One of the biggest problems that the Dodgers have seen this season has been from their pitching staff. It has caused strange issues throughout the year and has seen them drop some games that they normally would win.
One of the pitchers that has performed very uncharacteristically this year has been left-hander Julio Urias. He has seen a very up-and-down season so far, and it’s been amplified on the road.
His struggles away from Dodger Stadium have been a growing cause for concern for this team. They again reared their ugly head in the team's loss to the Boston Red Sox on Saturday.
Urias held a 4-2 lead in the sixth inning but gave up a three-run home run that ultimately sank the Dodgers. He spoke on the issues after the game
“No, it’s simply baseball. It’s baseball,” Urias said when asked about the home-road splits. “Obviously, you have to pitch better at home, you have to pitch better on the road. Simply, the team gave me the lead and I couldn’t keep it and obviously that’s what hurts.”
The Dodgers have seen the version of Urias that they have come to know over the last few seasons when he pitches at home. On the year, he is 8-1 with a 2.30 ERA, but when he steps into enemy territory, problems arise.
He is 3-6 with a 7.07 ERA on the road this season while allowing a .298 batting average to opposing batters. It’s quite the opposite of what happens at Dodger Stadium.
It’s something that nobody can explain, and it has caused potential issues for his impending free agency this winter.
“Honestly I was as surprised as anybody with how the outcome ended up in his outing,” Roberts said. “The stuff that he had, the strikeouts (nine), the command. … It just seemed the wheels fell off after the JT double.”
For the Dodgers to get to their ultimate goal of winning another World Series, they are going to need Urias to regain his form. There may come a time in the postseason when they need their guy to come through for them. Urias will need to rise to the challenge, but hopefully, he will figure these road issues out.
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