The Los Angeles Dodgers entered their longest road trip of the 2023 season coincided with arguably the toughest stretch of games as it included matchups with the St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves and Tampa Bay Rays before returning to Dodger Stadium.
The Dodgers opened their trip with a rough patch. Following Dustin May’s right flexor pronator strain on May 17, they lost three of four to the Cardinals, and additionally placed Julio Urías on the 15-day injured list with a left hamstring strain.
Dodgers starting pitching injuries forced them to add rookies Gavin Stone and Bobby Miller to their rotation against the Braves, considered by many the best team in the National League.
Despite having the odds against them, the Dodgers took two of the three matchups with the Braves, which left manager Dave Roberts happy with the way his club played, via SportsNet LA:
“Solid. Coming off a grind of a series in St. Louis, being on the road for seven straight days, time difference and all that stuff, the way we bounced back, I thought collectively we did a fantastic job. For me, the effort, how we played, winning two of three, really good sign.”
The series against the Braves was highlighted by Miller making his MLB debut. Miller was highly impressive in his first career start.
The highly-touted prospect pitched five innings while allowing just one run and striking out five hitters to only one walk en route to earning his first career win. After the game, Miller admitted to dealing with nerves, but you could not tell by his demeanor on the mound.
The Dodgers still have their biggest challenge yet with three games against the Rays, who hold the best record in baseball at 36-15. The Rays are additionally first in runs scored and first in preventing runs.
Dodgers shut down Dustin May
The Dodgers will be without May until some time after the All-Star break as he was transferred to the 60-day injured list following a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection in his right elbow.
May is going to be shut down from throwing for a minimum of six weeks in order to give ample time for the PRP injection to take effect.
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