LOS ANGELES -- Fans at Dodger Stadium didn't have to wait until after Friday night's game to see Independence Day fireworks, but it was the visiting Astros who were lighting up the night sky.
From the moment Isaac Paredes took Ben Casparius' first pitch out to left field for a solo shot, it was all Houston in L.A.'s series-opening 18-1 loss. The Dodgers surrendered five home runs in all, matching their season high (also June 21, May 13 and May 9).
Casparius was responsible for three of the long balls. He allowed six runs on nine hits in three innings, throwing 59 pitches in his third start of the season.
The Dodgers decided to stretch out Casparius to a starting role on June 11. He tossed four innings of one-run ball against the Padres that day, but things have taken a turn since then. In his past four appearances (three bulk outings behind Shohei Ohtani and one start), he has allowed 17 runs in 15 2/3 innings.
"I think just execution in general," Casparius said of what has gone wrong. "I think teams are starting to game plan, obviously, a little bit more knowing I'm going to go more than one or two innings."
But the Dodgers have rotation decisions on the horizon, and manager Dave Roberts provided some clarity on Casparius' role moving forward.
“Obviously, Emmet [Sheehan] is coming, so [Casparius will] probably go to the ‘pen, getting back to shortening him up a little bit," Roberts said. "To get him into the starter role, it was out of need, and he did that. But getting him back in the ‘pen and shortening him up, I think the stuff will play a little bit more, too.”
Tyler Glasnow is likely to return at some point during next week's road trip to Milwaukee and San Francisco. Blake Snell is further behind, but he could begin a rehab assignment next week and possibly return before the end of the month. Similarly to how Glasnow built up, Snell is probably looking at around three rehab starts before he's an option for the Dodgers.
The Dodgers also have Sheehan down in Triple-A Oklahoma City. Sheehan seems likely to be recalled to start Sunday's series finale against the Astros, and he could feasibly earn a longer look in the rotation.
The rotation consists of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dustin May and Clayton Kershaw. Ohtani is essentially serving as a multi-inning opener, with Justin Wrobleski positioned as the primary bulk option behind him. Glasnow and Sheehan could round out a modified six-man rotation, although the bullpen would technically be down an arm if Wrobleski only pitched behind Ohtani and wasn't available in other relief situations.
The Dodgers are hoping to eventually get rookie Roki Sasaki back, too. Sasaki was briefly shut down last month, but now he's back to ramping up the intensity of his throws. He has yet to throw off a mound, and Roberts said it will probably be six or seven weeks at minimum before Sasaki returns.
This rotation configuration is not what the Dodgers envisioned at the beginning of the season, but their injured arms are slowly getting healthier. There could eventually be several odd men out. At this point in time, it happens to be Casparius.
The rookie right-hander was arguably the Dodgers' most valuable pitcher in the first two months of the season. Casparius' ability to provide length helped prop up an ailing rotation while also spelling a heavily worked bullpen, and he earned leverage opportunities as well.
Casparius was developed as a starter, and he's expressed a desire to fill that role in the big leagues. But he's also been willing to do whatever the Dodgers need, and at this point, they need the version of him from earlier this season.
“I think that there's some familiarity to it, to the hitters trying to go two times through a lineup," Roberts said. "But to be quite honest, the stuff, there isn't as much swing-and-miss. There's not the quick outs that he was getting out of the 'pen."
As unflappable as he's seemed this year, Casparius is still a rookie. He is still learning how to achieve sustained success in the big leagues, and bumps in the road are part of the process.
"It's still new at this level," Casparius said. "For me, it's just kind of diving into the numbers, seeing what's working and what counts. And maybe just being a little sharper on game planning."