CPBL: Rakuten Monkeys to use four local pitchers in upcoming five-game series

The Rakuten Monkeys have activated ace pitcher Jake Dahlberg, filling the foreign player vacancy left by Jake Arrieta's demotion on August 26. Head coach Tseng Hao-chu confirmed this move was part of the team's pre-planned player rotation.

"This is according to the original plan for player movement," Tseng said. "Next week, we will use four local starting pitchers to face the five-game series."

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This is according to the original plan for player movement. Next week, we will use four local starting pitchers to face the five-game series.

Arrieta had been performing well, consistently pitching seven innings in his last five starts and posting a 3-0 record with a 1.11 ERA in July. However, Tseng emphasized that Arrieta's demotion was not performance-related but a strategic decision.

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Arrieta's performance in the second half has been very good. This move down to the minor league is not related to his condition. After careful consideration, we are following the original plan.

"Arrieta's performance in the second half has been very good," Tseng explained. "This move down to the minor league is not related to his condition. After careful consideration, we are following the original plan. We hope he can maintain his current good form and continue to pitch effectively when he returns to the active roster until the end of the season."

With Arrieta, who typically eats up innings, unavailable, the Monkeys will face a tougher challenge in the upcoming five-game stretch. Tseng acknowledged the difficulty but expressed confidence in the coaching staff's ability to manage the pitching rotation and bullpen effectively to achieve the best possible results.

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We hope he can maintain his current good form and continue to pitch effectively when he returns to the active roster until the end of the season.