The Los Angeles Dodgers opened up their homestand with a 2-1 win over the Miami Marlins on Friday, and now welcome back Dustin May for his first MLB appearance in over a year.
The Dodgers enter Saturday with an MLB-best 82-36 record and maintain an 18-game lead over the San Diego Padres in the National League West. With a loss on Friday, the Marlins have dropped seven of their last 10 and sit in fourth place in the NL East.
May takes the mound for his first big-league action since May 1 of last season, following a successful recovery from a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow that required Tommy John surgery. He joins a dominant Dodgers rotation that possesses MLB-best marks in both ERA (2.86) and FIP (3.40).
While on a rehab assignment with the Arizona Complex League Dodgers and Triple-A Oklahoma City, May made six starts with a 1.71 ERA and amassed 36 strikeouts in only 21 innings pitched. In his final two starts for Oklahoma City, May tossed five innings in each, which should signal his workload will be around five to six innings.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts didn’t have a conversation with May prior to his return, but is confident the young right-hander won’t feel any extra pressure in being viewed as a replacement to Walker Buehler.
Miami was expected to counter with Braxton Garrett, but he has been scratched and placed on the injured list. The Marlins selected the contract of Bryan Hoeing from Triple-A Jacksonville, and the right-hander now makes his MLB debut.
Hoeing began the season at Double-A Pensacola, where he went 2-1 with a 0.35 ERA in four starts. The 25-year-old followed that up by going 7-5 with a 5.44 ERA across 16 starts at the Triple-A level.
Prior to the game, Reyes Moronta was designated for assignment as the corresponding move to May being reinstated from the 60-day IL. In 22 games with the club this year, Moronta posted a 4.18 ERA across 23.2 innings.
Dodgers lineup
RF: Mookie Betts
SS: Trea Turner
1B: Freddie Freeman
DH: Will Smith
3B: Justin Turner
2B: Max Muncy
LF: Trayce Thompson
CF: Cody Bellinger
C: Austin Barnes
Marlins lineup
3B: Joey Wendle
2B: Jon Berti
DH: Jesús Aguilar
CF: JJ Bleday
RF: Brian Anderson
C: Nick Fortes
1B: Lewin Díaz
SS: Miguel Rojas
LF: Jerar Encarnacion
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