Joe Torre All About Problem Solving

Normally when you have a starting rotation plagued by incompetence, inconsistency, and obesity, you make a move.  Perhaps a trade.  Maybe cut someone and give a reliever a chance.  Any kind of change that involves removing someone.

The Dodgers Joe Torre has different plans:  he'll be adding a 29-year old with 3 major league wins to his rotation and demoting nobody.  That's right!  A 6-man rotation in LA.  Eric Stults will join Derek Lowe, Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, Chan Ho Park, and Hiroki Kuroda when Kuroda comes off the DL next week.  

Stults pitched a masterful complete game shutout Wednesday night, but that is hardly a reason to take an arm out of the bullpen, change the routine of the rest of the rotation, and take starts away from guys like Lowe and Billingsley?  We'll see how this works out the first time Stults doesn't make it out of the 4th inning.

Stults made several spot starts in 2007, some of them good, but also pitched very poorly at times, finishing the season with an ERA of 5.82.  He very well could take hold of the 5th spot for the rest of the year, but why not send Park back to the bullpen, or Brad Penny to fat camp? Torre is acting like his hands are tied because the current rotation is just too good to remove anyone.  He's absolutely wrong.

Dodgers Brad Penny Goes On DL, Kuroda Also Hurt

The Dodgers have placed Brad Penny on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Saturday. Lefty Eric Stults, who was recalled today, will start Thursday and replace Penny in the rotation.

Had Penny's injury only required him to miss one start, the Dodgers would have likely gone with Chan Ho Park, rather than make a roster move. Although Penny's MRI showed no serious problems, his mild shoulder tendinitis warranted a trip to the DL.

Stults was 5-6 with a 3.59 ERA at the Triple A level this year. Dodgers fans may recall him from last year, when he made five mostly mediocre spot starts.

Further complicating the situation is Hiroki Kuroda, who flew to Los Angeles to have his sore shoulder examined. Kuroda had been scheduled to start against the Reds on Wednesday but Derek Lowe will take his turn in the rotation.  Lowe will pitch on his usual four days rest because of Monday's off day.