Kiké Gets The Hook

I went to Dodger Stadium last night with one wish: to see a position player pitch. In recent seasons, teams have begun handing the ball over to backup catchers, utility infielders, or extra outfielders when the game gets out of hand — so much so that MLB defined parameters around when exactly a non-pitcher may toe the rubber.

Within those boundaries, the Dodgers, champions and iconoclasts, have reimagined the usage.

After using Kiké Hernandez to finish 15-2 and 18-2 wins earlier in the season, skipper Dave Roberts sent his utility player to the mound on June 10 in the bottom of the sixth — the sixth! — with his team trailing, 9-0, in San Diego. Hernandez threw 2.1 IP that night, allowing only one earned run. The Padres won, 11-1.

In casinos around the world, the house gives blackjack players the option to surrender. Simply, if the player doesn’t like the way his hand matches up against the dealer’s cards, the player can give up and recover half the initial wager.

Last month in San Diego, Roberts would have surrendered his lineup card if the rules of the game would have allowed. I couldn’t find anyone who had ever seen a team essentially give up on a game with two outs in the sixth inning. Most teams would use a low-leverage reliever for the sake of optics if nothing else. As we’ve written before in this space, these Dodgers are different. They won’t keep up appearances for the sake of our feelings.

Bottom of the first, Ohtani walks to lead off the game. White Sox starter Aaron Civale’s full-count offering wasn’t close. Later in the inning, Freddie Freeman ropes a double to right field. Ohtani scores. 1-0. It’s not time for Kiké to get loose, but it’s a good start.

The Dodgers have also turned to infielder Miguel Rojas to finish three games this season. In each of those scenarios, Los Angeles trailed by no fewer than eight runs, as the rule requires. It’s probably a good time to mention that, after last night’s win, the Dodgers are a Major League-best 56-32. They are three games ahead of where they were this time last year. They’ve also used a league-leading 34 pitchers. Whatever the cost of playing for a miracle comeback, the team has determined that it doesn’t outweigh marginal pitching health and a few innings of levity.

Bottom of the third, Ohtani works another leadoff walk on a full count. Mookie Betts raps a ground ball to rookie shortstop Chase Meidroth. He muffs it and everyone is safe. Freeman uses his next at-bat to diversify his spray chart, lining a double into left field. Both runners score. 3-0. With two outs, Michael Conforto ambushes a first-pitch fastball. It lands about five rows deep in the right-field seats not too far from the foul pole. 5-0. Kiké, can you hear me?

The Dodgers announced prior to yesterday’s game that Max Muncy had sustained a bone bruise in his left knee. He expects to be out for about six weeks. Third base is now a position in flux for Los Angeles. The team’s pregame work demonstrated the urgency.

Three hours before first pitch, Betts worked with third base coach Dino Ebel on fielding fundamentals. He then took dozens of ground balls at shortstop, where he has started 79 times in the Dodgers first 88 games.

Before Betts worked up a sweat, Rojas spent 15 minutes maintaining his fielding technique and taking grounders at third. Indeed, Rojas drew the first start at the hot corner in Muncy’s absence.

Top of the sixth. Still 5-0, Dodgers, but more importantly, starting pitcher Dustin May has retired the first 15 White Sox hitters. Josh Rojas, batting seventh for Chicago, connects on a line drive that seems destined for the right-field corner. Freeman lays out to his left and snags it. Sixteen up, sixteen down. Three pitches later, Brooks Baldwin grounds a ball through the right side of the infield for a clean base hit. Perfect game gone. No-hitter gone. Chance of Kiké appearing… improving.

The Dodgers did not take batting practice on the field before yesterday’s game. The energy, however, was channeled into defensive work. Were these pre-game preparations planned prior to Muncy’s injury on Wednesday? Betts, Rojas, and several other position players took a high-intensity infield that is more often associated with Spring Training than the midpoint of the regular season. Every player was committed to improving. The effort and quality were championship caliber; it spoke as much of team culture as it did individual talent. I’m comfortable making a broad judgment from a couple hours of early work: There’s no complacency within the Dodgers clubhouse.

Bottom of the seventh. The crowd of 53,530 has returned to their seats after stretching. Betts belts a ball into the left field bleachers — his 10th home run of the season and first since June 8. The baseball gods reward the work he put in on the other side of the ball. The Dodgers lead, 6-0, and May comes out to pitch the eighth inning.

Rojas and Ohtani each has thrown four innings of baseball this season. Hernandez, who lobs the ball towards the plate, has logged 5.1 IP, more than a dozen other teammates. He’s made five appearances, though his two most recent outings have not gone as hoped.

On June 14 — with just three days’ rest since his outing in San Diego — Hernandez started the ninth at home against the Giants. He had an 11-run lead to work with. Nine batters later — and hampered by a two-out throwing error — Roberts was walking to the mound to summons reliever Anthony Banda.

The following week, the Dodgers led the Nationals, 13-3, after eight innings. Hernandez, who issued walks to three hitters in his outing against San Francisco, again struggled to find the strike zone. He walked three of the six batters he faced before pitcher Alex Vesia secured the final two outs of the game.

Tommy Lasorda famously said no matter how good or bad you are, every team is going to win a third of their games and every team is going to lose a third of their games. (Too bad Tommy can’t watch these White Sox.) It’s what happens in the other 54 games that determines success.

Do you think Lasorda would have thrown a position player in the sixth inning of a game, no matter the score? The modern-day Dodgers have helped themselves to a thin slice out of Tommy’s 162-game pie. (Better hope he doesn’t notice.) Within the one-third of games that they’ll lose, there are a few contests that the Dodgers will downright give up on. Roberts is happy to lose a battle in order to win the war. I’m guessing the Dodgers’ front office would tell you that it’s not quitting; it’s a strategic reallocation of resources.

Josh Rojas singles to start the top of the eighth, then May’s nemesis Baldwin takes him deep. The starting pitcher’s night is over, and the four-run margin necessitates traditional bullpen deployment. Tanner Scott works around some self-inflicted trouble, and Kirby Yates shuts down the Sox in the ninth. Game over. Dodgers win, 6-2.

The day after Hernandez gave the bullpen a night off in San Diego, the Dodgers beat the Padres and took the series. In fact, since surrendering at Petco Park on June 10, they’ve won 16 of their last 20 games.

The Dodgers are a team designed to win two-thirds of the time. What they do in the rest is their business. So far, they’re taking care of it.

Happy Fourth of July!