The game of baseball does not cooperate with utopian ideals. When the Dodgers fashioned their plan for managing a pitching rotation, juggling six or seven starters through a schedule designed for five men, the organization understood the possibility of nights like Wednesday’s 6-1 loss to St. Louis. That knowledge does not make the outcome easier to stomach.
Appearing after an eight-day layoff, Rich Hill looked lost on the mound, when he wasn’t infuriated with the umpiring. He issued a career-high seven walks as he allowed five runs in four innings. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts pulled Hill after two runs had scored in the fifth.