Dodgers' Emmet Sheehan: Shines in piggyback role

Sheehan pitched three scoreless innings out of the bullpen in Saturday's 6-2 win over the Mariners in 11 innings. He struck out five batters and allowed one hit and no walks.

Clayton Kershaw drew the start for Los Angeles but was held to a reduced workload, tossing just 56 pitches over four scoreless frames. Sheehan took over to start the fifth inning and built upon the legendary lefty's strong outing, tossing three scoreless frames of his own. Sheehan had his swing-and-miss stuff working, racking up 15 whiffs on just 39 pitches and punching out five batters. It's not clear how the Dodgers plan to deploy him moving forward, but a piggyback role in the postseason is a possibility given Kershaw's recent shoulder troubles and the team's overall lack of rotation options.