Dodgers’ Alex Wood Making Case for Starting Spot

As injured Dodgers return, there will be some decisions to make regarding the rotation

It’s no secret that the Dodgers have had more than a few injury problems with the rotation getting hit particularly hard. We’re getting close to seeing some of those players; Hyun-jin Ryu and Brandon McCarthy, take the mound for the Dodgers again.

When they do, management will have a bit of a problem as to which starting pitcher to give the boot to. That decision doesn’t have to be made just yet, but in his starts leading up to it; Alex Wood is stating his case to stay in the rotation.

As you probably know, Alex Wood came over to Los Angeles from the Braves in a massive, seemingly awesome trade that saw thirteen players and three teams involved. Well, it turned out to be not that awesome when just about everybody, Wood included, underperformed.

We’ve all been waiting for the 25-year old lefty to find the same success he left behind in Atlanta, where he had a 3.10 ERA spread across three seasons. In the last month, he’s done just that.

In those five starts, he’s had one clunker that saw him give up four earned runs in five innings. In the other four though, he’s thrown a combined 25.1 innings and given up only five earned runs.

He hasn’t been going deep into his starts, with his longest start of the season being seven innings. In his last three good starts, his longest start is 6.1 innings. Obviously it’s tough to fault him if he’s pitching well, but you’d like to see him go a few more innings per start.

So he’s pitching well, but can he keep it up? My crystal ball, also known as Fangraphs says we should like his chances.

Looking at his peripheral stats, his K/9 and FIP are pretty encouraging. His K/9 took a little dip last year to a career low 6.60, but has rebounded to 9.64 this year. A big storyline last year for him was the lack of strikeouts, and how it may have hurt his results.

His FIP, which only holds a pitcher accountable for the things he can control; home runs, strikeouts, and walks, suggests that he should have a 3.30 ERA rather than the 4.03 ERA he currently has.

Wood is pitching well, and figures to keep doing so. Based on his recent success and his past with the Braves, he just has too much promise to kick him out of the starting rotation.

Next: Urias Set to Make Debut

Hyun-jin Ryu looks like he’ll make his comeback sooner than either McCarthy or Brett Anderson, and is the best of the three when healthy. If Ryu comes back and pitches like he did pre-injury, there’s no question the Dodgers need to make room for him in the rotation. When they do make some room though, it shouldn’t be at the expense of Alex Wood.