SAN FRANCISCO -- In a move that sacrificed the present for the future, the Los Angeles Dodgers lost a game that was destined to be remembered for a long time.
Dodgers starter Ross Stripling, in his major league debut, was removed from Friday’s game against the San Francisco Giants in the eighth inning of a potential historic no-hitter. He had just reached the 100-pitch mark by walking Angel Pagan with the Dodgers leading 2-0.
The next batter, Trevor Brown, tied it for the Giants with a home run off reliever Chris Hatcher, and the Giants won it 3-2 in the 10th on a home run from Brandon Crawford.
The 26-year-old Stripling, who is two years removed from Tommy John surgery and returned to pitching less than a year ago, appeared to be on a strict pitch limit. His walk to Pagan, the last batter he faced, was his fourth of the game.
Even as he approached the mound, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was booed by Giants fans. The discord only grew when Roberts called in Hatcher from the bullpen.
In a cruel twist, Brown crushed his two-run home run off Hatcher to not only end the no-hit bid, but tie the game 2-2. Those fans who booed Roberts? They roared their approval for Brown.
Giants fans roared again later in the inning when Hatcher grew upset with the strike zone of home plate umpire Jeff Kellogg, holding his arms wide when a low pitch was called a ball. Roberts argued on Hatcher’s behalf and was ejected.
It was just the fifth game in the managerial career of Roberts, and his decisions involving his starting pitchers have been questioned in three of them. Roberts first raised eyebrows when he removed Scott Kazmir from a game Tuesday when the left-hander had a one-hitter through six innings.
On Thursday at San Francisco, more questions came when Roberts left Alex Wood in a game against the Giants despite the fact that momentum had clearly swung in the favor of the opponent.
But none of that topped his move Friday, which might not have been his call anyway. With Stripling’s injury history, the Dodgers’ hard 100-pitch limit likely came from the front office.
Stripling, who had never pitched above Double-A and didn't pitch at all in 2014, had impressed the Dodgers all spring with his poise and four-pitch mix that came to him quickly after returning to the mound June 14 last year at Double-A Tulsa.
He had a 4.09 Cactus League ERA this spring, but the Dodgers felt his stuff was ready to play on the big league level. And what choice did they have, really, after starters Brett Anderson, Brandon Beachy and Mike Bolsinger all fell by the wayside this spring because of injuries.
As the fifth starter, Stripling was ready to get things going. He was the last player on the Dodgers roster to appear in a game this season.
“The wait has been kind of building up the anxiousness,” he said before the outing. “I wouldn’t say I’m nervous, I’m just eager to get the ball rolling and face some major league hitters to see how it goes.”
It went pretty well -- for as long as he was in there.
