With Dustin May being struck in his left foot by a comebacker and only able to complete one inning, the Los Angeles Dodgers were suddenly thrust into piecing together a bullpen game in the series finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
May was hit by the first batter he faced and initially remained in the game but was removed as he began to warm up for the second. Victor Gonzalez and Alex Wood completed one inning each — with the latter giving up two runs.
Tony Gonsolin then took over in the fourth inning and wound up finishing the game out. That Gonsolin pitched was a mild surprise considering Walker Buehler was put back on the 10-day injured list before the game.
Gonsolin figured to be Buehler’s replacement to start Sunday. However, in reality that roster move determined the rookie would instead face the Diamondbacks. “Tony had a heads-up and knew he was going to be in this game, but obviously not in the fourth inning,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after the loss.
Gonsolin added, “How long I was pitching, that wasn’t up to me. I just tried to be ready and eat as many innings as I could.”
Gonsolin was hit around a bit and allowed a season-high three runs, yet still saw the appearance as valuable. “There’s some bad, obviously, but there’s definitely some good,” he said.
“I learned how to get ready for a bullpen appearance where I can go multiple innings. My body felt good, it just wasn’t great. I felt like I didn’t execute pitches very well. I felt like there was a lot of improvement to be made with every pitch and just executing them.”
Finding a routine and rhythm as a relief pitcher was something Gonsolin — and May — both mentioned as being challenging when they auditioned out of the bullpen down the stretch of last season.
May undergoing more tests
The Dodgers don’t yet know the full extent of May’s injury as an X-ray at Chase Field was described by Roberts as being “inconclusive.” May is scheduled to undergo a CT scan on the team’s off day.
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