The Dodgers need a miracle from first-year starting pitcher River Ryan.
Ryan on Sunday against the Astros is making his second-career start. He was good in his debut allowing one unearned run and scattering four hits in 5.1 innings. It was the longest outing of his professional career.
Los Angeles now needs him to do it again, but longer.
Right now LA doesn't have the bullpen depth to survive a four or five-inning outing. Their arms are extremely heavily taxed and the quality of those arms appears to be slipping. There should be some reinforcements coming off the IL, but entering Sunday that group just isn't good enough to count on.
Ryan threw 73 pitches in his first outing. That's not an absurd pitch count with one out in the sixth inning. If he's medically cleared to do so, stretching him to 80 pitches would be helpful. Also getting him to cut down on the trio of walks would make him more economical with those pitches.
It's unrealistic to ask him (or any pitcher in the current era) to go eight or nine innings. Trying to get him through seven might even be asking too much. Trying to get Ryan through 6.0 full innings is on the table though, and it would be a massive boost for LA's pitching staff.
First, just getting that good of a start from a rookie on the road while trying to stave off a sweep would be incredible for a Dodgers club that's had a hard time finding pitching stability all year.
Second, limiting the needs of the bullpen would be even bigger. Needing only nine outs from that group instead of requiring manager Dave Roberts to adjust on the fly might give the 'pen a better chance to fall into defined roles over the final three frames.
This type of pressure shouldn't fall on a player making his second MLB start, but it's the position the Dodgers have put themselves in after a lackluster offensive effort in Game 1 and a dreadful blown lead in Game 2. It might be a more reliable option right now though than leaning on their struggling bullpen.
