Julio Urías turned in another efficient start but it wasn’t enough as the Los Angeles Dodgers fell 5-1 to the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on Monday. The loss snapped a six-game winning streak and was the club’s first in their last 17 head-to-head meetings with the Pirates.
Urías allowed two runs on 11 hits over six-plus innings and dealt with plenty of traffic, including working his way out of a jam with runners on second and third base with nobody out in the sixth.
The left-hander gave up a leadoff home run to Michael Perez in the seventh inning and was removed at 82 pitches. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts explained after the game that he liked the matchup, which led to sticking with the 25-year-old one start after having a quick hook.
Meanwhile, Urías was disappointed that he couldn’t make the most of his opportunity in the seventh inning, per Jack Harris of the L.A. Times:
“I wanted to go out there [in the seventh], like I said last week, and wanted to compete in that inning,” Urías said through an interpreter. “Not being able to execute in that seventh inning was disappointing.”
Urías was in a similar situation last week after throwing six scoreless innings against the San Francisco Giants, but he did not get the chance to return for the seventh.
Urías fastball velocity remained below his career average that night and he largely was forced to rely on the heater and curveball throughout the night. Those factors, along with the Giants putting together strong swings, played a significant part in Urías not being allowed to face their lineup for a third time.
On Monday, Urías arguably should have been removed at some point during the sixth inning.
After six starts this season, Urías holds a 2-2 record with a 2.10 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP over 30 innings pitched. He has not completed seven innings in any start thus far.
Urías saw uptick in velocity vs. Pirates
Even with Urías allowing a season-high 11 hits to the Pirates, he did manage to get his fastball up to 95 mph on multiple occasions.
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