September 20th, 2019 at 8:00 am 
by Ron Cervenka There is no disputing that 39-year-old left-hander Rich Hill is one of the nicest guys in the Dodgers clubhouse and an enormous inspiration to the entire pitching staff and team. But having missed a significant amount of time this season due to a multitude of injuries, is Dodgers manager Dave Roberts about to make a huge mistake by possibly including the extremely popular Boston, MA native in his postseason starting rotation, as he has repeatedly intimated?
As recently as this past Tuesday, Roberts said that Hill is scheduled to start next Tuesday’s game against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park, having reportedly made an adjustment in his delivery that takes the stress off of his left knee when he pushes off of the mound; this coupled with him wearing a knee brace. Should that start, which will be his first since straining the medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his left knee during his start against the Baltimore Orioles on September 12 at Camden Yards, go off without a hitch (no pun intended), it is quite possible that Roberts will include Hill in his postseason rotation; a risky proposition at best.
As Dodger fans may recall, Hill missed the first four weeks of the 2019 season with this exact same left knee issue. Upon his return to action on April 28, it was full speed ahead, with the 15-year MLB veteran left-hander posting a 4-1 record and excellent 2.68 ERA in his (then) 10 starts
And then the bottom fell out.
During a June 19 game against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium, Hill was removed after only one inning when he strained the flexor tendon in his left (throwing) elbow – an injury that would sideline him until that September 12 start in Baltimore (nearly three months), in which he strained the MCL in his left knee.
Do you see a pattern here?
This most certainly isn’t a knock of the 39-year-old left-hander, nor is it a knock on Dave Roberts. It is simply to point out that despite Hill’s hard work and dedication to get back to action, with exactly 10 games remaining in the regular season and an extremely crucial postseason looming large, is Rich Hill a guy that you want in your postseason starting rotation when you’ve got guys named Julio Urias and Dustin May, who the Dodgers are grooming to pitch out of the bullpen for the upcoming National League Division Series (and hopefully the NLCS and World Series), at the ready?
Although the 23-year-old Urias might be well suited in a relief role, having gone longer than three innings only four times this season (all of them in April), with a 4-3 record and excellent 2.61 ERA, 22-year-old Dustin May is a pure starter – period.
Over his four minor league seasons and prior to his July 31 call up to the Dodgers, May appeared in a combined 78 games, of which 73 were starts. The five games in which he did not start were in 2016 (four) while with the Arizona Rookie League Dodgers and 2017 (one) while with the Advanced Single-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes.
Need more proof that May belongs in the Dodgers starting rotation and not the bullpen? Check this out:
Although the sample size is small, in his five relief appearances since moving to the bullpen on September 1, May has allowed three runs on nine hits in his combined 6.1 innings of relief for a 4.26 ERA. In contrast, in his four starts in August for a combined 22.1 innings pitched, May allowed only seven earned runs for an excellent 2.82 ERA.
You can certainly argue that Rich Hill’s 2.68 ERA is significantly better than Dustin May’s combined 4.11 ERA, and you can also argue that Hill’s 63 strikeouts in his 53.2 innings pitched are significantly more than May’s 26 strikeouts in his 30.2 innings of work. But here again, May has an excellent 2.61 ERA (and 17 strikeouts) as a starter.
What you cannot argue – or ignore – is that Hill’s health, be it his left knee or (gulp) the flexor tendon in his left elbow, is – and will continue to be – a huge concern for Dave Roberts and the Dodgers at absolutely the most crucial time of the entire 2019 season … the postseason.
Play Ball!
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I agree it does seem like a risk, at the moment, putting Hill on the postseason roster but if that’s what they have in mind, it’s something we’ll just have to wait and see.
Exactly what I expected you would say: “WJHTWAS.”
You ought to try thinking outside the box at least once in your life, Joe
There’s a very good chance the Dodgers would wait until the NLCS to put Hill on the roster and use either Ferguson or May out of the pen for the NLDS If Hill isn’t ready. They won’t need 4 starters for the NLDS. May has looked good his last three relief appearances. It will really depend on who they play and how many lefties they feel they need to carry.
Going with three starters for the NLDS means somebody gets short rested in game four. Right now that appears to be Walker Buehler. Has he ever done that?
It’s an unnecessary risk that could cost them. Remember, the plan is to win and move on until there’s nowhere else to move to.
Let Hill “start next Tuesday” and then sit him down until the season’s end so he can walk. With the recurring injuries and age he’s done and should retire. Sad, but this is MLB not some rah-rah college league. Sandy knew when, so should Hill.
I don’t think it’s risky at all. If you don’t have Hill then it’s a bullpen game. If you do have Hill it’s still a bullpen game because no one will expect him to go more than 4 or 5 innings. And if he can pitch I trust him as much as anyone. And if he gets hurt I believe you can replace him on the roster.