Quick … without looking it up, what was the Dodgers five-man starting rotation on May 1? How about June 1? Ok, how about June 15, which was yesterday?

Obviously that’s a trick question, because after the first two weeks of the 2018 season, the Dodgers haven’t had a five-man starting rotation; at least not the same starting five. In fact, since Opening Day on March 29, the Dodgers have used exactly eleven different pitchers to start a game this season. ELEVEN.

How is this even possible, you ask?

That one is easy. Injuries.

As of this moment, the Dodgers have nine pitchers on the disabled list, including three members of the team’s five-man Opening Day starting rotation: left-handers Clayton Kershaw, Rich Hill, and Hyun-Jin Ryu; and this only because right-hander Kenta Maeda was activated from the DL this past Wednesday. In their stead, the Dodgers have used Walker Buehler, who is also now on the DL, Dennis Santana (ditto), and Ross Stripling, who is now the official staff ace and will most likely represent the Dodgers in the 2018 MLB All-Star Game on July 17 in our Nation’s Capital.

Although Stripling did not begin the season in the Dodgers starting rotation, he has since emerged as the staff ace with his 6-1 record and remarkable 1-76 ERA. In his 66.1 innings of work thus far, he has struck out a team-high 78 batters, while walking only 11. (Photo credit – Jon SooHoo)

The much-needed good news is that Kershaw (lower back soreness) came out of his bullpen session on Friday afternoon without any setbacks and could rejoin the team as early as next week.

“The ball was coming out really well,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters prior to Friday night’s exciting 3-2 win over the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium. “I think the execution … I think for Clayton it’s probably not up to his expectations, but the most important thing is that he feels good and executed all of his pitches.

“So I think the next step for us is to evaluate whether it’s a sim game, a rehab assignment, and at that point in time … Now, we’re going to get together and determine what the best course of action is for Clayton,” added the Dodgers skipper.

And now the great news.

Following his rehab start with the Dodgers Advanced Single-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes on Thursday night, Roberts confirmed that Rich Hill (blister) will be activated from the disabled list and will make the start on Tuesday, June 19 against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field – exactly one month to the day since his last start.

“Rich is going to start on Tuesday,” Roberts said. “It was, I think, 74 … 75 pitches. In talking to the guys there, and also Rich, the ball came out really well. The blister responded really well, so we’re pretty confident that he can make the start on Tuesday and get through it in good shape.”

Taking the good news front a little further, Roberts recently told reporters that left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu (left groin strain) is progressing well, although it is still unlikely that he will return to action before the All-Star break.

That leaves only left-hander Alex Wood which, in and of itself, is a good news / bad news situation.

The good news is that the extremely popular 27-year-old Charlotte, North Carolina native is the only member of the Dodgers original starting five who has yet to spend any time on the disabled list this season – at least not officially.

The bad news is that Wood did miss a start due to lingering hamstring cramps and, at one point, was listed as “day-to-day” as a result. He has also had a couple of his scheduled starts pushed back a day to give him a little extra rest, including Friday night, when Ross Stripling made the start on regular rest, thanks to two much-needed days off this past week for the Dodgers. Wood is now on tap to make Saturday night’s start against The Hated Ones.

That being said, and in fact was recently said by Roberts, Wood could use a little extra rest, and the Dodgers skipper is hoping that the two days off and the schedule change (which gives Wood seven days between starts) is enough to recharge his batteries. Roberts did not, however, suggest that there are any plans to place the former Georgia Bulldog on the DL – at least not yet.

As of this writing, rookie left-hander Caleb Ferguson is still in the Dodgers starting rotation and is scheduled to make the third start of his MLB career on Sunday afternoon in the series finale against the Giants. However, there is every reason to believe that the soon-to-be (on July 2) 22-year-old Columbus, Ohio native will be the first one to go when the Dodgers activate Rich Hill from the DL for Tuesday’s game in Chicago.

Then again, you just never know what might happen between now and then, right?

Stay tuned…