A Dodgers season defined by adaptation and experimentation — in which the starting pitchers re-shuffle on a weekly basis, infielders learn the outfield and outfielders thrown bullpen sessions — added another wrinkle in Friday’s 7-2 victory over Cincinnati.
Kenta Maeda plummeted out of the starting rotation over the weekend. He had looked tentative and meek in his prior outings, unable to finish at-bats, unlikely to build more trust with manager Dave Roberts. Rather than option him to the minors, the Dodgers shipped him to their clearinghouse for wayward starters: The bullpen.
In his first relief appearance since 2008, when he was a 20-year-old playing for the Hiroshima Carp, Maeda offered a reminder about the pitcher he was for much of 2016.