Via: @jflare on Instagram
Jack Flaherty got a taste of Los Angeles for the first time in his Dodgers home debut. His performance against Pittsburgh has been talked about heavily, not because of his four earned runs, but because of his pitch count and strikeouts.
Flaherty’s night started on a bad note, as Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit a deep leadoff double. However, he escaped the inning with two strikeouts and a groundout.
Through three innings, Flaherty hadn’t allowed a single run. Meanwhile, the Dodgers exploded for six runs, which was more than enough run support.
Despite the Pirates scoring four runs on a solo shot by Oneil Cruz in the fourth and a three-run blast by Joey Bart in the fifth, Flaherty held on for the win behind the Dodgers’ nine runs.
After being relieved two outs into the fifth, he had hit 110 pitches. Flaherty’s high pitch count has sparked speculation that he may not be seen as a rental, but as a true piece for this Dodgers rotation that is trusted by Dave Roberts.
Additionally, the pitch count has sparked debate on overreliance and injury risk. Since Flaherty has been plagued by injuries in the past, throwing into the triple digits may wear his arm worse than normal.
In the end, regardless of the four runs and nine hits, he tossed 10 strikeouts and only allowed a single walk, which is better than his already elite 7.14 K/BB ratio this season.
Flaherty’s ERA remains under 2.97, while his ERA+ of 144 estimates him to be 44% better than the average pitcher. This level of success is likely to stick with the Dodgers through October without injury.
Los Angeles is currently 67-49. After finishing their series against Pittsburgh, they will head on a 7-game road trip to Milwaukee and St. Louis. He will likely be pitching against Milwaukee next week.
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Adam Cooke Journalism 