Steve Webb
LOS ANGELES, CA — In the latest blow to an already fragile pitching staff, flame-throwing right-handed Dustin May was place on the 15-day IL on Saturday prior to the Dodgers’ matchup with the St. Louis Cardinals. The Dodgers listed the reason for the trip back to the Injured List as “low back tightness.” Andre Jackson was called up from Oklahoma City to fill May’s roster spot.
May’s ticket back to the IL is the latest in a series of setbacks in the the return of the 25-year-old Texan to the Dodger rotation. After a sparkling debut on August 20 against the Miami Marlins, it’s been two step forward, one step back for May. Over 30 innings of work and six starts, May is 2-3 with an ERA of 4.50. He’s had moments of brilliance; the five innings of no-hit ball in San Francisco comes to mind. But he has just as easily been struggling on the mound.
The biggest problem of the May comeback tour has been command. 13 walks in 30 innings is far too many. Plus, May has shown a tendency to give up the long ball: three costly home runs in September and a 1.42 WHIP.
Because of the fifteen-day minimum on the IL, this means that there will be on more opportunities to fine-tune any mechanics in game situations. If he makes the postseason roster, he’s going to be going in with no runway, a dicey proposition considering his iffy command already.
So where does that leave the Dodgers’ rotation heading into October? Let’s recap, shall we?
- Dustin May: 15-day IL, could return in October.
- Clayton Kershaw: back from the IL in pitching well.
- Julio Urias: looking like an ace. We’re going to need him in the postseason.
- Walker Buehler: Out for at least a year, maybe more.
- Tony Gonsolin: headed to Oklahoma for a rehab start.
- Tyler Anderson: pitching well, he becomes increasingly important given May’s injury.
- Andrew Heaney: getting lots of K’s, but still hasn’t been able to go very deep.
Andrew Friedman’s got some serious thinking to do.
