Caleb Ferguson has been a trusted member in the Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen for multiple seasons, but has dealt with bouts of inconsistency in 2023 and his latest stumble came in Tuesday’s 8-3 loss to the Cleveland Guardians.
After Bobby Miller pitched 6.1 innings in what was the longest start of his young career, Ferguson inherited two runners on and a 3-2 lead. He retired the first batter, only to then give up three consecutive hits.
That stretch ended with Kole Calhoun hitting the first pitch he saw for a three-run home run that broke the game open for the Guardians.
Following the loss, Ferguson said he merely needed to be sharper, as seen on SportsNet LA:
“Just make better pitches.”
When further asked about the fateful five-run inning, Ferguson specifically highlighted the cutter over the middle of the plate that Calhoun hit for a home run:
“I thought the fastball locations were good and threw a bad breaking ball. They didn’t miss it.”
As for being a high-leverage left-handed relief pitcher, Ferguson expressed disappointment over some of his mishaps this season:
“I think everybody knows what their job is by this time, so when you don’t do it, it’s pretty frustrating.”
Like in the past, the 27-year-old is planning on maintaining confidence and being prepared to pitch whenever Dodgers manager Dave Roberts next inserts him into a game:
“Manager is going to ask me to take the ball tomorrow, so better be ready to go.”
Ferguson now twice has been tabbed with a blown save in his home state of Ohio this season. The first instance was in a walk-off loss to the Cincinnati Reds on June 6. He didn’t get back into a game until three days later, which resulted in another walk-off loss for the Dodgers, though at the hands of the Philadelphia Phillies.
That was part of the Dodgers going 2-4 on a road trip that included three walk-off losses.
Caleb Ferguson stats
Entering play Wednesday, Ferguson is 7-3 with two saves, a 2.87 ERA and 1.45 WHIP across 53 games (two starts).
Roberts has made it clear he intends to continue trusting Ferguson in high-leverage situations but noted the Dodgers will continue to evaluate roles heading in the postseason.
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