For several years the Los Angeles Dodgers relied on Clayton Kershaw to play the role of stopper, but more recently that duty has been shared with the likes of Walker Buehler and Julio Urías.
With the Dodgers coming off a disappointing series against the Arizona Diamondbacks in which they left Chase Field on a three-game losing streak, Urías was tasked with getting them back on track at Oracle Park.
The Dodgers figured to be in good hands not only with Urías’ emergence as an ace, but also his career success against the San Francisco Giants.
The left-hander got through six innings with just one run allowed but gave credit to the bullpen after the Dodgers’ 9-1 win in the series opener, via SportsNet LA:
“It was really important to have a good start. I fell a little short because I wasn’t as effective as I wanted to be and had a lot of long counts. I wanted to help out the bullpen, alleviate some of that pressure. Getting through six was really important, but also the bullpen picked me up.”
Urías also said he didn’t feel any added pressure to snap the Dodgers’ losing streak:
“Obviously it was my turn in the rotation to stop the bleeding. We had tough games in Arizona, but I didn’t put extra pressure on myself to do my job. Like I said, it was very frustrating because I fell a little short and didn’t do everything I wanted to do, but it was important to get the victory.”
Urías took the mound Monday night a career 6-4 with a 2.12 ERA and 111 strikeouts in 106 innings pitched over 25 games (19 starts) against the Giants. He was dominant when facing the Dodgers’ longtime rival last season, going 4-1 with a 0.90 ERA.
Urías improved to 3-0 overall this season and his 40 wins since the start of the 2021 season are the most in baseball.
New Julio Urías pitch
Along with making his first ever Opening Day start, Urías unveiled a new cutter that had been a work in progress during the offseason and Spring Training bullpen sessions.
It remains the least-used of his pitch mix, but it gives opposing batters another option to consider.
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