Can Justin Wrobleski force his way into Dodgers playoff rotation?

PHILADELPHIA – The Dodgers love his story, how he reinvented himself over the offseason to become an All-Star.They love his fearless temperament.They love how they can count on him to take down innings, as he did on Tuesday night when he pitched into the seventh inning of the Dodgers’ 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.But do they trust Justin Wrobleski?Like, really, really trust him?The Dodgers don’t plan for Wrobleski to be in their four-man playoff rotation, and understandably so.They have Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

They expect Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow to resume pitching for them at some point, which would give them four Cy Young-caliber starters.But even if any of the Big Four are unavailable, Wrobleski is expected to be moved into the bullpen in October.Take a moment to think about that: Wrobleski is an All-Star with an 11-2 record and 2.62 earned-run average and the Dodgers might prefer a bullpen game over a conventional start by him.Opinions are subject to change, of course.In this case, Wrobleski just has to continue pitching the way he did on Tuesday night.California's top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.

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Never miss a story Again and again and again.Wrobleski said that’s not what’s driving him, however.The 26-year-old left-hander insisted that he doesn’t feel insulted by the uncertainty over his postseason role.He claimed he doesn’t want to show team management anything in particular between now and the end of the regular season.“I don’t go out there hoping to show anyone anything anymore,” Wrobleski said.

“When you do that, that’s when you get in trouble and you start to kind of lose sight of what’s important, and what’s important for me is getting better every day and every time I take the mound, ju...