The Los Angeles Dodgers will have some interesting decisions to make as the postseason draws closer, with the biggest being who will fill out their starting rotation for October.
There’s no doubt that Clayton Kershaw and Walker Buehler will be in it, leaving two spots for the team’s three young hurlers — Dustin May, Julio Urias and Tony Gonsolin.
Many thought the Dodgers would look to add a veteran starter at the deadline with the team being linked to Lance Lynn of the Texas Rangers, among others, but president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman ultimately showed his confidence in May, Urias and Gonsolin by not acquiring one.
In fact, the Dodgers traded away Ross Stripling to the Toronto Blue Jays for a pair of prospects.
With less than a month until the start of the postseason, the Dodgers’ three young starters are essentially competing for a spot in the playoff rotation the rest of the way.
Urias takes the ball on Sunday night against the Colorado Rockies, and while he is aware that he is essentially pitching for a postseason rotation spot, that isn’t at the forefront.
“Right now it’s just focusing on every outing. I’ll focus on the next outing, I’m going to show up and work hard,” he said. “Whatever decision they make with the playoffs, I’ll respect it. It’s something that’s out of my control.
“The only thing I can control is try to stay healthy and let them make those decisions.”
Urias will be the first Dodgers starter to pitch on a regular four days’ of rest this season as their depth has given them the luxury of giving everyone at least one extra day.
The lefty is coming off one of his best outings of the season, tossing six innings of one-run ball against the Arizona Diamondbacks earlier in the week.
Overall in seven starts this season, Urias is 3-0 with a 3.27 ERA, 3.86 FIP and 1.27 WHIP with 29 strikeouts and 10 walks in 33 innings.
Friedman expressed confidence in rotation
After not making any moves at the trade deadline, Friedman put of vote of confidence in to Urias and the other starters in the rotation.
“Obviously we’ve got Julio, Dustin, Tony,” Friedman answered when asked about filling out the postseason rotation. “I don’t know exactly how things will play out, but I feel very confident we’re going to have an extremely talented pitching staff come October.
“Exactly how guys are deployed remains to be seen, but similar to Walker in 2018, Dustin and Tony got some experience last year in the postseason. We not only believe in their ability but we also believe in them as competitors and feel good with them helping us in our pursuit of winning a championship.”
Urias, May and Gonsolin have all been solid and worthy of a postseason rotation spot, so it will be interesting to see which way they go for those final two rotation spots. Urias has the most bullpen experience of the bunch, so that could be a factor to consider.
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