The Los Angeles Dodgers placed Pedro Baez on the 10-day injured list with a right groin strain and recalled Josh Sborz prior to Wednesday’s series finale against the Seattle Mariners.
The injury perhaps helps explain why Baez’s velocity has been down this season. Though, less than a week ago Dodgers manager Dave Roberts indicated he wasn’t aware of any physical limitations.
“Mechanically, he looks somewhat similar, but I think the truth of the matter is that it was a quick ramp-up for Pedro and the ball is not coming out like we’re used to,” Roberts recently said.
“Internally, we’re digging in on it. You would expect after seven outings there would be an uptick. That’s not the case. It’s not that we’re concerned about it, but it’s something we’re digging into.”
Baez was among the Dodgers who were late to report for Summer Camp last month. Tony Gonsolin, Kenley Jansen, AJ Pollock and Keibert Ruiz have each revealed their delay was due to testing positive for coronavirus (COVID-19); though Gonsolin believes his was a false positive.
Baez has a 3.97 ERA and eight strikeouts in 11.1 innings pitched across 11 appearances this season. He allowed a solo home run in his lone inning of work in Wednesday’s loss to the Mariners.
Sborz joins the Dodgers for a second time this season, though he has yet to appear in a game. He was with the team for the road trip as part of the taxi squad. The 2015 second-round draft pick made his MLB debut last year, allowing eight runs in nine innings over seven appearances.
Sborz is a lifetime 24-20 with a 3.53 ERA in five Minor League seasons.
Dodgers bullpen withstanding burden
Julio Urias recording just five outs Wednesday placed further strain on a Dodgers bullpen that regularly has needed to eat up innings. Roberts nevertheless voiced confidence the group was in good standing heading into the series finale at T-Mobile Park.
A day prior to adding Sborz, the Dodgers recalled Victor Gonzalez and optioned Gonsolin to further bolster the bullpen.
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