LOS ANGELES — Dodgers right-hander Will Klein has struggled of late, and on Saturday was placed on the 15-day injured list with right elbow discomfort. Wyatt Mills was called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Klein was slowly working his way up manager Dave Roberts’ trust tree in the Dodgers bullpen, pitching in increasingly important spots over the first few months of the season. The right-hander’s first third of the season was much better than his second third of the season, and it’s been especially pronounced of late, with Klein allowing runs in each of his last six appearances.
In those last six games, Klein allowed 13 runs (eight earned) on 10 hits and eight walks with eight strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings. Since the beginning of June, Klein has a 6.11 ERA and 15-percent walk rate, after a 1.88 ERA and 7.3-percent walk rate through the end of May.
On the season, Klein has a 3.67 ERA and 3.43 xERA with two saves, the first of his career, with 49 strikeouts and 21 walks in 41 2/3 innings in his 36 games pitched.
This is the third stint in the majors this year for Mills, with three runs allowed in 4 1/3 innings over five games, with seven walks and four strikeouts. In Triple-A this season, Mills has a 2.41 ERA and six saves in 33 games, with 52 strikeouts and 18 walks in 37 1/3 innings.
Mills last pitched for Oklahoma City on Thursday, tossing two scoreless innings with two strikeouts against Las Vegas.
