Can Justin Wrobleski force his way into Dodgers’ playoff rotation?

PHILADELPHIA – The Dodgers love his story, how he reinvented himself over the offseason to become an All-Star.

They love his fearless temperament.

They love how they can count on him to take down innings, as he did on Tuesday night when he pitched into the seventh inning of the Dodgers’ 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.

But do they trust Justin Wrobleski?

Like, really, really trust him?

The Dodgers don’t plan for Wrobleski to be in their four-man playoff rotation, and understandably so. They have Yoshinobu Yamamoto. They expect Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow to resume pitching for them at some point, which would give them four Cy Young-caliber starters.

But even if any of the Big Four are unavailable, Wrobleski is expected to be moved into the bullpen in October.

Take a moment to think about that: Wrobleski is an All-Star with an 11-2 record and 2.62 earned-run average and the Dodgers might prefer a bullpen game over a conventional start by him.

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Opinions are subject to change, of course.

In this case, Wrobleski just has to continue pitching the way he did on Tuesday night.

Again and again and again.

Wrobleski said that’s not what’s driving him, however.

The 26-year-old left-hander insisted that he doesn’t feel insulted by the uncertainty over his postseason role. He claimed he doesn’t want to show team management anything in particular between now and the end of the regular season.

“I don’t go out there hoping to show anyone anything anymore,” Wrobleski said. “When you do that, that’s when you get in trouble and you start to kind of lose sight of what’s important, and what’s important for me is getting better every day and every time I take the mound, just continuing to improve and get better. 

“Like I’ve said before, whatever that capacity is, whether it’s doing whatever in the playoffs, no matter what it is, my goal is always the same: Just go out there and get better with each outing. The chips are going to fall where they’re going to fall.”

He was certainly better on Tuesday night.

Pitching against a fellow contender in the rain, Wrobleski outdueled three-time All-Star Zack Wheeler, limiting the Phillies to a run over 6 ⅓ innings.

“I would say not any more than a normal game, but I would say you’re always excited when you face off against someone like Zack Wheeler,” Wrobleski said. “He’s one of the first guys, when I first came up to the big leagues and just watching the game, I was like, ‘Damn, this is real.’ Like, he has real stuff. I’ve been a big fan of his for a while, so it’s always cool to go up against people that are really good because you know your margins are smaller and you gotta go out there and throw up zeroes because you know they’re going to do the same.”

Most promising about the start were the seven strikeouts he recorded.

Wrobleski throws more pitches in the strike zone than any of the Dodgers’ starters. That explains why he’s been able to pitch seven or more innings in seven of his 15 starts. That could also explain his troubles against some of the better teams he’s faced.

The Atlanta Braves, who lead the National League East, pounded him for seven runs in 8 ⅔ innings. The Milwaukee Brewers, who have the second-best record in the NL behind the Dodgers, scored five runs against him in five innings.

Wrobleski’s newfound ability to miss bats could relieve the Dodgers of some of their concerns against him. In his last three starts, Wrobleski has struck out 27 batters in 21 innings.

“He doesn’t run from the challenge,” manager Dave Roberts said.

Wrobleski departed the game with the bases empty and his pitch count at only 89. Roberts said Wrobleski’s early exit was part of an effort to manage his workload.

The former 11th-round draft choice has already pitched 106 ⅔ innings, which is closing in on the 123 ⅓ he pitched last year between the minors and majors, including the postseason.

Wrobleski said he trusted the Dodgers to map out his season, as he was certain they would do so with his best interest in mind.

As for what they would ask him to do in October, he said he wasn’t even thinking about that.

“Because it’s not in your control, right?” he said. “It’s not something that’s up to me, so why would I worry about it? It’s not in my hands.”

What is in his hands is how he pitches, and he’s pitched well enough to remain on the periphery of the competition for the NL Cy Young Award. And if he can deliver more performances like his latest one, he will push the Dodgers into expanding his role in the playoffs.

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