Excellent starting pitching & 2-way rule staved off Dodgers roster moves so far

They only called up one pitcher during the last two weeks — left-hander Jake Eder on April 20 , and that move was only because closer Edwin Díaz felt something in his elbow and needed arthroscopic surgery . So much for my prediction two weeks back that many pitching additions were coming , but that’s what we were used to. Last year, for instance, in four stretches of at least 10 days in row through the end of August (with roster limits of 26 players and 13 pitchers) the Dodgers added three, nine , three, and four pitchers.

This time just one rode the fresh arm express. Eder, who was acquired from the Washington Nationals on April 1 , was pitching in bulk relief for Triple-A Oklahoma City before getting prepped for joining Los Angeles. “I had thrown two innings, three innings, then I think I was going to go four the next time out, but then they said, ‘Are you good going one, so you could be available to come pitch here?

,” Eder explained about pitching one inning for the Comets on April 16, then got called up four days later. “When I’m here, I’m just whatever they want, whenever they call, just be ready. ” Eder has pitched in three of the 10 games for which he was active, going one inning in each appearance, and earned his first major league win on Monday when Kyle Tucker’s walk-off single completed a Dodgers comeback win over the Miami Marlins .

But the Dodgers haven’t needed Eder nor really any of the relievers all too often during the 13 days, as their starting pitchers averaged 6. 05 innings during the stretch, with nine starts lasting at least six innings, including three seven-inning starts and even an eight-inning start, all with a 2. 40 ERA with 82 strikeouts against 28 walks in 78 2/3 innings.