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ST. LOUIS — Had Dodgers ace Tyler Glasnow not mentioned the tightness he felt in his elbow the day after Wednesday’s workout, he would have taken the mound for his scheduled start against the St. Louis Cardinals in Busch Stadium on Saturday night.
But the right-hander is in the first year of a five-year, $136.5-million deal he signed after the Dodgers acquired him in December, a relationship he views as a partnership, so he felt an obligation to speak up, even if that led to frustration in being placed on the 15-day injured list because of elbow tendinitis Friday night.
“No, I kind of wanted to say something, it was OK for me to mention it,” Glasnow said Saturday when asked if he had any regrets about being so transparent with the coaches and medical staff. “I think that day it was normal soreness and the following days I felt fine.
“But my most important priority is the postseason and winning the World Series. And I think with me being here for so long, having the contract, I think I’m kind of obligated to, like, mention it to them. We kind of have to think of it as a team.”
Kevin Kiermaier’s three-run home run coupled with a strong effort from the bullpen allows the Dodgers to rally to a 7-6 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.
Glasnow’s second IL stint of the season dealt another blow to an injury-ravaged rotation, but an MRI test showed no structural damage, and both Glasnow and the Dodgers are confident he will return shortly.
Bobby Miller, who hadn’t pitched for the Dodgers since July 9, his season interrupted by a two-month stint on the injured list because of shoulder inflammation and a demotion to triple-A Oklahoma City, started in Glasnow’s place Saturday night.
Glasnow is 9-6 with a 3.49 earned-run average in 22 starts and already surpassed his career highs in innings (134) and strikeouts (168). He also has a history of injuries, including years of elbow troubles that led to Tommy John surgery in 2021. He missed two weeks of July because of back tightness.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
“The impetus of putting him on the IL is so we don’t have to worry about how we manage him moving forward,” manager Dave Roberts said. “He was fighting tooth and nail to make the start, but we’ve been very consistent as far as getting guys ready for the stretch run, and he’s a big part of finishing this season off the right way.
“If he were to have made the start, I would’ve been on pins and needles from the first throw, and I don’t think that’s good for him or good for the team. We made the right decision. Tyler was really disappointed because he wanted to take the baseball, but I think as an organization this was something we had to do.”
It was a process for Glasnow, who gave up two runs and five hits in seven innings of last Sunday’s 6-5 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates in Dodger Stadium, to go from fighting the decision to accepting it.
“I feel fine now — I think that’s the most frustrating thing,” Glasnow said. “I didn’t want to go onto IL, but the decision was made. Maybe I’m not logically thinking or something, but I feel fine. I just think their main priority, like I said, is the postseason.”
Glasnow described the feeling in his elbow as more tightness than pain and said he has felt similar discomfort at times since returning from his elbow ligament-replacement procedure in the final week of the 2022 season.
“It’s just, like, post-op stuff, it was nothing super concerning to me,” Glasnow said. “I guess going in after that bullpen [session] and saying something, they were a little concerned. I’m sure my injuries in previous years were taken into account. … I spoke my mind, and they spoke theirs, and they ultimately got to make the decision.
“Whether I think this is too aggressive an approach is one thing, but again, they’re just trying to get me ready for the postseason. That’s the only thing that matters. So I think if I miss a start or two, I’ll be frustrated and everything, but I think the long-term picture is, this does make more sense. It’s hard to swallow, but it is what it is.”
Michael Kopech brought a 100-mph fastball to the Dodgers bullpen and could end up the team’s closer soon.
Roberts is confident that when Glasnow returns, there will be no limits to how many innings and pitches he throws in the final month of the season, and possibly the playoffs.
“When he comes back, I think the governor is off,” Roberts said. “That’s the point of being in this process. He’s not going to come back until we feel like we can use him the way he’s supposed to be used, as a major league ace.”
Once Glasnow was able to grasp the bigger picture, his frustration with the decision began to dissipate.
“I’m not super happy about it, but looking at it, if anything were to happen [Saturday night], and you look back, it would be a stupid decision for me to go out there and try to get two more starts,” Glasnow said. “It’s a balancing act, I guess, and my main priority is to win a World Series. So that’s what my sights are set on now.”
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Freeman milestone
Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman high-fives a clubhouse attendant while standing next to manager Dave Roberts after a win over Pittsburgh on Aug. 10.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Freddie Freeman played in his 2,000th game Friday night, the 15-year veteran becoming the 252nd major leaguer to reach that milestone.
“When you’re a kid, you never know if you’re going to get one game in the big leagues,” said Freeman, who entered Friday with 2,236 career hits, 338 homers, 502 doubles and 1,214 RBIs. “I obviously want to play more than 2,000 games, so I think it’s a stepping stone, but to take a step back and realize how hard it is …
“That means teams want you to play every day, you’re playing good enough for the team to allow you to play, you have good health, you’re posting every day, taking care of yourself … so there is a lot to go into, and I do think it’s a really cool thing.”
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Yamamoto injury update
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, out since June 16 because of a rotator-cuff strain, threw to batters in a 17-pitch simulated game in Busch Stadium on Friday afternoon, a workout Roberts described as “good.”
Yamamoto, who went 6-2 with a 2.92 ERA in 14 starts before injuring his shoulder, said he will need at least two more live batting-practice sessions — probably lasting two and three innings — before going on a minor league rehabilitation assignment.
