The Los Angeles Dodgers bounced back with a 4-0 win against the New York Mets on Monday night behind a dominant start from Justin Wrobleski.
The left-hander allowed just two hits and collected two strikeouts over a career-high eight shutout innings. He faced just one batter over the minimum and threw an economical 90 pitches in the outing.
There was some thought that Wrobleski could return for the ninth inning and try to finish the complete-game shutout, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts opted to bring in Tanner Scott.
“For me, I think it’s something that I’ve got to earn,” Wrobleski said after the game. “If Doc tells me right now, ‘We’re going to go with Tanner,’ I trust in Doc. It wasn’t a, ‘Oh, I want to go back out there.’
“I trust in Doc and at the same time I know they’re protecting me and keeping my best interest in mind, which we really appreciate as players. That’s something this organization does so well. There was nothing other than, ‘Hey, great job.’ I appreciate them and everything they’ve done for me.”
Roberts had a slightly different view and acknowledged Wrobleski likely could have pitched another inning, but didn’t want to overextend him considering how early it is in the season and his importance to the team.
“I would say that he certainly earned the opportunity to go back out for the ninth,” Roberts noted. “He pitched a heck of a ballgame. For me, the decision was he hasn’t gone more than five innings in a long time.
“So now you’re talking about the health of a player. That’s why when we talk about pitch counts and things like that, there’s more to it than pitch counts. So for him to get up eight times and throw the baseball the way he did, you could see the velocity start to go down.
“So I’m looking at his health. He had a heck of a ballgame, he was efficient, those guys were swinging. Considering where the bullpen was at going into tonight, huge lift and really, really proud of what he’s done in literally a calendar year. How far he’s come.”
Wrobleski’s start against the Mets was his longest since completing six innings against the Kansas City Royals on June 29, 2025. His longest outing as a professional had been seven innings, which he has achieved twice while in the Minor Leagues (for Double-A Tulsa in 2024 and Triple-A Oklahoma City in 2025).
Dave Roberts praises Justin Wrobleski
Wrobleski has come a long way since making his MLB debut in 2024, and Roberts believes the 25-year-old’s success as a starter is a byproduct of his desire to always improve.
“A lot of hard work that he puts into the weight room,” Roberts began. “That’s something we talked about [Sunday], you have that mindset but you have to be able to have the workload as far as being able to have the mindset but also have the ability to go as hard as you can for as long as you can.
“He’s always had that mindset. I think what he has done out of the bullpen has certainly helped. He’s just kind of elongated those stints as a starter. Can’t say enough about what he’s done for us.”
Through three games (two starts) this season, Wrobleski has posted a 2-0 record with a career-best 2.12 ERA and 0.77 WHIP in 17 innings pitched.
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 stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
