Dodgers beat Cards, but Glasnow heads to IL with elbow tendinitis

ST. LOUIS -- Before Friday’s opener against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts alluded to the fact that some of the pitchers on the staff are dealing with some discomfort or injuries.

Turns out, one of those pitchers was ace Tyler Glasnow, who was placed on the 15-day injured list with right elbow tendinitis just minutes before the Dodgers’ 7-6 win, in order to make room on the active roster for left-hander Justin Wrobleski.

Glasnow was scheduled to start on Saturday against St. Louis, but he’ll instead miss at least a couple turns through the rotation. The right-hander has dealt with right elbow injuries over the course of his career, but this is the first time this season Glasnow has been placed on the IL with an arm injury.

“After his bullpen, he felt good, but the next day during catch play, it flared up a little bit,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “Right now, it’s tendinitis. We took scans and that’s what came of it. Our expectation is that it’s going to be the two weeks, we backdated it a few days, and then when his time is up, he’ll be ready to make his start and we’ll plug him in somewhere.”

Roberts said Glasnow tried to convince the organization that he didn’t need an IL stint and was adamant about wanting to make his start on Saturday. The Dodgers, however, will continue to be careful with the 30-year-old, who is already at a career high with 134 innings pitched this season.

“He was fighting tooth and nail to make the start tomorrow, but we’ve been very consistent as far as the stretch run, getting guys ready for the stretch run, and he’s a big part of finishing this season off the right way,” Roberts said. “If he were to make the start tomorrow, I would’ve been on pins and needles from the first throw and I don’t think that’s good for him, good for the team and, again, we made the right decision.”

Glasnow missed a couple of weeks right before the All-Star break with lower back tightness. This injury, of course, is more concerning given that it’s another arm injury for Glasnow, who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2022.

Even with the Dodgers hoping to have Glasnow back after his minimum stint on the IL, it’s another blow to a pitching staff that has struggled as the team navigates through a three-team race atop the National League West with the Diamondbacks and Padres. Glasnow, who is 9-6 with a 3.49 ERA in his first season with Los Angeles, is one of 11 Dodgers starting pitchers who have been placed on the IL at least one time this season.

“When he comes back, I think the governor is off,” Roberts said. “That’s the point of being in this process. He’s not going to come back until we feel like we can use him the way he’s supposed to be used as a Major League ace.”

In Glasnow’s absence, the Dodgers are going to have to dig substantially into their depth once again. Bobby Miller, who was sent down to Triple-A Oklahoma City in mid-July amid his own struggles, will make the start for the Dodgers on Saturday and will likely stay in the rotation at least until Glasnow makes his return.

Wrobleski took the first turn to help the rotation, allowing four runs over five innings on Friday. Wrobleski will likely now head back down to Triple-A in order to make room for Miller and reliever Ryan Brasier.

But it was the Dodgers’ offense which stole the show to help a reeling pitching staff. Kevin Kiermaier, one of the Dodgers’ under-the-radar acquisitions at the Trade Deadline, hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the sixth to give Los Angeles the lead for good. Mookie Betts and Gavin Lux also homered, while Miguel Rojas chipped in with an RBI single of his own.

“They’ve pumped life into me,” Kiermaier said. “Playoff atmosphere. A team that plays in October every year. This is what I want, and my situation earlier in the year in Toronto was -- love the guys over there, but when you’re not winning, life’s not as fun. So coming over here, being first in the division and going to battle with these guys each day is an absolute blast.”

The Dodgers, now without their ace, are going to need full-team efforts over the next couple of weeks. They got exactly what they needed on Friday.