After Julio Urias began to stretch out as a starting pitcher while serving a 20-game suspension for violating MLB’s domestic violence policy, he was immediately thrown into the rotation upon returning from the restricted list.
Urias was officially placed on the Dodgers’ active roster Monday — the first day he was eligible to be reinstated — and handed the ball Tuesday against the Colorado Rockies. The decision to start Urias coincided with Kenta Maeda being bumped into the bullpen.
Urias was limited to three innings or 45 pitches, and he essentially hit the target on the nose. There was a bit of a shaky start before he settled in and held the Rockies to just one run while getting through three innings on 44 pitches.
“I felt a lot better than I expected,” Uris said through an interpreter. “It felt good to be back up here in front of the fans. I did a lot better than I expected.”
Urias’ first three pitches of the game went for ball, and so did his first two to Nolan Arenado. Daniel Murphy led off the second inning with a home run and Garrett Hampson doubled with two outs but was stranded.
Urias finished his night by retiring the final four batters faced, which included two strikeouts. “I was struggling a little bit there with my fastball,” he said of the first inning. “But after I got the command I felt a lot better and was able to execute the plan.
“Like I said, I’m just glad to be back here with my teammates again. Now I’m ready for whatever they have in their plans.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed Urias would make another turn in the rotation next week. “I thought he was good. The fastball command was good, changeup was good,” Roberts said. “Getting that slider and breaking ball to be more consistent, I think that’s something where there’s a little more room for growth.
“And that will come with consistency. Julio is a guy we’re counting on. He looked pretty sharp.”
