The Los Angeles Dodgers’ trade deadline reinforcements were a bit of a mixed bag. With a starting pitching staff riddled with injuries, the Dodgers were in desperate need of a transfusion. The Dodgers agreed to a trade for Detroit Tigers left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez, but the deal fell through due to the player’s veto.
In the end, the Dodgers had to settle for acquiring right-hander Lance Lynn, 36, from the Chicago White Sox with fall baseball far away. A two-time All-Star, Lynn is a veteran starter with eight seasons of double-digit wins since his major league debut in 2011 and 129 career wins (before the trade). However, he struggled this year with the White Sox, going 6-9 with a 6.47 ERA in 21 games (119⅔ innings). His decline in command was evident with a league-high 28 home runs.
Considered a fringe pitcher well into his mid-30s, Lin came to the Dodgers and came alive. He’s won all three of his starts since the trade and is now 18-4 with a 2.00 ERA in 18 innings pitched. It’s only been three games since the trade, but he’s already seen significant improvements in his WHIP (1.46 to 0.94) and batting average (.270 to .197).
In his first start with the Dodgers, he pitched seven innings of five hits (three homers), one walk, seven strikeouts, and three runs against the Oakland Athletics on April 2, followed by six innings of four hits (one homer), two walks, six strikeouts, and one run against the San Diego Padres on April 7, and five innings of four hits, one walk, nine strikeouts, and one run (unearned) against the Colorado Rockies on April 12.
According to local media such as ‘MLB.com’, after finishing the game in Colorado, Lin said, “I had a bad first half, but I’m in a good place now. I’m excited to pitch for the Dodgers. I feel like I’ve been reborn. I’m really enjoying my time here. I’m going to do everything I can to help the team win,” Lin said, expressing his satisfaction at making the transition from the White Sox, whose fall baseball season fizzled out early, to the Dodgers, the ‘favorites’. With the added motivation of a championship on the line, his performance changed dramatically.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, “He pitched great. He did what we needed him to do as a starter. He had a little bit of a high pitch count, but I think we’ll give him another day of rest before his next start.” With Clayton Kershaw back from injury and the Dodgers’ starting rotation stretched somewhat with the addition of traded left-hander Ryan Yarbrough, they can afford to use Lin sparingly.온라인카지노
The Dodgers, who have gone 9-1 in their last 10 games, including their last six in a row, have improved to 69-46 and a six-game winning percentage. They extended their lead in the National League West to 7.5 games over the second-place San Francisco Giants (62-54).
Lin won a championship ring in 2011, his first year in the majors, when he went 2-1 with a 3.27 ERA in 10 postseason games out of the bullpen for the St. Louis Cardinals. This is his second attempt at a championship in 12 years.