Stripling is back to lend relief
Ross Stripling watched the Dodgers game drag from Friday night into the 16th inning so he was not surprised to receive a phone call at 12:45 a.m. Saturday from Gabe Kapler, the Dodgers’ director of player development. Stripling heard good news, even if it’s only a temporary assignment: He rejoined the big league club to provide insurance for the bullpen.
“I certainly didn’t get any indication of making a start, or anything like that,” Stripling said. “So it sounds like I’ll just be used as available in the bullpen.”
Stripling inherited the roster spot occupied by rookie reliever Grant Dayton. After throwing two scoreless innings in his big league debut Friday, Dayton was sent back to the minors.
Manager Dave Roberts indicated Stripling would not become the fifth member of the starting rotation. The Dodgers will continue to use a four-man unit until early next month.
Stripling spent the first seven weeks of the season as the team’s fifth starter. He posted a 4.53 earned-run average in nine games. The team sent him to the minors after he pitched in relief in a 17-inning game in San Diego. Now a 16inning game brought him back.
During the intervening time, Stripling spent several weeks at the team’s Camelback Ranch complex in Arizona. The purpose of his sojourn was to conserve innings for the second half. Stripling was technically on triple-A Oklahoma City’s disabled list due to leg fatigue. He chuckled when asked how he recovered from this harrowing ailment.
“Didn’t think it would take a full month,” Stripling said. “But it did.”
Puig is still dealing with hamstring injury
After observing Yasiel Puig test his tight right hamstring in pregame drills, Roberts sounded somewhat less optimistic about the outfielder’s being able to start on Sunday night.
Puig was available only as a pinch-hitter on Friday. Roberts expected to use him in a similar role Saturday. He could not predict how Puig would feel Sunday, or if he would be able to start.
“It’s a possibility,” Roberts said. “But I think there’d have to be some greater improvements.”