Sometimes you just need some time to get back into the rhythm of things and it seems that’s exactly the case for Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias. Urias returned from a longer than expected stint on the injured list prior to the All-Star break but now seems to be rounding back into form.
The Dodgers ace threw a dominant six innings against the New York Mets on Friday to open the second half of the season and he issued a statement to manager Dave Roberts and maybe the entire league.
“Vacation is over.”
Urias hasn’t looked like himself for much of this season but over his last two starts, he is starting to look like the dominant pitcher he has been for the last two seasons. He credits making adjustments on the fly and it has helped him more than he can say.
“I haven’t done a good job of attacking and throwing first-pitch strikes,” Urías said in Spanish. “I think I’ve missed that this season and I think these last two starts, I’ve made a lot of adjustments to fix that.”
If Urias is indeed back, it would be huge for the Dodgers. He has been such an important piece to their starting rotation over the last few seasons so getting him right is crucial to their success. His start against the Mets yielded just one hit allowed, which came against the first batter he saw. He also struck out seven over the course of the game.
“I watched [Brandon Nimmo’s lead off double] on video and you can honestly see that I didn’t make my adjustment,” Urías said. “[From] then, you could see that I made those adjustments and something clicked, to where I feel like myself on top of the mound.”
It was the kind of outing that both Urias and the Dodgers needed to open the second half of the season. He is scheduled to be a free agent at the end of the season so if he can return to his shutdown pitching, it’ll be beneficial for all parties involved.
“What I’ve been looking for is to not necessarily fight with my mechanics, but just understand that you’re going to miss your spot but then you have to make the necessary adjustment,” Urías said. “I think it’s easy to let that spiral and throw three or four balls in a row, but it’s important to find the adjustment.”
Especially with Clayton Kershaw expected to be sidelined for a few more weeks, LA is going to need Urias to be Urias. It looks like he figured some things out of late and hopefully it can stay that way.
More must-reads: