Dodgers: Dave Roberts Talks Mercy Rule, Plan for Dustin May

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts talked to Alanna Rizzo of Sports Net LA ahead of Wednesday night’s inter-league affair with the Toronto Blue Jays. They discussed the challenges of crafting a lineup against an opener, Dustin May’s future, and his opinion on the mercy rule proposal.

Dave Roberts & @alannarizzo discuss the differences in the #Dodgers planning for an opener and his thoughts on a mercy rule in MLB? ? pic.twitter.com/AXiNl3RI17

— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) August 22, 2019

Dustin May’s Role

Dave Roberts shed some light on the organizational plan for top pitching prospect Dustin May in the coming weeks:

“With Dustin [May], he is going to have a little bit of a layoff. He’s going to make a start here…we have him penciled in. He’s going to make another bullpen here in a couple days. It’s more for him to see hitters, be a little more aggressive against a right-handed hitter, and use his mix.”

Dustin May most recently pitched on Sunday against the Atlanta Braves, where he made his first career relief appearance in the big leagues and allowed four earned runs over two innings of work.

Dave Roberts also stated that the Dustin May bullpen experiment is not over:

“We wanted to get him into the ‘pen to get his feet wet, which we did. He is still going to have appearances out of the ‘pen. But in the short term, get him to make a start and then to potentially get him back in the ‘pen is the way we are going to do it.”

May could prove valuable on the October postseason roster, whether or not it be as a starter.

Roberts on the Mercy Rule

In recent days, managers across the league have been fielding questions regarding a potential league-wide mercy rule, including notable proponent, Yankees’ manager Aaron Boone. Dave Roberts talked about his personal opinion on the matter:

“It’s multi-layered. I understand Aaron’s [Boone] thoughts, but there is a bigger picture taking into account TV and fans that pay good money to watch a baseball game. Everyone has different thoughts, I just don’t see that happening.”

I don’t see it happening either. I hope it never does happen.

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