The Los Angeles Dodgers elected to give Julio Urias, Walker Buehler and Max Scherzer an extra day of rest before their last starts, and after initial indications that would change for the remainder of this week, they will again be pushed back.
The Dodgers went into their series against the St. Louis Cardinals with only Scherzer scheduled to make a start at Busch Stadium. They relied on Corey Knebel as an opener Tuesday night and will rely on another bullpen game Wednesday.
Meanwhile, after suggesting Urias was not necessarily a lock to start the series finale, manager Dave Roberts said the left-hander was going to pitch against the Cardinals. But that changed once again as Tony Gonsolin now is due to be activated off the 10-day injured list.
Urias threw 96 pitches over 5.2 innings against the San Francisco Giants last weekend in another strong start. He allowed just one run and collected eight strikeouts en route to earning an MLB-leading 16th win this season.
“Just tried to focus on making good pitches,” Urias said after the game. “They had really good at-bats and put me in those situations, but I tried to change it up and trust Will (Smith), who put good signs down and I was able to make the right pitches.”
Urias has pitched well since returning from a left calf contusion that required a stint on the 10-day injured list. Roberts believed the brief stretch of not pitching served a duel purpose for the 25-year-old as he far and away has set a new career high in innings pitched this year.
Buehler looking to rebound
Having dominated the Giants throughout this season and much of his career, Buehler struggled at Oracle Park and only managed to pitch three innings in the series finale.
“Not a whole lot was very good,” he said after allowing six runs on seven hits. “Probably the worst I’ve thrown in a long time. I’ll get back to the drawing board and improve.”
Like with Urias, the Dodgers are pushing Buehler back a day as he will now start the second game of a series against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium.
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