SAN DIEGO -- The top of the Padres' lineup is a formidable gauntlet, but rookie right-hander Ben Casparius handled it just fine. He opened the Dodgers' 5-2 victory on Wednesday afternoon by sending the first three batters down in order, striking out Manny Machado to retire the side.
After Machado swung through a four-seamer on the outer edge of the plate to end the first inning, he gave an approving nod in Casparius' direction.
"He's one of the best players in the game, so it's pretty cool," Casparius said. "Just good sportsmanship in general."
Casparius didn't know until the night before that he would be starting the rubber game of the high-charged series between the Dodgers and Padres. Manager Dave Roberts has referred to Casparius as a "hybrid" pitcher this season, since he's been L.A.'s primary long reliever and a top right-handed leverage option.
Now, at least for the near future, Casparius will be part of the Dodgers' rotation.
"By way of need and where we were at, we felt that there was more value out of the 'pen and being kind of a versatile-type reliever," Roberts said. "But where we are at now, currently, he’s certainly showing that he’s one of five. … The next time he’s on the mound, it'll be as a starter."
Said Casparius: "I've been doing it for the majority of my professional career, so it's something I'm comfortable with routine-wise. I'm just looking forward to what's going on and what's coming up next."
Given the way that the Dodgers handled Tuesday night's blowout loss, it was pretty clear that they felt their best shot of taking two of three from the Padres -- and creating a bit of distance in the tightly contested NL West -- would come on Wednesday.
It was evident when the team rode a struggling Matt Sauer -- who gave up nine runs in 4 2/3 innings -- for a career-high 111 pitches, then called utility man Kiké Hernández to the mound with two outs in the sixth to finish the game rather than burn another arm in what ended up as an 11-1 loss.
But as ugly as it looked at the time, it allowed the Dodgers to have their full slate of high-leverage arms available for the finale. That included Casparius.
Lefty Justin Wrobleski was originally scheduled to start against the Padres, but the Dodgers figured that going with Casparius put them in a better position to take the series. And the swap paid off: Casparius gave the Dodgers four innings of one-run ball on 54 pitches.
Casparius' only real trouble came in the second inning, when five straight batters reached against him with one out. He got a big assist from Andy Pages, who cut down a runner at the plate with a 99 mph throw from center field that was tied with Kevin Kiermaier (Aug. 14, 2024) for the Dodgers' hardest-thrown outfield assist since Statcast began measuring in 2015.
After Casparius walked nine-hole hitter Martín Maldonado with the bases loaded to surrender his lone run of the outing, he retired his final seven batters in order. Not long after, Michael Conforto hit a game-tying solo shot in the fifth before Teoscar Hernández put the Dodgers in front with a three-run blast in the sixth.
It's reasonable to wonder where the Dodgers would be without Casparius, who has a 2.86 ERA in 22 appearances (two starts). His 44 innings rank third on the Dodgers, behind Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Dustin May -- the only remaining members of the Opening Day rotation.
There was some talk of stretching Casparius out earlier in the season, which might have upset a delicate balance with how the Dodgers were using their bullpen at the time.
But Kirby Yates and Michael Kopech's return over the weekend provided the 'pen with right-handed leverage reinforcements, and Tony Gonsolin's injury created a need in the rotation that was best filled by Casparius.
The eventual returns of Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki and Gonsolin could spell an end to his stint in the rotation down the road. But Casparius has been able to find consistency in a constantly evolving role. That's been a big part of his success this year.
"I think kind of taking that reliever mindset -- pitch by pitch, inning by inning -- has helped me to slow the game down in general," Casparius said. "I think it's been kind of a blessing. And then whatever happens going forward, I think I can just use that to keep going."