Photo Credit: Los Angeles Times
Dustin May took the ball yesterday for the Dodgers and looked absolutely magnificent on the mound.
It’s no secret that the Dodgers are loaded with talent across the board and when that happens, sometimes even the players that aren’t ranked high on the depth charts succeed. That was Dustin May on Monday night as he went up against the Oakland Athletics which he went 6 innings while giving up no runs on only 2 hits and had 8 strikeouts to go along with a fantastic 2021 season debut. May is slated as the fifth starter in the Dodgers elite rotation, and if he’s doing stuff like he did on Monday, that just goes to show how stacked the starting rotation really is.
He ran into some trouble in the first inning with runners on first and second with only 1 out to open up the ball game, but was able to dance his way out with a strikeout and a groundball out. From there, he was on cruise control, mixing up pitches and changing speeds to frustrate hitters at the plate. He was given plenty of run support throughout the game as the Dodgers led 7-0 by the bottom of the 4th inning. When speaking with media, May stated “It’s a big league game, we’re here to do a job and get guys out. You have to stay locked in no matter what the situation is, staying hot, being able to stay warm in a cold dugout. That was the biggest thing.”
It was a chilly night for the boys in blue as Dustin May was referring to the temperature throughout his start. At game time it was a reported 55 degrees and dropped as low as 52 degrees as the game went on which seemed as a challenge according to May. The other situation he was referring to was being able to perform as he did even with the huge run support he was given which would have given him a comfortable cushion, but he didn’t want to see it that way based on his statement. While everything seemed to be going right for the Dodgers, that’s when injuries started to occur.
Chris Taylor was hit by darting fastball in his left elbow at 96-mph in the top of the third, he was taken out the next inning for precautionary reasons. Luckily, X-rays came back negative which is always good news to hear about a star in their lineup. The other significant player that was injured was Cody Bellinger, as he got clipped on the left calf by an A’s reliever trying to beat him out on a groundball to first base. He’s going to be reevaluated on Tuesday and is listed as day to day.
The only other blemish in an otherwise dominant game by the Dodgers was when David Price came from the bullpen and gave up three runs in the 8th inning. He gave up a solo home run to Mark Canha and RBI singles to Matt Chapman and Ka’ai Tom.
The Dodgers are looking to keep the pressure on the Athletics as they face them again today with Clayton Kershaw back on the mound for his second start. In his last start in Colorado, Kershaw didn’t fare too well pitching in high altitude as he was charged with 5 runs on 10 hits. Game time is at 6:40 pm PST.
Jacob Cisneros is a writer for Dodgers-LowDown. You can find him on Twitter and Instagram @_JacobCisneros.