Bartolo Colon strikes out Max Muncy for career strikeout number 2,500.

The Dodgers rotation has so many injuries, they are regularly having a bullpen day, where the entire game is manned by relief pitchers.

They did that last night against the Rangers.

That is by design.

The Rangers rotation has so many Rangers, they regularly have a bullpen day as well.

That is not by design.  It’s because their starters keep getting rocked early. And it’s usually every fifth day when Matt Moore is scheduled. Last night, it extended to a Bartolo Colon start.

Actually, to say it’s not by design is not quite true. This anomaly of a rotation is by the  grace of Jon Daniels.

Bartolo Colon ran out of gas last night in the fourth inning, in the middle of a seven-run inning that buried the Rangers, putting them fifteen games under .500, their low water mark of the year. It was their second five-game losing streak of the season.

With Fister and Perez on the D.L., and the bullpen being overburdened by Matt Moore’s recent start and Colon’s start last night, the Rangers desperately need one of the patented Cole-Hamels-going-deep-into-a-game games.

That, and about six new starting pitchers. But let’s take care of the first thing first.

*****
TODAY’S GAME:

Cole Hamels (3-6, 3.86) vs. Kenta Maeda (4-4, 3.61)
Game time: 9:10

How the Rangers hit against Maeda.
How the Dodgers hit against Hamels.