Julio Urías wasn’t overly dominant against the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday night, but he got through five shutout innings to earn a 10th consecutive win as the Los Angeles Dodgers went on for a 4-0 victory in the series opener at American Family Field.
By not allowing a run, Urías lowered his career ERA in the second half to 1.87. That’s good for the lowest second-half ERA in MLB history among all pitchers who have logged at least 180 innings after the All-Star break.
Coming off a 20-win season, Urías endured a bit of a slow start and saw a drop off in fastball velocity. However, he’s found a rhythm since June and emerged as a key leader in the Dodgers starting rotation.
Dating back to facing thew New York Mets on June 5, Urías has allowed two earned runs or fewer in 11 of 13 starts. He allowed three runs to the Colorado Rockies on June 29, and endured a career-worst start against the Chicago Cubs on July 10.
But since that short outing at Dodger Stadium, the left-hander has logged at least six innings in five of his past six starts.
Overall this season, Urías is 13-6 with a 2.40 ERA and 0.98 WHIP across 23 starts.
Dave Roberts: Julio Urías emerging as Dodgers ace
With Clayton Kershaw having spent time on the injured list and Walker Buehler now lost to season-ending elbow surgery, Urías’ presence and contributions have become all the more integral to the Dodgers’ success and World Series aspirations.
He’s pitched in several big moments despite only being 26 years old and in the eyes of Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, has emerged as an ace on the staff.
“He does a great job in the weight room. I think with Julio, he expects a lot from himself. I think there was just a point where he wanted to be looked at as the guy,” Roberts recently said. “And how do you do that? You do that by going out there and performing.
“Julio is a guy. We already know that, but I think that that’s something for him that he wants it to be known. He’s been doing that consistently, and we’ve been the benefactors.”
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