Dodgers have to wonder if Ramon Troncoso's sudden drop-off can be attributed to overuse

Whither Ramon Troncoso?

The Dodgers were already suffering from the inexplicable drop-off of George "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" Sherrill, but now another reliable reliever has suddenly hit the skids.

Troncoso was a bullpen godsend last season, appearing in 73 games, going 5-4 with six saves and a 2.72 ERA.

The right-hander certainly won Manager Joe Torre's confidence, which some would argue is not always a good thing.

Torre used him extensively early this season, and Troncoso responded.

By May 1, Troncoso had already appeared in 16 of the Dodgers’ first 24 games but sported a 3.21 ERA.

In his nine games since, he’s had an 8.31 ERA.

And he’s only getting worse. After allowing only one home run in his first 22 games, he’s allowed four in his last three.

Troncoso told Ken Gurnick of dodgers.com prior to Tuesday’s game he believed he had discovered a flaw in his delivery:

"I was watching videos of last year, and I see that sometimes I lean too fast. When I stay back, my sinker moves like it used to. That's not an excuse, it just happens sometimes."

Then Troncoso went out Tuesday and gave up a two-run homer to Derrek Lee.

The suspicion is, his struggles are the result of overwork. He’s appeared in 25 games, tied  for third most in the major leagues. Fatigue can’t be ignored as a factor.

Currently, his overall ERA has risen to 5.24 and he’s not someone the Dodgers can count upon. And at a time, when the rest of the bullpen -- Pod Boy, excluded -- was really coming together.

-- Steve Dilbeck

Photo: Ramon Troncoso. Credit: Alex Gallardo / Associated Press.

Comments

[OldBrooklynFan]

At first I thought it was just a bad outing and he was due for a likin', but now that it's continued for a few appearance, it looks to me that he's simply burnt out. He may be a candidate to be put on the DL if they can find a reason or sent him down if he's not out of options.

[Rob McMillin]

And, one would argue, being not only *overused*, but *stupidly* used. The May 19 game against the Padres was a classic case; brought in with a 3-3 tie in place and having been used three of the previous four days, the last two consecutively, he proceeded to show why Torre's overuse will -- and has -- come back to haunt him, ending up charged with three runs and making no outs.

[These Dodgers Suck]

here's a novel idea .... maybe he wasn't all that good to begin with and he just got by on luck and pluck.

it wouldn't be the first time a dodger pitcher was just a one year wonder.

[Zen]

Never good to give up 2-run homers, but the reason we lost is zero offense.

Tron simply put it a little farther out of reach.