Rotation spot secured after Deadline, Dobbins sets about proving he belongs
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NEW YORK – With right-hander Dustin May dealt to the Brewers before Monday’s MLB Trade Deadline, it means that Cardinals right-hander Hunter Dobbins will join Matthew Liberatore, Michael McGreevy, Kyle Leahy and Andre Pallante as part of the starting rotation.
Being part of the starting five was deserved. Prior to Tuesday, Dobbins was in and out of the big leagues. Every time he was recalled, he would not only make a spot start, but he would come out of the bullpen in a bulk role. He had a respectable 3.74 ERA in seven games with the club.
“We have asked him to do some different things, and he has handled all of it well,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said.
Dobbins will never complain about his role with the club.
“I’m a young guy. I haven’t earned the right to stay up here,” said the 26-year-old Dobbins. “I just try to stay ready when they do call me. I want to be available and want to perform for the guys here. I’m getting closer and closer with the guys in this locker room. I’m looking to try to stay up here to keep rolling for these guys.”
A day after the trade of May, Dobbins received the start against the Yankees and gave St. Louis length in a 2-0 loss at Yankee Stadium. Dobbins lasted 6 1/3 innings – his longest outing of the season – and allowed two runs on four hits and three walks while striking out four.
Dobbins did a great job commanding the fastball. The Yankees were aggressive against him, which allowed some quick outs. He navigated a lefty-heavy lineup well.
"Hunter Dobbins was really good against us tonight, staying unpredictable and changing speeds," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.
Dobbins had two blemishes in the game. In the second inning, he allowed a solo homer to Jazz Chisholm Jr.. Three innings later, the crowd went wild for shortstop George Lombard Jr., who not only made his Major League debut but hit his first big league homer on an 0-2 pitch.
"The first at-bat [against Dobbins], he started out with some hard stuff and then tried to spin me away,” Lombard said. “I missed my pitches early in the at-bat, but had seen him well and knew there was a good chance he was going to come with spin away. Just left it a little bit up."
Said Dobbins, “I’m not overly upset about the locations. They made two great swings – Jazz hitting that curveball. It was where I wanted to go with it [during] that count.
“Then Lombard made a great swing on a sweeper. … A hitter of his caliber, you make a mistake, he is going to hit it, whether it is his debut or not. He is the [Yankees’] No. 1 prospect for a reason. He took a big swing. Congrats to him on his first knock. I just have to clean that up a little bit.”
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Dobbins even showed that he could get out of a big jam. In the fourth, the Yankees had runners on first and second with no outs, but New York didn’t touch home plate. Dobbins ended the inning by striking out Chisholm.
“It was good, especially in this environment. Any time you can limit damage by keeping them stranded, that’s key,” Marmol said.
It now looks like Dobbins will start every fifth day, but don’t tell him that he has a guaranteed spot in the rotation.
“It feels good. But at the end of the day, you have to go out there and perform,” Dobbins said. “If I get complacent and try to sit back and enjoy it, this game can turn on you quickly. Just go get better every day. Treat every start like you are trying to earn your way to stay here.”