For a third time in four career Major League starts, Los Angeles Dodgers top pitching prospect Julio Urias takes the mound on road in a hostile environment.
The 19-year-old lefty faced the New York Mets at Citi Field in his Major League debut, and followed that with a start against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Urias then got a reprieve of sorts, facing the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday.
After that game Dodgers manager Dave Roberts announced the highly-touted prospect would next face the San Francisco Giants, not the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday.
Roberts has maintained his confidence in Urias being able to handle the tough environments, and the left-hander has welcomed the challenges thrown his way.
However, fact of the matter remains Urias has struggled with his pitch count and getting deep into games. Heading into Sunday’s nationally televised game, he touched on what must be improved to put together a longer outing, via Bill Plunkett of the OC Register:
“Attack the batters more and try to hit my spots so I don’t have to work deep in the count as much,” Urias said of the adjustment he needs to make. “It’s a greater level. That’s why they call it the major leagues. It’s very different than the minor leagues. I’m just trying to learn from all the experiences.”
When discussing the adjustment(s) Urias faces, Roberts pointed to a difference in the strike zone. “For a young pitcher, their definition of down in the zone is not the Major League down,” he said on Tuesday.
“A quality Major-League strike is a lot different than a Minor-League quality strike. That’s an adjustment young pitchers have to make, and [Urias] is good enough to make that adjustment.”
Urias’ longest outing thus far is five innings of work against the Cubs. He threw 79 pitches and pitched better than his final line suggests. Prior to allowing back-to-back home runs, Urias was the victim of soft contact.
