Injuries to Dustin May and Julio Urías Depart Dodgers’ Rotation in Tatters

No sooner had the Dodgers surged to the NL’s finest file with a 14–2 run keyed by the return of Will Smith than the wheels began falling off their rotation. Over a seven-game span that started on May 15, their starters eked out simply 25.2 innings, solely twice lasting 5 frames. Not solely was the bullpen tapped to the acute, however Clayton Kershaw additionally made doubtful private historical past with a pair of early exits, and each Dustin May and Julio Urías landed on the injured checklist. The complete mess is forcing the group to check its depth at a less-than-optimal time.

For starters, this isn’t what you need:

For the week, Los Angeles starters have been cuffed for a 5.96 ERA and 5.05 FIP in these 25.2 innings, and the group’s overtaxed relievers have been lit up for a 6.99 ERA and 5.73 FIP in 29 appearances totaling 37.1 innings. Because the Dodgers’ league-best offense bashed out 40 runs in these seven video games, they managed to go 3–4, however their three-game division lead over the Diamondbacks was lower in half, and at 29–19, they fell behind the Braves (29–17), whom they’ll face for 3 video games in Atlanta beginning on Monday, for the NL’s finest file.

The extra severe of the 2 accidents is May’s. The 25-year-old righty left Wednesday’s begin after only one inning and a velocity drop; each his four-seam fastball and sinker have been 1.9 mph beneath his seasonal averages (97.3 mph and 96.6 mph, respectively), together with his quickest pitch topping out at 95.8. The Dodgers didn’t supply any sugarcoating, saying he departed because of “right elbow pain.” Not “discomfort,” “tightness,” or “soreness,” however ache — no small concern provided that May was making simply his fifteenth begin since getting back from May 2021 Tommy John surgical procedure. By the tip of the sport, he had undergone an MRI and been identified with a flexor pronator pressure. Via The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya:

May had been pitching by way of a point of soreness all through his rehab, a league supply advised The Athletic, however figured it was a traditional a part of his restoration from surgical procedure. Tests on Wednesday confirmed a Grade 1 pressure of the flexor tendon, which had not healed correctly throughout his rehab, resulting in a number of the discomfort.

Per the Los Angeles Times‘ Mike DiGiovanna, May’s ulnar collateral ligament stays intact and “looks good,” in line with a supply conversant in his check outcomes however not licensed to talk publicly about them. Even so, season-ending surgical procedure is a risk. May will obtain an injection of platelet-rich plasma into the tendon to advertise therapeutic and, hopefully, keep away from the working desk once more. If the PRP works, the damage is anticipated to sideline him for about six weeks; the Dodgers have mentioned 4 to 6 weeks, however who’s kidding who right here?

The damage has interrupted a marketing campaign that had begun in promising trend for a pitcher who in components of 5 main league seasons has but to prime the ten begins and 56 innings he threw within the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. In 48 innings to this point, May has pitched to a 2.62 ERA and three.36 FIP, and whereas he’s struck out simply 18.2% of hitters, he’s offset that by minimizing exhausting contact, as his 3.32 xERA attests. He’s allowed only one dwelling run, for an NL-low 0.19 homers per 9, and a 5.2% barrel price, the latter of which locations him within the 78th percentile. His 9 runs prevented by way of his sinker ranks third within the majors behind solely Yennier Cano and Chris Bassitt.

As for Urías, he labored by way of a pair of scoreless innings in opposition to the Cardinals earlier than his efficiency actually went downhill within the third, when he served up a three-run homer to Willson Contreras; one out later, he gave up three straight solo homers to Juan Yepez, Nolan Gorman, and Paul DeJong. It was solely the second time he’s allowed 4 homers in a sport, having completed so simply over a 12 months in the past on May 14, 2022 in opposition to the Phillies.

Despite his already skinny bullpen, supervisor Dave Roberts pulled Urías after 68 pitches, and within the speedy aftermath, the discuss was of the current struggles of the 26-year-old lefty, who has pitched to a 4.39 ERA and 5.32 FIP with a gaudy 2.28 homers per 9 in 55.1 innings, that after garnering NL Cy Young votes in every of the previous two seasons. He completed third final 12 months after posting a 2.16 ERA and three.71 FIP in 175 innings, although his efficiency was arguably stronger in 2021 (2.96 ERA and three.13 FIP in 185.2 innings). Via the Orange County Register’s Bill Plunkett: “It’s obviously worrisome,” Urías mentioned by way of an interpreter after the sport. “It’s one of those things where, I’m not hiding from it, I’ve got to do a better job.”

Neither Roberts nor any reporter talked about a hamstring on the time; in actual fact, the previous mentioned he anticipated Urias to make his subsequent begin in opposition to the Braves. On Saturday, nevertheless, Roberts revealed that Urías’ hamstring had bothered him in the course of the begin, and an MRI revealed the pressure. The excellent news is that the Dodgers imagine he’ll be able to return after his 15 days on the IL are up, however that also leaves a complete lot of innings to fill.

Unfortunately, Kershaw, who again and again has stepped up when the bullpen wanted a breather — as lately as May 10, he went seven innings the night time after Syndergaard departed after one because of a lower on his finger — has solely added to the burden these days. To be truthful, the pitcher’s mom, Marianne Tombaugh, died on May 13, and so he’s been pitching with a heavy coronary heart. Roberts talked about that the 35-year-old lefty had additionally felt some “body fatigue” after his May 16 begin and noticed indicators of that once more on Sunday. Via Statcast, Kershaw’s common fastball velocity on Sunday was 0.5 mph beneath his season common of 91.2 mph, and in each begins, his common velos on all of his choices have been beneath his season averages.

