Dodgers Dugout: Meet the true ace of the Dodgers

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell, and I’m not saying it is hot, but I’m pretty sure that the Earth has been ripped from its orbit and is hurtling toward the sun.

With all the talk this year of who the ace of the Dodgers is (Clayton Kershaw? Walker Buehler? Has Tony Gonsolin been the ace this year?), one name gets overlooked, and it’s a name I regretfully have not written about much the last couple of seasons. Perhaps the true ace of the Dodgers: Julio Urías.

Just take a look at his last three seasons. In 2020, he went 3-0 with a 3.27 ERA and got the save in the World Series-clinching game. In 2021, he went 20-3 with a 2.96 ERA in 185 2/3 innings over 32 starts. And this season, he leads the NL with a 2.29 ERA in 145 2/3 innings. He has walked only 34 and struck out 139.

But let’s look at how he compared to every Dodger pitcher with at least 12 starts since 2020.

Starts

Julio Urías, 68
Walker Buehler, 53
Clayton Kershaw, 48
Tony Gonsolin, 44
Tyler Anderson, 23
Dustin May, 18
Trevor Bauer, 17
Mitch White, 14

Innings

Julio Urías, 386.1
Walker Buehler, 309.1
Clayton Kershaw, 270.1
Tony Gonsolin, 230.2
Tyler Anderson, 147.2
Trevor Bauer, 107.2
Mitch White, 105.2
Dustin May, 95

ERA

Tony Gonsolin, 2.42
Trevor Bauer, 2.59
Tyler Anderson, 2.68
Julio Urías, 2.75
Dustin May, 2.84
Walker Buehler, 2.91
Clayton Kershaw, 2.93
Mitch White, 3.58

WHIP

Clayton Kershaw, 0.965
Tony Gonsolin, 0.975
Trevor Bauer, 1.003
Julio Urías, 1.009
Tyler Anderson, 1.023
Walker Buehler, 1.034
Dustin May, 1.053
Mitch White, 1.202

Those numbers include innings pitched in relief, which is not much for anyone except Mitch White. Urías has pitched better than Kershaw or Buehler the last three seasons and has pitched more often. So while everyone was debating who the true ace of the Dodgers is, Urías walked over and quietly picked up the crown.

By the way, since July 16, Urías has given up 32 hits and 12 walks in 56 innings, striking out 53. He has a 1.13 ERA in that span.

Blake Treinen returns

Blake Treinen returned Saturday after spending most of the season on the IL. Turns out, Treinen has a partial tear in his right shoulder and was advised to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery. He decided against it, and that decision seems to have worked out. His velocity was in the mid-to-upper 90s and he looked like the Treinen of old, a very important weapon to have in the bullpen.

Uh oh

Joey Gallo is hitting .193 since joining the Dodgers on Aug. 4. He has three hits in his last 27 at-bats. They should go ahead and do whatever they thought they could do to fix his swing. Since Aug. 4, Trayce Thompson is hitting .314 with four homers.

Since coming off the IL, Chris Taylor is 13 for 76 with four doubles and two homers, hitting .171/.291/.315. He has struck out 33 times in 73 at-bats. That’s not ideal.

Since Aug. 23, Max Muncy is six for 44, hitting .136.

Since going three for three with two homers on Aug. 7, Cody Bellinger has gone nine for 62 with two homers, hitting .145.

This seems familiar

Max Scherzer left the New York Mets’ game against Washington early Saturday because of “fatigue on his left side.”

“Wasn’t anything specific, I don’t have any strains, it’s just left side was getting tired a lot quicker than usual,” Scherzer told The New York Post. “So this was a precautionary move.”

What have they done lately?

A look at how players the Dodgers traded at the deadline have done on their new teams:

Garrett Cleavinger, Tampa Bay, 5.40 ERA, 3.1 IP

Jake Lamb, Seattle, .238/.304/.429, 113 OPS+

Zach McKinstry, Chicago Cubs, .194/.237/.292, 48 OPS+

Mitch White, Toronto, 7.04 ERA, 23 IP, 32 hits, 8 walks, 20 K’s

What Vin Scully meant to you

Wink Martindale of Palm Desert: Most may not recall, Vin hosted a game show on NBC. The year was 1965. I was hosting my first network show on an adjoining stage. During a break in taping, Vin took the time to walk over, say hello, and compliment my work. What’s wrong with this picture? Vin Scully complimenting MY work?

Those few moments are among my favorite memories.

Tim Posada: I am a lifelong Dodgers fan, and one of the folks that fell asleep listening to Vin every chance I got. I would watch a 19-inch tube TV when I was in high school. I was lucky enough to listen to Vin with my father and with my oldest son. Vin was a treasure and will never be forgotten.

Jim Betts of Clovis: In the mid-’60s, my Dad would play Dodgers games on an old gray radio he had and the sound of Vin’s voice became part of the fabric of my life. Over time I learned how to listen to a baseball game, and came to prefer it to watching them. I love watching games too, but it is still very common for me to listen on the radio to games that are broadcast, that’s how good Vin was.

I can describe several poignant memories of Vin’s broadcasts that are special to me (Pedro Guerrero hitting a home run to beat SF 1-0 in the early ‘80s) but they wouldn’t mean much to anyone else, all of whom probably have their own special recollections. He was a beautiful, humble and brilliant man. My wife and I commented for years about how lucky we were that he was still broadcasting.

Fred Voros: As a kid growing up in San Luis Obispo in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, I too often fell asleep listening to Vin Scully and Jerry Doggett call Dodger games on my transistor radio, a little earpiece in my ear. It was the era of Koufax and Drysdale, Gilliam and Wills.

Vinnie was so good that he could make a baseball game interesting to people (like my wife) who have no interest in baseball. Since Vinnie retired, she has refused to watch games with me.

28-man roster

The current 28-man roster. Teams are allowed to carry a maximum of 14 pitchers. Rosters will revert to 26 men for the postseason.

Pitchers (14)
*Tyler Anderson
Phil Bickford
*Caleb Ferguson
*Andrew Heaney
Heath Hembree
*Clayton Kershaw
Craig Kimbrel
Chris Martin
Dustin May
Ryan Pepiot
Evan Phillips
Blake Treinen
*Julio Urías
*Alex Vesia

*-left-handed

Catchers (2)
Austin Barnes
Will Smith

Infielders (7)
Hanser Alberto
Freddie Freeman
Gavin Lux
Max Muncy
Justin Turner
Trea Turner
Miguel Vargas

Outfielders (5)
Cody Bellinger
Mookie Betts
Joey Gallo
Chris Taylor
Trayce Thompson

Up next

Tonight: San Francisco (Logan Webb, 11-8, 2.89 ERA) at Dodgers (*Andrew Heaney, 2-1, 2.12 ERA), 7 p.m., SportsNet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Tuesday: San Francisco (TBD) at Dodgers (*Tyler Anderson, 13-3, 2.68 ERA), 7 p.m., SportsNet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Wednesday: San Francisco (Alex Cobb, 5-6, 3.58 ERA) at Dodgers (*Clayton Kershaw, 7-3, 2.59 ERA), 1 p.m., SportsNet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

*-left-handed

Stories you might have missed

Once worried his season was over, Blake Treinen calls return to Dodgers a ‘miracle’

And finally

Vin Scully tells some stories about Jackie Robinson. Watch and listen here.