The Los Angeles Dodgers suffered a defeat at the hands of the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday night. The 7-3 loss can be traced back to a few mistakes from starting pitcher Gavin Stone and long reliever Michael Grove.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts put faith in two of his younger pitchers on Tuesday, but it didn’t work out. Stone gave up four earned runs in six innings and Grove gave up another three in one inning of work.
Stone, 25, had been on a tear as of late with a 2.00 ERA in his last 36 innings. Grove, 27, had been on one of his best stretches as a pro with a 2.16 ERA in his last 16.2 innings out of the bullpen. And while both struggled, Roberts believes it can be beneficial for Stone and Grove.
“I think for Gavin in particular, to be able to not have your best stuff per se, and to still give your ballclub a chance to win and go deeper in a game, I think is very valuable,” Roberts said. “So I think that’s something he’s already learning. And I wanted to hold his head high after tonight.
“And as far as Michael, it’s a situation where we just can’t walk that lead-off guy. We’re still in that ball game, and then that brings Joc to the plate. Left a slider out over and he does what he does to right-handed pitchers. And so Michael has been on a good run, so hopefully he can learn from it, but continue to build on that momentum he’s had.”
Stone and Grove have more than proven that they can pitch well at the Major League level. There is a reason both were highly regarded prospects in the organization as recently as last year.
While Tuesday was a bump in the road for the pair, Roberts has clearly already spun that into a positive as both pitchers prepare for their next outing.
Mistake pitches are bound to happen, but the truly great pitchers know how to bounce back quickly, and the Dodgers hope the two will be able to rebound successfully.
Dodgers sending Bobby Miller on rehab assignment
Bobby Miller was one of the young players that the Dodgers expected to play a big role this season, but he made just three starts before going on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation.
As expected, he threw a three inning simulated game at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday and is on track to begin his rehab assignment with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga on Sunday.
