Blistering response: Hill put on DL
Recurring issue sends left-hander to 10-day disabled list but may cost him just one start.
DENVER — In the bottom of the fifth inning Wednesday, as he sat in the Dodgers dugout, Rich Hill touched his left thumb against the tip of his left middle finger. He noticed the heat of the area and the irritation on the skin.
A man with a history of blisters understands the symptoms, and so Hill informed the Dodgers training staff, starting the chain of events that led the club to place him on the 10-day disabled list before Friday’s game against the Colorado Rockies.
When the Dodgers signed Hill to a three-year, $48-million contract in December, team officials acknowledged the likelihood he would need time off for injuries at certain points during the season.
On his long journey back to prominence, Hill underwent an elbow reconstruction and a labrum repair. He dealt with blisters throughout the 2016 season, and missed six weeks of starts.
As Hill explained his latest bout with blisters, he used the lessons from last year as a guideline. He wanted to manage the issue, rather than pitch through it and allow it to fester. He referred to the latest blister as “similar but not close to where it was, at all.
“It was more of the beginning stages of something,” he said. “Last year, not realizing where it was going to end up, if I had known, I probably would have taken more time off.”
Manager Dave Roberts framed the decision as precautionary, describing it as “not a big issue,” but one that allowed the club to use its depth to afford Hill the rest he requires.
Pitching coach Rick Honeycutt suggested Alex Wood could start in Hill’s place Monday in Chicago against the Cubs. Roberts mentioned Ross Stripling as another candidate. The choice will depend on how Roberts deploys his bullpen this weekend at Colorado. Stripling made 15 pitches and got four outs in relief Friday during the Dodgers’ 2-1 loss to the Rockies.
“For us, it’s managing to win these games and get through these games,” Roberts said before the game. “After the dust settles, we should have more clarity. Even after the next two days, we should have more clarity for Monday.”
Roberts ruled out using left-hander Julio Urias, who is lined up to pitch Monday for triple-A Oklahoma City. Urias has not been sufficiently built up to handle a 75-pitch assignment. The team does not want to rush his promotion to the major league club.
Hill offered to pitch out of the bullpen as he recovered, so the team would not have to make a roster move. The team declined the suggestion. Right-handed reliever Josh Fields was recalled from Oklahoma City, and he pitched the ninth inning of Friday’s game, striking out the side.
Major League Baseball reduced the minimum stay on the disabled list from 15 days to 10 this season. Hill may miss only one start. He mentioned his goal of pitching next weekend against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
“For us, the prudent thing to do is just put him on the DL, skip a start and then reset,” Roberts said.
During the winter, after he signed his contract, Hill said he felt the blisters would no longer bother him. To build up calluses, he rubbed his fingertips against a piece of rough wood. But the skin still flared Wednesday.
Going forward, Hill plans to cut back on throwing between starts. That conflicts with his natural approach, as he feels his command of his curveball improves through extended repetition. The problem is the spin he applies to his pitches causes the seams of the baseball to shred his skin.
In his start Wednesday against the San Diego Padres, Hill allowed two hits and a run in five innings. He threw 75 pitches. But in preparation for that game, he threw a 40pitch bullpen session, which he felt contributed to the outbreak.
Hill played catch Friday. He expected to “pick up the intensity” in his throwing by next week. And he will wait to see how the blister responds.
“Very frustrating,” Hill said. “It’s something that we’ll continue to keep working on. That’s it. That’s all I can do.”