With the news that Dodgers left-handed pitching prospect Onelki Garcia’s had been called up to the Dodgers earlier today, Dodger manager Don Mattingly said that his role will be one of protection for his bullpen.

“We need to make sure we have enough protection for Paco (Rodriguez) and J.P. (Howell),” said Mattingly in his pre-game interview prior to Wednesday night’s game. “Our two lefties aren’t really power lefties and the power guys seem to get stronger as the season goes (but) finesse guys you worry about. We’ve used J.P. and Paco and anybody that’s been pitching that good is going to get regular work. Onelki hopefully will be able to take a little pressure off of those guys as far as usage.”

Garcia was drafted by the Dodgers in the 3rd round of the 2012 MLB Amateur Draft.
(Photo credit – Tim Evearitt)

Mattingly added that they have no plans to add Garcia to the playoff roster and would only do so in the event of an injury. He added that they also wants to get the 24-year-old Cuban defector some major league experience.

“It gives (Garcia) a little experience. He was coming (up) late in the year, guys were talking about him, our scouts and things like that so we felt that it’s kind of a good time to protect Paco and J.P. but at the same time it gives him a little taste of what’s going on here. Hopefully it’s something positive for him moving forward,” added the Dodger skipper.