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Gibby going to let Corbin pitch through struggles

PHOENIX -- One day after the Dodgers lit up staff ace Patrick Corbin for six runs over two-plus innings, D-backs manager Kirk Gibson rejected the notion that the club might shut down the 24-year-old for the rest of the season.

"My sense is we'll continue to let him throw," Gibson said. "There's nothing wrong with him, he just didn't execute his pitches last night. ... At this point, we have no reason to believe something is wrong or something is going to be wrong."

Since taking a 2.24 ERA and a 12-2 record into August, Corbin is just 2-5 with a 5.60 ERA. This year is the left-hander's first full season in the Majors, and although fatigue might be a factor as his innings count sits at 199, Gibson thinks this recent funk is something Corbin can overcome.

"We don't want to hurt him, but he's going to have to fight through it," Gibson said. "There is something to it when you get to 200 innings, it's a little different. You're going to have to be more efficient. He doesn't have much left in his tank, but neither does anybody else."

Throughout his struggles, Corbin has maintained that he feels fine, health-wise, instead pinning the troubles on not executing his pitches properly. Gibson listens to what his pitcher tells him, but that isn't the only factor he has used in determining if the lefty is dealing with discomfort.

"You're watching as well," Gibson said. "You watch what they do from the time they step in here. Their actions speak a lot louder than their words sometimes. If they're hurt, they aren't going to do nothing. So if you watch their routine and it stays the same, there's a pretty good chance that everything really is fine."

If the D-backs stay in rotation, Corbin will receive two more starts this year, with his next coming Sunday in Colorado.

Tyler Emerick is an associate reporter for MLB.com.
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