Since making his 2021 season debut against the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 9, Tony Gonsolin has shown improvement in each of his subsequent outings. The Los Angeles Dodgers kept the fifth spot in their rotation open for Gonsolin after Dustin May’s injury and hope for him to soon settle in.
The right-hander dealt with shoulder inflammation at the beginning of the season and more recently fatigue/soreness in the area. That limited him to yet another short start against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
“It’s definitely been up and down,” Gonsolin said of his season thus far. “Trying to stay positive with everything and maintain being healthy for the rest of the year and hopefully in the playoffs.”
Gonsolin struggled considerably in Pittsburgh, though only allowed one earned run in 1.2 innings. However, threw a whopping 66 pitches in the process and walked a career-high five batters.
In his last two outings, however, Gonsolin has been able to go a bit deeper into the game and be more efficient in the process. He threw 3.2 innings in each of his past two starts and allowed just one earned run each time. Among those who noticed this improvement was Gonsolin himself.
“First outing, going out there and walking five or whatever, was not what I wanted to see or what anybody wanted to see,” he acknowledged. “Getting a little bit better each outing, and this last outing was a lot better. Hopefully I can maintain that efficiency as I go deeper into games.”
Gonsolin is slated to make his fourth start of the season as the Dodgers look to bounce back from being no-hit. More importantly, the 27-year-old is confident his right shoulder trouble is in the past.
“I’ve been feeling good,” Gonsolin said. “Bullpen felt really good and I’m looking forward to [Friday]. … “Just getting a little bit more treatment in between to flush out some of the soreness and stuff like that.”
Gonsolin to manage shoulder
In addition to receiving treatment since his last start, Gonsolin anticipates taking a little more care of his right shoulder to avoid more trouble moving forward.
“I think we can definitely stay on top of it a little better,” he said. “I can do a better job in my prep work and all that stuff. Overall, I think it’s very manageable.”
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!
