Los Angeles @ Arizona preview
Chase Field
Last Meeting ( May 11, 2010 ) LA Dodgers 13, Arizona 3
The comeback from the comebacker has been pretty impressive for Hiroki Kuroda.
The Los Angeles Dodgers’ right-hander took a line drive off his head on Aug. 15. Stepping back on the mound – especially the same one where the incident happened – is not exactly easy.
Kuroda starts today against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on the same mound where he laid prone, clutching his head after the batted ball from Rusty Ryal.
The Japanese import has seemingly overcome the mental issues that can sometimes dog pitchers who have had similar incidents.
And Ryal said enough time has passed to make it a non-issue in his mind.
“I said what I needed to say when it happened,” Ryal said. “It was an unfortunate situation and it happened. We take the same chance as (pitcher’s) do when we get in the box except we don’t have control of the ball. I’m glad to see he is back on the mound.”
Evidently, Kuroda is over it as well.
After going 5-2 with a 2.72 ERA once he came back at the end of the 2009 season, Kuroda is off to a 3-1 start with a 2.70 ERA this season.
He has actually pitched better since Ryal’s liner caromed off his head into foul territory.
Kuroda will see if he can keep it going against the Diamondbacks, who have struggled to score runs on their homestand. He doesn’t have overpowering stuff, but his control is how he gets his outs.
It’s usually a good formula against the Diamondbacks. The lineup has been among the leaders in the National League in home runs all season, with several of the players taking big cuts and loving the fastball.
Kuroda loves to dance to around the strike zone and rarely gives into the hitter. That’s pretty much the anti-Edwin Jackson.
The Diamondbacks’ No. 2 starter is a power pitcher from the get-go, but Jackson has been the one supplying the power of late.
Before having a good outing Friday against Milwaukee in which he gave up three earned in seven innings, the right-hander surrendered 18 earned runs in his previous two starts.
Back-to-back starts like that might actually be more traumatic than getting a line drive off the old noodle. In Kuroda’s case there wasn’t much reaction time, but Jackson was free and clear to watch the line drives being sprayed all over the ballpark.