On a night where runs weren’t easy to come by, the Los Angeles Dodgers secured a 4-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series at Dodger Stadium.
Despite recent blister issues, Walker Buehler turned in a solid 2020 postseason debut, limiting the Brewers to just two runs on three hits across four innings of work. His lone blemish of the evening was a two-run homer off the bat of Orlando Arica in the fourth that allowed the Brewers to trim the Dodgers’ 3-0 lead.
Needing five innings from the bullpen, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts summoned Julio Urias in the fifth. The left-hander went on to toss three scoreless innings with five strikeouts and ultimately picked up the win for his efforts.
“Julio is one of those guys that’s always battled,” Buehler said after the game. “I think people kind of forget how young Julio is and how talented he is, how impressive he was for so long.
“I love being around Julio, watching from him and learning from him. He’s young, he’s younger than I am, but he’s been here a lot longer than me. We’re glad to have him our on side, for sure.”
Still just 24 years old, Urias is pitching in his fourth postseason with the Dodgers. After his solid performance in Game 1, he thanked the club for the opportunity to contribute.
“I’m really thankful that the team looks at me and has the confidence in me,” Urias said. “They know I’ll always be willing to give 100%. That’s going to happen regardless of the outcome.
“Luckily tonight we got the win and I’m really proud my teammates were able to get a win. Hopefully [Thursday] we can come out and get another one.”
A candidate to start a potential Game 3, Urias wasn’t told beforehand that he would pitch in the NL Wild Card Series opener. He nonetheless made sure to be ready in the event he was needed.
“They let me know that I had to be ready for whatever situation,” Urias explained. “I wasn’t really sure if they would even need me but I’m thankful for the opportunity and thankful I was able to do my job.”
Urias unsure if he will be available in potential Game 3
If the Wild Card series extends to a winner-take-all Game 3 on Friday, it remains unclear who would start for the Dodgers. Not only that, but it’s also uncertain as to whether Urias will still be an option after throwing 52 pitches in Game 1.
Urias, however, is preparing for the possibility just in case. “I actually have no idea what the plan was,” he said. “I knew I had to go out there, I had to attack, I had to fight and try to go as deep as possible.
“I’m not sure if it was the inning or pitch count, but they took me out. I’ll be ready anything they need.”
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