Dodgers add Landon Knack option Seth Halvorsen amid heavy bullpen usage

Seth Halvorsen made his Dodgers debut on Tuesday night, pitching a spotless 10th inning to strand the free runner and earn the win over the Kansas City Royals. But with a bullpen depleted by heavy usage of late and a six-man rotation, the Dodgers were in need of a fresh arm to eat some innings, so Halvorsen was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City so Landon Knack to get called up in his place.

A six-man rotation left the Dodgers with seven active relievers instead of eight, and the septet has all worked heavily of late, ironically save for Halvorsen, who before Monday’s appearance last pitched last Thursday for Oklahoma City.

Recent Dodgers bullpen usage

The numbers in the table above are expressed as innings/pitches. For instance, Alex Vesia threw 21 pitches in his one inning on Tuesday.

Vesia, Jack Dreyer, and Evan Phillips have each pitched three times in the previous four days, making them all likely unavailable on Wednesday. Which essentially means the bullpen following Eric Lauer on Wednesday is essentially Knack and Edgardo Henriquez, plus perhaps Tanner Scott and Edwin Díaz depending on how the game goes.

Knack’s previous stint with the Dodgers this season surrounded the All-Star break, and he pitched in bulk relief entering two games when the Dodgers trailed by four runs. In those games, Knack allowed five runs in five innings, including four home runs, with four strikeouts and two walks.

Just don’t be surprised if, after Knack takes down three innings when called upon, if someone like Paul Gervase walks into the Dodgers clubhouse the very next day. Wednesday is the Dodgers’ sixth game of 13 game days in a row.