Dodgers: Doc Shares His Expectation For Postseason Pitching Staff
As September comes to a close, questions as to who will be a part of the postseason roster and who won't make it back from the IL have continued to leave fans worried.
Dodgers' beat reporter, Jack Harris, shares a few of Dave Roberts' thoughts before Sunday's game against the Cardinals:
Despite a rough past few months of the injury bug including Walker Buehler needing season-ending surgery, Dustin May's recent back flareup, and lots of unknowns about relievers such as Yency Almonte, Blake Treinen, and David Price, the LA team is still doing pretty well.
Leading the way are potential Cy Young nominee Julio Urias, All-Star pitcher Tyler Anderson, and 2014 NL MVP Clayton Kershaw.
Although Kershaw has only 20 game starts compared to El Culichi, he's gone 10-3 with a 2.42 ERA, 124 strikeouts, and 0.95 WHIP in 115.1 innings pitched. Plus an All-Star start under his belt after nine All-Star nominations.
Urias on the other hand has had a season quite like no other and he's made sure everyone knows to respect his game now after being left out of this season's All-Star considerations.
He posts an impressive 17-7 with a 2.25 ERA, 157 strikeouts, and 0.95 WHIP in 164 innings pitched.
Anderson is the final part of the remarkable pitching trio that's carried the team to 106 wins this season after Sunday's 4-1 win over the Cardinals.
The 32-year-old southpaw owns a 15-4 record, 2.52 ERA, 1.014 WHIP, and has collected 125 strikeouts in 167 innings pitched.
Tony Gonsolin was another one of the Dodgers' aces all season long before suffering a forearm strain in late August. His return for October remains unknown but not entirely out of the question just yet.
Dustin May was able to return this summer after a long 16 months of recovery from Tommy John surgery but is also another question mark as he's not only struggled to get back into his groove but is now dealing with a back injury that placed him on the IL on Saturday.
Even if the Dodgers aren't able to return Gonsolin and May in time for the postseason, I think what Roberts has going with the Urias, Kershaw, and Anderson rotation is something special and who knows maybe he'll throw a few other names into the mix for a head to head matchup here and there.
