Despite losing Rich Hill, Hyun-Jin Ryu and Ross Stripling to the injured list, the Los Angeles Dodgers have hardly missed a beat. The rash of injuries created opportunities for Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May, and both pitching prospects have impressed thus far.
Gonsolin was first to make his MLB debut — doing so in June against the Arizona Diamondbacks on a bit of a forgettable afternoon at Chase Field. He returned one month later and converted a four-inning save.
That was parlayed into Gonsolin earning another start, this time at Dodger Stadium. “It was great,” he said of the experience. “It was awesome. I had a couple other outings but being around Dodger Stadium with all the fans was incredible.”
Gonsolin faced the challenge of pitching in hitter-friendly ballparks in each of his first two appearances for the Dodgers. Monday brought about a Cardinals team that had lost two games in a row but still occupied the top spot in the National League Wild Card Game.
The young righty had a no-hitter through four innings and only allowed two hits on the night. Gonsolin threw a season-high (including Triple-A Oklahoma City) 90 pitches and had seven strikeouts over six shutout innings.
“Me and Will were on the same page basically the whole time,” he said. “Defense played great. I think everybody made a play, whether it was a ground ball or fly ball, I think everybody made a play. They did fantastic behind me.”
Outside of a tough-luck first inning against the Diamondbacks in his debut, Gonsolin has largely limited the damage. He still finds value in that shaky first start, however. “I think all of it is a learning experience; the good, the bad, the ugly,” Gonsolin explained.
“It doesn’t really matter, it’s all a learning experience. I’ve got to take the positives, take the negatives, and go forward. I’ve learned to trust my stuff. I feel like learning I can compete here whenever I get the opportunity, whether it’s starting or out of the ‘pen, I think that’s a great experience for me.
“It’s been awesome getting different types of opportunities like that. Moving forward it’s the same idea: attack with the first pitch, execute pitches.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts did not commit to what’s next for the 25-year-old. Along with May, Gonsolin is believed to be under consideration for a potential spot in the Dodgers bullpen come the postseason.
Roberts nonetheless praised Gonsolin for his performance, which came in front of Sandy Koufax.
“Did he have anything good to say?” Gonsolin asked when informed the franchise legend was on hand.
