CINCINNATI_The walk from the mound to the dugout can be a lonely one, long enough for a pitcher to ponder the pitifulness of his outing, short enough to prevent the discovery of answers.
But a guest followed Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Brett Anderson as he shuffled off the field in Saturday's 11-1 loss to the Reds, the sort of companion Anderson has seen too frequently in a career marred by injuries. He left the diamond midway through the fourth inning with trainer Neil Rampe by his side.
The second outing of Anderson's season lacked the gloom of his one-inning debut. But it can hardly be considered encouraging. Anderson surrendered six runs, recorded only nine outs and exited due to a blister on his left index finger. Rampe inspected Anderson's hand after Anderson fired a pitch off the backstop for the second time during the game.
Anderson spent four months rehabilitating from back surgery in March. His first two starts this season classify as one extended faceplant. His arsenal has not fooled his opponents. His body has not handled the strain of competition.
On Saturday afternoon, hours before the thrashing, Manager Dave Roberts revealed his pitching rotation all the way until next Thursday _ a relative lifetime for this shape-shifting group. Anderson was slated to start Thursday against San Francisco. Because of the combination of his injury and his apparent ineffectiveness, that schedule may soon change.
One blister already fouled up the team's plans. Dealing with a nettlesome wound on his left hand, Rich Hill has yet to pitch for the Dodgers since being acquired from Oakland on Aug. 1. The team hopes that streak of inactivity ends on Wednesday, when Hill is slated to face the San Francisco Giants.
To increase the torment of Saturday, the game was delayed for 79 minutes midway through the seventh inning because of rain. The Dodgers (67-55) trailed by eight runs at the time. The players stewed inside the clubhouse until the storm passed, then shuffled toward an official defeat. The team has now lost three in a row, and trails San Francisco in the National League West by a half game.
Anderson improved upon his debut _ ever so slightly. Last Sunday at Dodger Stadium, he gave up five runs in the first inning, injured his wrist by falling down while fielding a grounder and left the game. He cleared that low bar, by inches, on Saturday.
The Reds produced four runs on Anderson's first eight pitches. Anderson tumbled to the ground once more, though this time he emerged unscathed. He popped up the canvas to hang a slider to outfielder Adam Duvall. Duvall launched a three-run homer.
Anderson did not combust in the second, but he did allow another run. He gave up a leadoff single to Brandon Finnegan, the opposing pitcher. Growing up in Texas, Finnegan was a well-regarded outfielder in high school _ but he still pitches for a living. The double was the sixth hit of his career. He soon scored on a single by former Dodger Jose Peraza.
Finnegan did not allow a hit until the Adrian Gonzalez singled in the seventh inning. He faced a Dodgers batting order comprised of four regulars and four reserves. Manager Dave Roberts provided days off to offensive stalwarts like Corey Seager and Yasmani Grandal.
Two innings after his double, Finnegan vexed Anderson by taking a four-pitch walk. A scout in attendance compared Anderson's performance to a pitcher laboring in spring training, still searching for his footing after a winter of inactivity. It is true that Anderson missed a significant portion of the season after his surgery. But he made three rehabilitation starts before the Dodgers activated him, and did not look helpless in those outings.
With Finnegan at first base, Anderson tried to throw a slider. The baseball zoomed over the head of catcher A.J. Ellis. It clanged against a Geico sign. Anderson bent over and yanked at his pant leg. The misfire prompted Rampe to inspect him and engineered the end of his evening.
