When the Dodgers acquired 27-year-old right-hander Mat Latos and 24-year-old left-hander Alex Wood at the July 31 trade deadline, they did so with hopes that the two experienced major leaguers would bolster the Dodgers rotation behind co-aces Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke and number three starter Brett Anderson. To make room for their two new starters the Dodgers optioned 27-year-old right-hander Mike Bolsinger back to Triple-A Oklahoma City and designated 28-year-old right-hander Brandon Beachy for assignment. (Note: Beachy subsequently cleared waivers and was also sent to OKC).

Mat Latos

Since joining the team Latos is 0-1 with a 6.30 ERA through his first two starts. He has allowed seven earned runs on 11 hits (including two home runs) while walking two and striking out only one of the 42 batters he has faced in his 10.0 innings in a Dodgers uniform.

Alex Wood

Wood is 0-1 with a 5.56 ERA in his first two starts with the Dodgers. He has allowed 7 earned runs on 13 hits (including one home run) while walking 5 and striking out 13 of the 53 batters he has faced in his 11.1 innings of work as a Dodger.

Although it is insanely unfair to evaluate Latos and Wood based on only two starts each, it is absolutely impossible to ignore the one enormously huge burning question: Are the Dodgers any better off with Latos and Wood in their rotation than they were with Bolsinger and Beachy?

In his 16 starts with the Dodgers Bolsinger posted a 5-3 record with an outstanding 2.83 ERA – third best among all Dodgers starters behind Greinke (1.71) and Kershaw (2.51). He walked 31 and struck out 78 in his 89.0 innings of work while allowing only three home runs. Simply put, Bolsinger has absolutely nothing left to prove in the minor leagues and has more than proven that he deserves a spot in the Dodgers starting rotation regardless of what Latos and Wood have done in the past.

When the Dodgers optioned Bolsinger back down to Triple-A Oklahoma City, they shipped out their third best pitcher. Hopefully, Friedman and Zaidi won’t wait too long to call him back up should Latos and/or Wood continue to struggle. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

After returning from his second Tommy John surgery on July 11, Brandon Beachy went 0-1 with a 7.88 ERA in his two starts with the Dodgers leading many to believe that he may still need a little more time to fully recover. However, in his second start with the OKC Dodgers on Saturday, Beachy pitched 7.0 scoreless innings allowing only one hit while walking one and striking out seven, which now suggests that he may be closer than initially thought. If he is, he could be a huge asset to the Dodgers in the stretch run.

Although Beachy struggled in his two starts with the Dodgers after returning from his second Tommy John surgery, he was near perfect on Saturday with the OKC Dodgers. (Photo credit – Jon SooHoo)

As stated, it is certainly way too early to say that the acquisitions of Mat Latos and Alex Wood are a bust. But it is not too early to say that Mike Bolsinger and perhaps even Brandon Beachy could ultimately play a huge role down the stretch for the Dodgers. And who knows, one (or both) of them might even figure into the Dodgers postseason plans.

Stay tuned…