It became the Dodgers mantra at the conclusion of spring training 2016. All of a sudden the Dodgers had too many starting pitchers for only five spots in their 2016 opening day starting rotation. It was a problem that Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, general manager Farhan Zaidi and (then) rookie field manager Dave Roberts repeatedly said was “…a good problem to have.”

Sure enough, before the Dodgers clinched their fourth consecutive National League West title on September 25, 2016 on Charlie Culberson‘s dramatic 10th-inning walk-off home run at Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers had used a grand total of 15 different starting pitchers during the 2016 regular season, thus making Friedman, Zaidi and Roberts absolute geniuses.

2016 Dodgers Starting Pitchers.

Lo and behold, here we are a month into the 2017 regular season and the Dodgers have already used seven different starters, of which three have been and still are on the disabled list. The problem is – even though it is still part of that Dodgers “a good problem to have” mantra – all three of them will most likely come off the DL within the next week, those being right-hander Brandon McCarthy (left shoulder dislocation) and left-handers Hyun-Jin Ryu (left hip contusion) and Rich Hill (left middle finger blister).

Although McCarthy and Ryu have been working out at Dodger Stadium during their DL stints and are not expected to be sent out on rehabilitation assignments, the 37-year-old Hill has made two rehab appearances with the team’s Advanced Single-A affiliate Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. And while Hill’s first rehab start was anything but stellar, on Wednesday night he tossed a five-inning no-hitter against the San Jose Giants (Giants) before reaching his pitch count threshold of 75 pitches (or five innings). Hill allowed no runs or hits while walking three and striking out three. He completed his fifth inning of work having made a total of 68 pitches, of which 35 were strikes. And, as expected, his absolutely filthy 12-to-6 curveball was… well… absolutely filthy.

Even though Dodgers left-hander Rich Hill lasted only two-thirds of an inning in his first rehab start with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes on May 4, he threw five no-hit innings in his second on Wednesday night.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

But even before the extremely polite Boston, Massachusetts native went on the DL (for a third time this season), there had already been discussions that because of his recurring blister issue, the bullpen might be a better fit for him. However, after his five-inning no-hit performance on Wednesday evening, a healthy Rich Hill would be a huge asset to an already exceptionally good Dodgers starting rotation – one that already owns an MLB-best 3.20 ERA, not to mention their MLB-seventh-best bullpen with an ERA of 3.00.

Some have suggested that the Dodgers could or even should go to a six-man rotation, something which Roberts had actually planned to do; at least until the Sunday, May 7 day game at Petco Park in San Diego was rained out. After that, Roberts was adamant that he would not – under any circumstances – go to a six-man rotation, primarily because his starters – including and especially his ace Clayton Kershaw – have very strict routines between their starts that the defending NL Manager of the Year does not want to disrupt in any way.

The burning question is, of course, when is this so-called “…good problem to have” no longer a good problem to have?