Dodgers: Starting Pitcher Grades for May
Rich Hill missed the first half of May with his well-known blister issue, and when he returned, he seemed to have a case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
From Hill’s three starts, he had two starts where he allowed only one run, sandwiching a start in which he gave up five runs against the Cardinals. Hill had a much more successful start in his last start of the month against the Cardinals where he allowed one run.
The one bad start against the Cardinals, Hill was being squeezed by the umpire but didn’t help himself as his pitches were all over the place and inconsistent.
The reason Hill gets a C+ is that he didn’t top five innings in any of his three starts. Five innings would be good for a start from Julio Urias, but for a start from the man presumed to be the Dodgers’ number two starter, they need at least six innings each time out. He didn’t top 90 pitches in any of his starts so he may have been eased back in since he has blister issues.