Dodgers' Dave Roberts Says He's Pushing Starting Pitchers Now: 'It's Not About Their Health'

""We're trying to win every game," Roberts said. "I don't want to revisit this, but the one guy that we've been very mindful of is Shohei as far as strict (innings limits). But everyone else, I think if you look at the second half, we push guys, and we're in a pennant race. It's not about their health. We need to win games.""

"This wasn't the first time that the bullpen soiled a notable start as Yamamoto was working on a no-hitter through 8.2 innings earlier this month against the Baltimore Orioles. After allowing a solo home run, the score was still 3-1 upon his exit. Blake Treinen allowed a double, hit a batter, threw a wild pitch, and walked the next two batters to make the score, 3-2."

"As easy as it can be to go back to previous losses and find ways that the bullpen has faltered lately, the only thing for the Dodgers can do at this present moment is to continue what has worked in the past. Roberts knows that the starting pitching has been lethal this month and it makes sense that he will keep pushing his rotation with the end goal in sight."

Dodgers starting pitchers have produced above-average results this month, providing a late-season boost. Yoshinobu Yamamoto posted a microscopic 0.86 ERA across his last 21 innings. Starters outside of Shohei Ohtani have seen increased workloads as the club pushes for postseason positioning. Ohtani was limited after five no-hit innings in one start and prevented from returning for the sixth. Several strong starting performances were undermined by recent bullpen failures that surrendered leads. The organization intends to continue relying on the hot starting rotation to maximize wins down the stretch.

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