Dodgers News: Dave Roberts Reveals What Julio Urias Has Done Differently As of Late
It wasn't all that long ago when Julio Urias had essentially hit rock bottom.
Coming off a 2022 season where he finished third in the National League Cy Young Award voting, the Dodgers left-hander surrendered eight runs in a loss to the Baltimore Orioles on July 19.
He had made his return from a nagging groin injury, but the reliable form of his hadn't come back with him, and he was staring at a 5.02 ERA, a mark that would be a career high since he became a full-time starter.
It's been different for him lately though, and the usually steady Urias looks like he's returned.
Following three quality outings -- including two straight scoreless starts -- he's seen that 5.02 ERA drop to 4.39 and looks like he's once again become a steady hand in the Dodgers rotation.
LA manager Dave Roberts surely appreciates the boost from the 26-year-old, and he explained why he thinks Urias has pitched better of late.
“The fastball has more life. The command of the fastball is much better,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of the difference in Urias over his past three starts. “The late life with the slider and the changeup has been considerably better. That probably speaks to delivery (adjustments). But when he’s good, when any pitcher is good, everything comes out of the same window, the same lane. You can tell when everything looks like the same pitch.” (via Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register)
LA's rotation has been finding its collective form on the mound and they're due to get another key reinforcement back in Clayton Kershaw, who's set to return on Thursday.
Urias has played a key role in the rotation's recent resurgence, and he put the reason behind that to him being comfortable with his mechanics again.
“The results have been positive, but mostly just feeling like myself,” Urias said in Spanish. “Feeling like myself mechanically. Feeling like with all three of my pitches I can make an adjustment. That’s what I’m liking and I’m hoping I can keep that constant." (via OC Register
Hopefully for him and his team, Urias is able to remain locked in down the stretch as they now look toward an October that's not too far away.
