Struggling Maeda earns 4-inning save in 1st relief appearance
The last time Kenta Maeda emerged from a bullpen before Friday night was in 2008, when he was a 20-year-old rookie pitching for the Hiroshima Carp in his homeland of Japan.
Aside from that one-off, Maeda has been locked into starting jobs for his entire career - first for the Carp in Japan, and then on the other side of the Pacific with the Los Angeles Dodgers - until this week, when the combination of his struggles and the return of injured left-hander Alex Wood bumped him to the bullpen.
While Maeda was frustrated by the move, he certainly seemed to take to his new role quickly. In his first relief appearance as a major leaguer Friday night, the 29-year-old took over from Rich Hill in the sixth inning and allowed just one run while striking out six to record a four-inning save - the first of his professional career - in the Dodgers' 7-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.
"It was my first experience out of the bullpen, and I thought I was able to prepare well today," Maeda said postgame, according to MLB.com's Ken Gurnick.
He added, "As a starter, you think about pitching longer innings, so maybe I was a little hesitant pitching into the first inning (starting). As a middle reliever, you don't think about that so maybe it was something I can take away from today."
Maeda came into Friday's game having allowed two or more runs in each of his 10 starts this year. Manager Dave Roberts praised the right-hander's work Friday, specifically his more aggressive approach, but confirmed Maeda will stay in the bullpen "unless something unforeseen happens to a starter."
That's not sitting well with the pitcher, who never expected to be in a relief role when he signed an eight-year deal with the Dodgers two winters ago and then put together an impressive rookie season in 2016. But as Maeda's performance Friday showed, he's now taking the move in stride with an eye on improving his results and earning back his starting spot as fast as possible.
"I was a starter all my life, and (the demotion) was disappointing," Maeda said. "The best situation is that with good results, I'll be back in the rotation."