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The Los Angeles Dodgers dropped the opening game of their three-game series with the Philadelphia Phillies by a score of 10-7.
From the jump, starter Emmet Sheehan didn't look sharp, as he couldn't put together any consistency on the mound. Sheehan finished the game going 5.1 innings, allowing six runs on eight hits, including two home runs.
The right-hander has had his fair share of ups and downs this year, leading to questions around his future within the starting rotation. Los Angeles has stuck with Sheehan all season, mainly due to a lack of other options on the roster.
After another poor outing, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts reflected on the plan moving forward with Sheehan.
“Certainly he’s getting a lot of opportunity. It’s not the consistency that any of us like or want — Emmet included,” Roberts said. “Until there’s another alternative, we’re going to keep running him out there.”
On the year, Sheehan owns an ERA of 5.13 over 18 starts. The right-hander has looked good at times, but he hasn't been able to sustain anything in his first full season at the big league level.
With multiple injuries to starting pitchers this year, the Dodgers have been forced to keep Sheehan in the rotation. But if he can't turn his season around, Los Angeles may elect to look elsewhere for more help.
“He’s had plenty of innings, major league innings. He’s frustrated. I think at this level, with our club, the standard is … it’s about performance," Roberts said. "Emmet knows it. You just have to do it. That’s just the way it goes, you know.”
Sheehan has the talent to pitch at the big-league level, but he just hasn't found the form to dominate game in and game out.
“I think that it’s just really trying to be convicted in in his pitch making before he touches the stove,” Roberts said. “I think that when there’s damage or things have happened, then he locks in, raises his level of intensity a little bit more, but it’s just got to be that before things start happening.”
Over the next month, the Dodgers should be getting both Blake Snell (elbow) and Tyler Glasnow (back) back from injury if all goes well. Once this happens, Sheehan could lose his spot in the rotation, potentially going to the bullpen if he isn't traded at the deadline.
Sheehan has been placed in trade rumors as the Dodgers' front office gauges what to do at the deadline. The right-hander should garner plenty of interest as a young, controllable starter who's shown the ability to dominate at the big league level.
The Dodgers likely wouldn't want to move him, though, unless they were getting a starting pitcher in return — say, Tarik Skubal.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/dodgers/onsi as Dodgers' Dave Roberts Makes Decision on Emmet Sheehan's Spot in Rotation Amid Struggles.
