"The way Paco is going, he's getting righties and lefties out, he's a guy we’re really going to have to take a look (at),” manager Don Mattingly said. "It's hard to stay status quo, but you kind of want to stick with your plan and to your guns."

The Dodgers have lost eight games in a row, five of them by one run or less, but Rodriguez has not been a part of the problem. Rodriguez has not allowed a run in his last five outings, with 10 strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings, prompting Mattingly to consider a change in his role. Mattingly thinks Rodriguez would have earned more opportunities, even if the other options hadn't flopped recently.

"You hate to just jump ship on that and give up on guys. That wouldn’t be giving up on guys, just him making enough noise to say, 'Hey, I can pitch back here and get both guys out,'" Mattingly said. "He's working his way more and more really to that role."