With a 2.52 ERA and three.37 FIP, Kershaw has been the Dodgers’ finest starter, however his early exits, together with one after 4.2 innings in opposition to the Cardinals on May 5, stay jarring. This previous week’s abbreviated begins mark the primary time in his 14-year main league profession that he’s been unable to succeed in the fifth inning in back-to-back outings. He did have a stretch throughout his 2008 rookie season wherein he went four-plus innings in opposition to the Phillies on August 23 after which 2.1 innings in opposition to the Nationals on August 28, however within the current pair, Roberts wouldn’t even let him take the mound for the fifth after a lot wheel-spinning. On May 16, Kershaw threw at the least 23 pitches in three out of his 4 innings; on Sunday, he went to 33 pitches in each the second and fourth.

As for the place the Dodgers will discover innings within the close to time period, they’ll flip to Gavin Stone to fill May’s spot and Bobby Miller to take Urías’ place. The pair entered the season because the group’s prime two pitching prospects, with Miller second on our Dodgers checklist and thirty third on the Top 100 as a 55 FV prospect, and Stone seventh on the group checklist and 59th within the Top 100 as a 50 FV prospect. Neither has pitched nicely sufficient at Triple-A Oklahoma City to be getting these calls solely on advantage, however with Ryan Pepiot, who made seven begins for the Dodgers final 12 months, out till mid-July because of a strained indirect and Michael Grove, who’s made 10 begins for them in 2022–23, out because of a groin pressure, the Dodgers should dig deeper. They already burned by way of Dylan Covey, whose reward for strong work at Oklahoma City after two seasons within the Chinese Professional Baseball League was a call-up to make his first main league look since September 24, 2020, and his first for the group for which he grew up rooting. After throwing 4 innings and permitting two runs in aid of May in a sport the Dodgers received, 7–3, the 31-year-old righty was designated for task in favor of a contemporary arm and claimed by the Phillies on waivers.

The 24-year-old Stone, a 6-foot-1, 175-pound righty, was the group’s fifth-round decide in 2020 out of Central Arkansas. He’s recognized for his plus-plus changeup, which he throws off his 93–96 mph fastball, however that’s his solely really plus pitch. He’s pitched to a 4.04 ERA and 5.11 FIP at Triple-A Oklahoma City and made a spot begin for the Dodgers on May 3 in opposition to the Phillies; in 4 innings he was touched up for eight hits and two walks main to 5 runs (4 earned). The 24-year-old Miller, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound righty, was the group’s first-round decide in 2020 out of the University of Louisville. He’s obtained an upper-90s fastball and three above-average or higher secondary pitches, headlined by a plus slider. After splitting final season between Double-A Tulsa and OKC, he was sidelined by shoulder soreness this spring and didn’t make his season debut till April 29. After permitting eight earned runs in 8.1 innings over his firsts three begins, he put it collectively in his most up-to-date outing on Wednesday in opposition to the Sugar Land Space Cowboys, throwing six innings of one-run ball with six strikeouts, two hits, and one stroll. He averaged 99.5 mph with the heater, topping out at 101.2, although he did surrender 5 hard-hit balls.

While it’s out of the frying pan and into the hearth for these two prospects, the Dodgers should hope that Kershaw, Gonsolin and Syndergaard can at the least proceed to take the ball each fifth day. Gonsolin suffered a left ankle sprain on March 6, didn’t make his season debut till April 26, and didn’t attain 90 pitches in an outing till May 19. He’s posted a 1.13 ERA in 24 innings, however his 3.44 xERA and 4.05 FIP affirm he hasn’t been fairly so dominant; he’s hanging out simply 20% of all hitters, down from final 12 months’s 23.9%. Syndergaard, whom the group signed to a one-year, $13 million contract to interchange the departed Tyler Anderson, has been a disappointment up to now, pitching to a 5.88 ERA and 4.46 FIP in 41.1 innings. Despite excessive hopes that his velocity and skill to overlook bats would rebound with one other 12 months of distance from his March 2020 Tommy John surgical procedure, that hasn’t been the case. His 92.4 mph common four-seam fastball velocity is 5.4 mph beneath his 2019 common and 1.7 beneath final 12 months, together with his sinker making an identical descent, and the times of his 90-mph slider and changeup are lengthy gone; and he’s hanging out simply 16.9% of hitters this 12 months, up 0.1% from final 12 months. He lately acknowledged that he’s working with a psychological abilities coach to beat unconscious points that he believes are preserving him from recapturing his velocity.

As for the bullpen, of the 12 relievers the Dodgers have used prior to now week, solely Covey, A-listers Evan Phillips, Brusdar Graterol and Caleb Ferguson, and up to date arrival Tyler Cyr have ERAs beneath 5.00 throughout the small pattern; 5 of the 12 have ERAs of seven.71 or greater in that span. The unit as a complete ranks second within the NL in appearances (164) and fifth in innings (178) however has a 4.70 ERA for the season, the NL’s second-worst mark, and its 4.16 FIP is seventh. Suffice it to say the group will want higher work from the bullpen to prop up the delicate rotation.

None of the Dodgers’ NL opponents are prone to have a lot sympathy for his or her present plight — actually not the Braves, who’re down each Max Fried and Kyle Wright for at the least the subsequent two months and who already misplaced Ian Anderson to Tommy John surgical procedure. Based on the cost-cutting roster choices they made this previous offseason, that is the 12 months the Dodgers are going to see what they’ve of their homegrown expertise and incoming reclamation initiatives. They simply didn’t count on a lot of it to be underneath the highlight so quickly.