With less than two weeks until Opening Day of the 2023 regular season, Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitchers continue to ramp up their workload.
Julio Urías is doing so with Team Mexico in the World Baseball Classic, throwing 62 pitches in his first start with them, and Clayton Kershaw threw 75 pitches on Thursday in an outing against the Texas Rangers.
Tony Gonsolin has been dealing with an ankle injury which makes his status to make the Opening Day roster unlikely. However, he has resumed throwing from flat ground.
As for Noah Syndergaard, he pitched in a B game against the Chicago White Sox and came out of it feeling good, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said on SportsNet LA:
“It went well. He was [93-95 mph], he went five innings, I think he was right around 60 pitches. Very efficient. Everything was efficient in the zone and looked really good.”
Andre Jackson, who is looking to find a spot on the Dodgers roster but seems destined for Triple-A Oklahoma City, also pitched in a B game:
“Andre was on another field, I think he went four (innings) and 60 (pitches), and threw the baseball really well also as well.”
Syndergaard went a combined 10-10 with a 3.94 ERA in 25 games (24 starts) for the Los Angeles Angels and Philadelphia Phillies last season. The former All-Star has battled inconsistency since a breakout campaign in 2016, which can largely be attributed to injuries.
Syndergaard was bumped into the B game due to the Dodgers getting rained out and Kershaw’s start being pushed back a day.
Jackson has limited Major League experience, but he has been effective with the Dodgers, posting a 2.11 ERA in 21.1 innings over the past two years.
Dodgers coordinating with Team Mexico on Urías pitch limit
Team Mexico defeated Canada on Wednesday to advance from Pool C and reach the quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic for the first time in the country’s history. That lines up Urías to face Puerto Rico on Friday in Miami.
Urías threw five innings against Colombia in Mexico’s first WBC game, and the team is working with the Dodgers to plan out his usage on Friday.
“So there’s going to be a conversation with the Dodgers to clarify so we’re on the same page,” Team Mexico manager Benji Gil said in Spanish.
“How many pitches they’re willing for him to throw, and also we will adjust with that. At the end of the day, the other day he threw 62 pitches in five innings. Maybe it’s something similar.”
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