The Los Angeles Dodgers were asking the world of Julio Urias when he took the mound for the fourth time in 12 days on Wednesday and the result was a 2-9 loss against Atlanta Braves in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series.
Although Urias was the only 20-game winner in the major leagues this season, Los Angeles had used him in three roles in the past week alone.
Urias and the Dodgers claimed that it was nothing he could not handle, but the left-hander was out of rhythm and away from his normal between-starts preparation when he took on the Braves.
Photo: AP
“I felt good physically,” Urias said after the game.
“I just have to give them credit for what they did today,” he added.
By the time Urias left the Dodger Stadium bump with a five-run deficit, it seemed clear that his team are asking for too much — or are not getting enough — from the top pitchers in their tumultuous rotation.
The Dodgers’ front office is disregarding most traditional norms in an October attempt to get the most out of their pitching staff, but with his team on the brink of elimination, it is clear that those decisions have not worked out the way LA boss Andrew Friedman hoped.
Urias and Max Scherzer struggled in the series when asked to start just two days after pitching in relief.
Walker Buehler also did not match his usual standard when pitching on extra rest.
And now the Dodgers are down to their last chance to get those decisions right against the Braves, who have a 3-1 series lead against LA for the second straight October and three opportunities to dethrone the defending World Series champions.
After matching the best regular-season record in franchise history, the Dodgers face elimination for the fourth time already in these playoffs in Game 5.
Manager Dave Roberts, the public face of the group strategy decisions made by Friedman’s front office, insisted that Urias’ heavy, unusual usage was not the reason he struggled.
“There’s a potential cost” of using a starter in relief, Roberts said. “I don’t think anyone knows... For me, it’s talking to the player, the pitching guys and seeing the stuff. I just don’t see the stuff tonight was compromised.”
Urias still gave up three solo homers in two early innings — all on four-seam fastballs — before getting tagged for another run in the fifth. With his fastball velocity down slightly from its usual spot, he yielded eight hits and struck out only three.
“Honestly, I don’t think he was necessarily tired,” Roberts said. “I think the stuff was good. I think they had a very good game plan for him. I think they took advantage of some mistakes and hit them out of the ballpark.”
RED SOX 1, ASTROS 9
Houston pitcher Framber Valdez shut down Boston’s batting lineup as the Astros romped to the brink of a place in the World Series with a demolition of the Red Sox at Fenway Park.
Dominican lefthander Valdez delivered a superb performance from the mound, striking out five through eight innings for a win that gave Houston a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven American League Championship Series.
The Astros now need to win just one of the two remaining games in the series — both in Houston — to return to the World Series.
Additional reporting by AFP
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