After the Los Angeles Dodgers took a 3-2 lead over the Tampa Bay Rays in the World Series, manager Dave Roberts announced Tony Gonsolin will start Game 6 on Tuesday. He will be opposed by Rays ace Blake Snell, thus amounting to a rematch of Game 2.
Gonsolin wasn’t overly sharp in the loss last week he allowed a home run and issued a walk in just 1.1 innings. The outing came on two days’ rest, as Gonsolin had entered out of the bullpen during Game 7 of the National League Championship Series the weekend prior.
Tuesday’s start will be Gonsolin’s third of the postseason and fourth overall game. Though it will be the first time this October he’s on any semblance of a set routine.
With the Dodgers sweeping the San Diego Padres in the NL Division Series, Gonsolin was not needed to take the ball in a potential Game 4 — which he had been earmarked for. His start against the Atlanta Braves came only because of Clayton Kershaw’s back spasms and marked 16 days between pitching in games.
After Gonsolin and Dustin May each struggled against the Rays in Game 2, Roberts said both rookies would be needed again for key outs during the series. May’s opportunity came Sunday night when he entered in relief of Kershaw.
May struck out Manuel Margot to end the sixth inning, mowed his way through a 1-2-3 seventh and was taken out after retiring one of two batters faced in the eighth.
Now Gonsolin will have an opportunity to pitch to the standard he set during the regular season, and with it could help the Dodgers capture their first World Series title since 1988.
Dodgers did not consider Buehler for Game 6
Had the Dodgers suffered a second consecutive loss to the Rays, it’s can be presumed they would have turned to Walker Buehler on short rest in Game 6. Though, when asked if that was a consideration — albeit already up in the series — Roberts answered, “We did not.”
Should the Rays for the Dodgers to a Game 7, Buehler is lined up to start on regular rest.
Meanwhile, Kershaw is committed to making himself available at any point. I’m still going to try and get ready, recover as best I can and be ready to pitch at any moment because it’s the last two games of the season,” he said.
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