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Dodgers mailbag: Is the starting rotation cursed?

Dodgers starter Brandon McCarthy left Saturday's game with a hip injury.
(Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)
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The Dodgers are 65-52. That translates to a 90-win pace, the same trajectory the team has had for weeks. In the second half, the San Francisco Giants have shown a chronic inability to get out of their own way, which has allowed the Dodgers to cut the deficit in the National League West despite their own myriad flaws.

This weekend was a troubling one for the Dodgers: Brandon McCarthy remained unable to throw strikes, and the team placed him on the disabled list with a previously undisclosed hip injury. In his 2016 debut, Brett Anderson gave up five runs in the first inning, injured his wrist trying to field a grounder and left the game after only three outs. It is unclear if he’ll make his next start.

And it’s unclear when Rich Hill will ever pitch for the Dodgers. It won’t be next week, when he might – might – face hitters in Camelback Ranch. His blister refuses to heal. The team is running out of days to recoup value for his acquisition.

Which leads into the first question of this week’s mailbag. As always, you can send me questions on Twitter @McCulloughTimes. Let’s do this.

What has happened this weekend is a fairly predictable result when you acquire pitchers who are injury-prone (Anderson, McCarthy) or, literally, injured at the time of acquisition (Hill). It’s an unfortunate outcome, for sure, but it can’t be considered surprising. The greatest predictor of future injury is past history, and the Dodgers have experienced the downside of that axiom.

Now, you can argue that, overall, there have been some instances of bad luck. Clayton Kershaw has shouldered a tremendous workload in his career, but no one predicted his back would give out. Alex Wood has a funky delivery, but he had maintained his health for several seasons. I do not know many people around the game who are surprised by Hyun-Jin Ryu’s struggle to return to pitching shape, but it’s still a bummer. 

But the Dodgers understood the gamble they were taking before this season even started. That’s why they stockpiled so many assets in the first place. The front office wanted depth because it understood it might need depth. And that premonition has come true.

The amazing thing is that the two healthiest pitchers in the rotation are Scott Kazmir and Kenta Maeda. Kazmir missed a significant chunk of time in 2011 and 2012 due to injuries. And Maeda’s physical raised enough red flags, mostly believed to involve his elbow, that he signed a team-friendly, incentive-based eight-year, $24-million contract.


I doubt it. I am sure the Dodgers could acquire him for a song (hopefully a song by Sevendust, Shields’ favorite band), but there isn’t a ton of value there. You’re talking about a guy with a 5.78 earned-run average who is owed $22 million through 2018 (San Diego is paying $11 million in salary for those two seasons, with the White Sox handling the rest). I am not sure he is a better pitcher than either Ross Stripling or Julio Urias right now, and the financial risk is pretty significant for a team uninterested in adding dead money to the payroll.

But, man, it would be hilarious if Shields pitched well against San Diego and went off on Ron Fowler post-game. That’s why you come to the ballpark.


I wrote a lengthy feature on Justin Turner over the weekend, which should be on the website on Monday afternoon. I did not get into this too much in the story, but this is clear: He is going to get paid this winter. He is clearly the best third baseman on the market, and he’s one of the best position players, overall.

Turner has had an unorthodox career trajectory, and so it’s not easy to predict the contract awaiting him. The Dodgers will make him a qualifying offer, which is expected to be around $17 million, and I expect him to reject it. After that, he should be able to fetch a contract that lasts three or four seasons and pays about $12 million or more annually. This could be a tremendous lowball estimate.  

Turner turns 32 in November. His knee bothered him for years before he underwent microfracture surgery after last season. His track record of big-league success is limited. But he has been vital to the Dodgers this season, and his play in the field has improved. He could, theoretically, move to first base after Adrian Gonzalez’s contract ends, if Cody Bellinger is not considered ready by 2019.

But most likely, Turner will sign elsewhere. That’s just the reality of the free-agent market. You bet on the field (the 29 other teams) rather than the home club.


There are daily conversations between the front office and Manager Dave Roberts about the lineup, but my understanding is the control belongs to Roberts. This is not a unique situation, and it is not a controversial one. It is pretty similar to almost all big-league clubs. The manager talks to the front office, listens to their suggestions (often following them) and then writes the lineup.


I combined these questions because both confront the same issue: Neither man is on the 40-man roster. Due to the crush of injuries, the Dodgers currently have 48 players on the 40-man, a situation that looks like a glitch, but stems from the overwhelming number of players on the 60-day disabled list. Some of these guys won’t be heard from again this season (Chin-hui Tsao, Yimi Garcia, Chris Hatcher), but the Dodgers do need to retain some flexibility on the roster in case Clayton Kershaw, Andre Ethier, Alex Wood or Trayce Thompson can contribute later this season.

From my perspective, Jose De Leon makes far more sense than Cody Bellinger. He has a higher upside than Brock Stewart, who has made three appearances, and even Ross Stripling. Stripling has proved himself to be competent in the majors, but if the team is concerned about his innings, De Leon could slot in for a spot start.

It’s hard to see why the Dodgers would call up Bellinger. He has hit well in double-A Tulsa, but not overwhelmingly so (.259/.360/.458), and the team would be starting a service-time clock for him at a juncture when there are not many at-bats for him in the majors.  


You have come to the wrong place.


The latest on Andre Ethier is not much has changed. He has been able to take batting practice and do some light jogging, but is not believed to be close to playing in rehab games. Manager Dave Roberts said he is hopeful Ethier can play in September, but acknowledged it’s hard to imagine him being an impactful performer.


I have not watched much, as I’ve been tied up covering the Dodgers, but I do enjoy some handball.


For the record, the party bus was rented in Des Moines, which is about 90 minutes away from the University of Iowa, which was ranked No. 5 on this random list I found when I googled “Top party schools.” So there is that.


I do not miss Kansas City barbecue. I do not really like barbecue. I have not eaten any barbecue in Los Angeles, unless you count Korean barbecue, in which case I have eaten a lot of barbecue. 

There are many choices for great food in the National League – San Francisco, Philadelphia, Washington, Phoenix, Denver, Miami  . . . basically everywhere besides St. Louis. The National League is a much better traveling circuit than the American League, in my opinion.


I’m just trying to take it one mailbag at a time.


To my knowledge, the Dodgers clubhouse features only one legitimate expert in the field of professional wrestling. So I posed the question to newly acquired outfielder Josh Reddick: Who will win at Summerslam, Seth Rollins or Finn Balor?

“That’s a great question,” Reddick said. “I don’t see them letting Rollins lose, even to Balor. As much as I dislike Seth Rollins, I think he’ll win.”

Do you think Balor is ready to be a top guy?

“Not the top guy, no. I think they waited a little too long to bring him up. I don’t think he’s ready to be the top guy yet. If they brought him up after the Rumble or something, he’d be pretty too close to it. Especially with Cena being not around as much. But I don’t know where you put him as a title-holder, in the split.”

We both agreed that it made no sense for Samoa Joe to remain at NXT, and that the brand split hadn’t hit its stride yet. Best interview I've conducted all season. 

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