Steve Webb
LOS ANGELES, CA — In one of the most anticipated starts in recent Dodger memory, flame-throwing redhead Dustin May will be making his first big league start in over a year this weekend. And, if ever a guy was ready to seize the role that fate has handed him, it’s this lanky Texan.
May was off to solid start in 2021
Things seemed to be breaking May’s way at the start of the 2021 campaign. After posting a 2.37 ERA over five appearances in Spring Training, May was not only named to the Opening Day roster, but grabbed the final spot of the Dodgers’ starting rotation. May slotted in in the 5-spot in the rotation, behind Kershaw, Bauer, Buehler, and Urias. And among that heady company, Code Red more than held his own.
In his first start of the year, May gave the Dodger faithful a foretaste of what might be to come. He went 6.0 innings of shutout ball against the Oakland A’s (back before they sucked), and probably had the best start of the first time through the rotation. He continued to pitch well in his first start of the year at Dodger Stadium, though he couldn’t make it out of the fifth to get the win.
In his third start of the year, May got bit by the longball early and the Mariners hung the first loss of the year on his ledger. However, he was back on point in San Diego in his next start, giving up only one earned run on two hits while striking out 10 Padres. Dustin finished April with a 2.53 ERA. Things were looking very good indeed for the Dodgers’ budding ace.
Disaster in Milwaukee
“Oh no.”
Those were the first words out of play-by-play man Joe Davis‘s mouth as Dustin May summoned the training staff to the mound. The Dodgers’ righty had just thrown ball four to the Brewers’ Billy McKinney in the second inning of a 1-1 tie at American Family Field in Milwaukee on, ironically enough, May Day 2021. Davis didn’t have to be a mind reader to see that something had gone very very wrong with May’s pitching arm. He was immediately removed from the game, but the damage had already been done. A couple of days later, a doctor’s diagnosis confirmed the worst: Tommy John, the two words no pitcher wants to hear.
Knowing that there was no sense avoiding the inevitable, the Dodgers’ medical team went right to work Dr. Neal ElAttache performed the procedure on May 11th of last year, and thus the long road back had begun.
Slow and steady wins the race
The Dodgers had no interest in rushing their prized pitcher back from the injury. May took the challenges of his rehab in stride, and little by little he got closer to his return. By July of this year, it looked like May would be ready to start a rehab assignment. He pitched a bit in the Arizona Complex League in the middle of the month, and then on July 22, May made his first start in Oklahoma City for the triple-A Dodgers. Understandably, his command was a little shaky, so the outing was cut short after only two innings as May had already thrown 49 pitches.
However, things got better after that first start. A lot better. In fact, in his last tune-up before rejoining the team in Milwaukee, May threw an immaculate inning: three strikeouts on nine pitches. His ERA down on the farm has been great: 1.89 ERA over five starts and 19 innings, including an insane 33 strikeouts. Sure, it’s triple-A, but the boy is ready as he’ll ever be.
May confident, Roberts underplays expectaions
If you ask Dustin May, it’s go time. When he rejoined the team in Milwaukee, he expressed a confident eagerness to get back to doing what he loves. “I’m excited,” he told SNLA’s Kirsten Watson upon his arrival in Wisconsin. “I couldn’t have gotten any more prepared in the Minor Leagues than I did. I’m in the best spot possible to come back and help the team.”
For his part, manager Dave Roberts doesn’t want Dodger fans to set their expectations too high. “The expectation for us in the organization is that he’s gonna be back and be able to take down some innings,” Roberts said recently. “No one’s asking him to go out there and throw a no-hitter. He has good stuff. He’s pitched in big spots. Our expectation, excitement is just getting him back. I don’t have any expectation on the results. I just know that he’s a very talented player and he’s gonna help our ballclub.”
Just how much he helps the ballclub remains to be seen, but Dodgers baseball ops guru Andrew Friedman likes what he sees. “The high-end stuff is in place,” he said. “Now I think it’s just that last mile of the execution and getting everything in good order and built up to the point where he can take down a fairly normal starter workload. Exactly how that works, we’ll be able to take a little bit of time to find that out. But everything we’ve seen to this point has been incredibly encouraging.”
Bring on the Marlins!
The Miami Marlins, May’s first opponent, in many ways are an ideal team for May to throw against in his return. They are 27th in baseball in OPS, hitting a paltry .669 this season (the Dodgers sit high atop the leader board over 100 points higher at .784). Their best hitter, Jazz Chisolm, is out of the lineup with an injury. Jesus Aguilar has an OPS below league average this season. All-Star Garrett Cooper will miss this series because of concussion protocols. So, in other words, this ain’t exactly the ’27 Yankees he’ll be facing this weekend.
Still, the guy is rested, he’s ready. He’s going to give the Dodgers’ battered rotation a shot of adrenaline. Let’s light this red firecracker and watch it burn!
