In spite of the series finale against the San Diego Padres getting rained out, the Los Angeles Dodgers stuck with their previously scheduled starter on Monday, and sent Alex Wood to the mound against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The start was Wood’s fifth and seventh overall game this season. It was a third consecutive start for the lefty since Rich Hill was put on the disabled list for a second time. Wood began the outing in dominant fashion, striking out four of the first six batters faced.
A leadoff walk in the third inning snapped Wood’s early bid for a perfect game, though he retired the next three hitters, including two by strikeout.
Wood scattered two hits over five innings and finished with a season-high 11 strikeouts:
1️⃣1️⃣. pic.twitter.com/zVvJ2qhGpi
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) May 9, 2017
“He threw the ball well. Got through five innings, 11 strikeouts, really had good command and competed,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Wood.
The 26-year-old mentioned falling into a routine of taking a regular turn in the rotation as key to his consistency. Specifically addressing Monday’s win, Wood pointed to throwing each of his three pitches effectively as reason behind the strong outing.
Overall this season the southpaw is 3-0 with a 2.73 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and 38 strikeouts to 10 walks in 29.2 innings.
