Dodgers Way Quick Hits: Stripling, Jansen, Ryu, Hudson

The Dodgers battled with the Giants long and hard in the series finale of a three-game series and avoided the sweep with a four to three victory in 12 innings. The bullpen stumbled all throughout the series but persevered on Wednesday night despite a rough outing from Caleb Ferguson.

Ross Stripling was placed on the disabled list prior to Wednesday’s game and his absence could very well be felt throughout the struggling bullpen, a role he was just recently moved into. Stripling has enjoyed a phenomenal season as a starter but actually opened the season as the team’s best and most consistent reliever. The Dodgers moved him back to the pen just to find out that the 28-year old righty was dealing with lower back inflammation and it would require him to hit the shelf. Stripling could possibly come back to the active roster in the minimum ten days but Dave Roberts was non-committal to that timetable when he was asked about the situation today. Stripling and his 2.62 ERA will hopefully return soon to give the Dodgers a big, and much needed, boost.

More notes…

• Kenley Jansen has been on the shelf for almost a week and in his absence, the Dodger bullpen has struggled. But, despite early reports that Jansen could miss four to six weeks, the big closer took the mound at Dodgers Stadium on Wednesday in a simulated game. Jansen will throw at least one more sim-game before seeing his doctor on August 20th to get closer to a return. In the meantime, Jansen will continue pitching and his conditioning all under the watchful eye of doctors and training staff.

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• Hyun-Jin Ryu was excellent in his return to the mound on August 15, his first outing since suffering a severe groin strain back in May. Ryu pitched six shutout innings against the Giants and allowed just three hits while striking out six batters. The lefty’s resurgent return to the mound was a sign of hope for a team that has looked hopeless over the last few weeks. His outing shows that he has not lost the magic he captured in the early goings of the season and, hopefully, this is a sustainable outcome for the 31-year old. Ryu lowered his season ERA to 1.77 with his excellent outing and while that comes from a minuscule sample size in 2018, it still serves as encouragement for players and fans alike.

• Dave Roberts shared with the media that the bullpen will receive a boost on Friday in the form of Daniel Hudson. Hudson has been on the disabled list with a shoulder issue and is set to return to a bullpen that desperately needs his help. While his numbers on the season as a whole have not been very good, Hudson was starting to come into form over his last few outings and should he come back with the same success, he will provide much-needed help in the late innings of games.