Dodgers will skip Rich Hill’s next start out of precaution

The Dodgers will skip Rich Hill’s spot in thestarting rotation Sunday and turn to Brandon McCarthy instead. Hill, the 36-year-old left-hander acquired Aug. 1 from Oakland, will start Oct. 1 or 2 in San Francisco, during the season’s final series.

Manager Dave Roberts had hinted for several days that the decision might be made. He said Saturday that the decision was made out of precaution and not because Hill has a new issue with finger blisters.

“It’s just about giving us the best opportunity to get him ready,” Roberts said. “We’ve put ourselves in the position that we have flexibility to do this, and I think that with the blister and how we’ve had to manage it since he came over from the trade, this gives him the best chance going forward to compete in a game.”

McCarthy has not started since Aug. 13. Hil has started only five games as a Dodger.

Roberts said he will start rookie right-hander Jose De Leon in San Diego on Tuesday and Kenta Maeda on Wednesday. The Dodgers will then have three more starting spots to fill before season’s end. One of them will be Clayton Kershaw’s, and another figures to be Brett Anderson’s.

Scully’s way out

Retiring Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully conducted an hour-long news conference Saturday, telling stories about his 67 seasons on the job. Among them was the time he was asked to run for office in 1964, just after the team settled into Dodger Stadium.

Scully said Roz Wyman, widely credited with helping bring the Dodgers to Los Angeles, asked him to run for governor. But the details he recalled described the 1964 senatorial race, when Republican George Murphy beat Democrat Pierre Salinger. He said he did not have the slightest bit of interest in pursuing political office.

When queried about the Monday confrontation between Madison Bumgarner and Yasiel Puig, Scully quoted the late Dodgers catcher Roy Campanella, who once said that major leaguers had to be men with “a lot of little boy” within them.

Short hops

Roberts said he was unsure whether left-hander Scott Kazmir will be able to pitch again this season. Kazmir exited his Friday start after one inning because of right intercostal spasms. “We’re working to get him back,” Roberts said. … The Dodgers honored double-A infielder Edwin Rios and right-hander Brock Stewart as their minor league player and pitcher of the year, respectively, before Saturday’s game. Stewart is now on the big league roster. Chase Utley received the 2016 Roy Campanella Award for most inspirational Dodger.

pedro.moura@latimes.com

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