you see a guy go on his forearm, it’s always disconcerting,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
Ryan will be tested early on Sunday, according to Roberts. Ryan’s injury will make him the 11th different Dodgers starting pitcher to go on the disabled list this year. Landon Knack, a rookie, is anticipated to replace Ryan in the bullpen.
“I feel pretty solid right now,” Ryan said of his potential outlook, though reality may intercede. Roberts alluded to “the calendar,” and the time it would take for Ryan to theoretically shut down and build back up barring a surprise. Saturday, at the very least, put a damper on Ryan’s chances of being a real contributor the rest of the season.
“He was making a case for himself,” Roberts said.
We see you, River! 👀 pic.twitter.com/PhpYRopGgl
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 11, 2024
The fact that Ryan put himself in a position to be considered a potential Dodgers answer after just a few major-league starts speaks much about how awful the team’s injury problems have been and how exciting Ryan’s repertoire is. In his spells of dominance, which included throwing 4 2/3 scoreless innings in the Dodgers’ 4-1 victory before leaving due to an injury, the Dodgers were able to extend their lead to the greatest extent since Ryan’s conversion to a full-time pitcher just two years prior.
Ryan remarked, “It is part of the game, man.” It takes place. The pitch clock undoubtedly causes you to accelerate greatly. Which meant that you did not have to throw as quickly back then. It becomes taxing to throw back-to-back pitches in less than fifteen seconds. However, I am going to see the doctor first thing tomorrow morning to see how things work out.
But it was hard to take in a setting like the one on Saturday night because of his early emergence as a full-time starter. With a shoulder problem that caused his innings totals to skyrocket during his first two months of the season as a full-time pitcher, the Dodgers had already slowed Ryan down.
Before making his major-league debut, he had never, as a professional, pitched past the sixth inning.
Until he threw 91 pitches in his second big-league start, he had not surpassed 75 pitches in a single outing.
“The most he’s pitched professionally is here in the big leagues, which really doesn’t happen very often,” Roberts said. “Very rare.”
After a quick ascent through the minors, they have pushed him, and his early returns to the majors (20 1/3 innings at 1.33 ERA) have demonstrated why.
Then, during the third inning, Ryan started to feel tightness in his forearm. After attempting to relieve the pain with a Theragun over his arm, the 25-year-old felt it tighten again when he threw a fastball to Taylor in the fifth inning. Roberts and chief athletic trainer Thomas Albert hurried out of the dugout to check on their potential right-hander when he winced after a following slider.
“He was trying to lobby to get to the next hitter,” Roberts said. “That wasn’t going to happen.”
They now have to deal with a well-known dilemma: Can they maintain enough of their starters healthy and producing until October? To make matters more complicated, the NL West is now a real division race between the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks.
“This is probably the highest number (of injuries) I’ve dealt with,” Roberts said. “And really quality arms. You try to do everything you can to prepare them, take care of them, give them extra rest. Right now, it’s just happening a lot, certainly to us.”
Tyler Glasnow was supposed to be carrying a lot of weight already. Jack Flaherty was signed just in time to pitch during these crucial junctures. However, very few anticipated that the Dodgers would need to rely so much on Clayton Kershaw following his first significant arm surgery, yet here they are. Even though Gavin Stone’s rookie season looked good in the first half, his recent home run problems are cause for major concern. Bobby Miller is still resolving issues in the minor leagues; similar to Ryan, Knack and Justin Wrobleski are operating with a small sample size.
In Milwaukee on Wednesday, Walker Buehler is anticipated to make his Dodgers debut, providing a temporary solution to the dilemma of how the team will handle Ryan’s rotation place in the interim. Since going on the injured list and working offsite at a private facility in Florida, Buehler has mostly struggled in his last few rehab outings with Oklahoma City (allowing nine runs in 12 2/3 innings). However, the Dodgers seem motivated to let him ride in the hopes that it solidifies some of their rotation picture.
But stability, whatever it may be, seems to be a changing target.
(Photo of River Ryan leaving the game in the fifth inning: Orlando Ramirez / Getty Images)
