Dodgers’ Dave Roberts explains Emmet Sheehan decision in Angels game

The Los Angeles Dodgers were defeated 13-5 by the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday. The Dodgers still earned a 2-1 series win, but their pitching clearly did not perform up to expectations on Sunday. Emmet Sheehan especially struggled, as he allowed two earned runs across only 1.1 innings pitched. Sheehan, who threw 49 total pitches, was removed early in a fairly surprising decision. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts explained the move after the game, via DodgersBeat.

“You know what, I thought the stuff was good coming in, I really did,” Roberts said of Sheehan. “… I just didn’t feel comfortable getting him past the 40-pitch mark in one inning. In that second inning he had one out and then here comes (Zach) Neto, here comes (Mike) Trout, I just felt right there… I’m not going to put this guy in harm’s way with stress… I love the way that Emmet felt that there was more in the tank.”

Sheehan has enjoyed some good moments this season, but he has been inconsistent overall. The right-handed hurler now holds a 4.70 ERA across 12 starts. He is still a pitcher who the Dodgers trust, but the team would surely like to see a more consistent performance overall.

Nevertheless, the Dodgers still had a good series despite the defeat on Sunday. Los Angeles is now 42-24 overall. The ball club currently holds a 7.5 game lead over the second place Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Dodgers’ next game is scheduled for Tuesday night, where they will begin a three-game series against the Pirates in Pittsburgh.

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