Doug Padilla, ESPN Staff Writer 8y

Dodgers close to adding starting experience

PITTSBURGH -- The All-Star break is just 16 days away and it remains a possibility that the Los Angeles Dodgers could have two experienced pitchers to add into the starting rotation by then.

Manager Dave Roberts did not rule out the possibility of both Brandon McCarthy and Hyun-Jin Ryu returning before the break. Both are with Triple-A Oklahoma City and working on their recoveries from completely different surgeries.

For McCarthy, his elbow was repaired with Tommy John surgery. Ryu is on the mend from shoulder surgery.

Ryu was the latest to make a minor league appearance and it wasn’t pretty. The left-hander gave up eight runs (five earned) in four innings, getting touched for two home runs among his 10 hits allowed.

Rehab starts are not all black and white, though, and Roberts was not ready to call the outing a disappointment.

“I think that the command, obviously, needs to be cleaned up and get better, but for us, it’s more how he comes out of it, how he feels and just seeing the increase in velocity is a good thing,” Roberts said.

Roberts said Ryu had a fastball in the 90-mph range. It seems fairly obvious, though, that some improvement is still necessary before he comes back to Los Angeles.

“It’s a possibility as he makes this next start and seeing how he comes out of it ... we don’t know where he slots in, but there certainly is a possibility,” Roberts said.

McCarthy seems to be about one start behind Ryu on the comeback trail. He went just 3 2/3 innings in his most recent start this week, giving up three hits and one run.

“I don’t know the exact number but I think he touched 93 (mph) and I think the average was 91,” Roberts said. “I might be off a mile per hour, but right around there.”

After a year of recovery for both pitchers, the moment of truth has nearly arrived.

“It’s right there, yeah, and it’s depending on what we need with our rotation,” Roberts said. “But (McCarthy) and Ryu are in the same situation.”

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