Just hours before first pitch of Game 5 of the National League Division Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers announced that Corey Knebel would start as an opener against the San Francisco Giants rather than hand the ball to Julio Urias.
The move was surprising as Urias had been scheduled to take the mound on normal rest. While the left-hander eventually entered the game in the third inning, it wasn’t before Knebel and Brusdar Graterol each tossed a scoreless frame.
Upon entering the game, Urias went four innings to help get the ball to Blake Treinen, Kenley Jansen and eventually Max Scherzer.
The decision to go with an opener in a winner-take-all matchup confused some, but the Dodgers did not make the call without first consulting Justin Turner, Clayton Kershaw and other clubhouse leaders, via Andy McCullough of The Athletic:
The coaches canvassed a variety of clubhouse leaders. They checked with Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw and Walker Buehler. They met with Treinen and Jansen. They asked Mookie Betts, Justin Turner and Corey Seager. There was no dissent. “When they were on board, it made sense,” Prior said. “Everyone is in it to win it. Let’s go.”
The logic behind using Knebel as an opener was easy to understand as the Giants stacked right-handed batters at the top of their lineup in Game 2 against Urias. It also gave L.A. the added benefit of pinch-hitting for the pitcher spot the first time it came up.
While a left-handed hitter in Tommy La Stella led off for San Francisco in Game 5, Knebel retired him on four pitches. He then navigated around a two-out double by Buster Posey to finish off his outing.
After Graterol recorded three important outs in the second, Urias went on to throw four innings of one-run ball. Blake Treinen, Kenley Jansen and Max Scherzer combined for the final nine outs, with the latter notching his first career save.
Roberts: Dodgers not starting Urias ‘the biggest compliment
Part of why the Dodgers were comfortable using Urias in a bulk role is because Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was confident he could handle it.
“He is the one guy, and it’s not taking away. It actually would be the biggest compliment to Julio because, not taking away from any of our other starters, but they’re very set and fixed in their ways,” Roberts explained.
“Where Julio, because of what we’ve done with him and how we’ve navigated him throughout his career up to this point, he’s had to be flexible and still perform, and he’s done that. So I think that having that latitude with him, and his buy-in, is everything and it just speaks to his maturity as a Major League ballplayer.”
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and more!
