Blanton an example for starters moving to relief

SAN FRANCISCO — The five Dodgers starting pitchers trying to make a hurried transition to the bullpen for the postseason can pick the brain of Joe Blanton, who reinvented himself after 252 Major League starts to be the workhorse setup man for closer Kenley Jansen.

“We talk, but guys are always talking,” said Blanton, who leads the team with a career-high 74 appearances. “Maybe the toughest part is that a starter knows when the game is going to start, knows what he has to do and when to do it to be ready at that precise time. We were talking the other day and, as a reliever, none of that happens. Totally different than a starter, who has a set routine.”

Brandon McCarthy, Brett Anderson, Alex Wood and rookies Ross Stripling and Julio Urias have had varying degrees of success and failure trying to do what Blanton has done. McCarthy, returning from Tommy John surgery, had a disastrous tryout Friday night, …

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