Dodgers Rumors: Ranking Each Starting Pitcher’s April Performance
By Jason Reed
![April 14, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) is relieved in the ninth inning by manager Dave Roberts (30) against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports April 14, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) is relieved in the ninth inning by manager Dave Roberts (30) against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/685672812a8f31487a3ef39d48bdffb1e96124183ec8dba7e4cda076b767da84.jpg)
6. Rich Hill
April Stats: 1-1, 8.0 IP, 3.38 ERA, 7 K’s
I’m sorry, but if you cannot pitch more than eight innings in an entire month as a starting pitcher you cannot rank above anyone else on this list. Granted, the time Hill was on the mound he pitched great, I will give him that. However, Rich Hill is already making that three-year $48 million deal (which I hated from day one) seem like a giant waste of money.
Sure, Hill could rebound and be perfectly healthy and add consistency that is needed alongside his unique talent. As promising as that would be, all signs are pointing to Hill returning to his home on the DL. I would not be surprised if we saw Rich Hill on the DL more this season than we do on the mound solely because of blisters.
The way Hill pitches these blisters are inevitable and I do not understand how the Dodgers overlooked that in the offseason. The team signed Hill to a lucrative deal based on one year of solid performance and a good playoff game. Of course, hindsight is 20/20, but you can’t help think the Rich Hill struck gold here and played the Los Angeles Dodgers.
As a Dodger fan myself, I want to see Hill healthy. He brings such an interesting dynamic to the mound that can be so successful as opposing hitters can never figure him out. Until then, Hill remains our worst starting pitcher of the year.