Dodgers right-handed pitcher Dustin May made his Major League debut tonight at Dodger Stadium on Friday night against the San Diego Padres. With his debut came anticipation. May is the Dodgers number 2 prospect, and ranked 8th in all of baseball, per FanGraphs Prospects.
The Dodgers ultimately lost the game 5-2 as the offense struggled against Padre lefty Eric Lauer.
Following the loss, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts spoke about May’s debut outing, and what we saw:
“I thought Dustin really kept his composure.”
Dave Roberts on @d_maydabeast‘s MLB debut and his takeaways from tonight’s loss. pic.twitter.com/tJ0XOb6L50
— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) August 3, 2019
“I thought Dustin really held his composure, kept his composure, that first inning, second inning, there was some traffic. First inning he got out of the first inning with a double play. Second inning, we didn’t make that play, that fielders choice that turned in to be an error, but limited damage, and then he really got into a groove, was more efficient.
He got his pitch count back on line, and I thought the sinker was really good, I know he was excited. Working behind a little bit, I think the ball was running a lot more then he might have expected, but harness in the middle of the innings, a cutter, got really good in the middle innings, and I just felt that last inning, his pitch count was right where it needed to be, and I just thought he had a good chance to get out of it.”
When asked if May will get another start, Roberts said:
“Yeah, he will make his next start against the Cardinals, and we’ll go from there. But it was fun to see him really keep his composure throughout that start.”
In his debut game, Dustin pitched for 5.2 innings, allowing 4 runs, on 9 hits, while recording 3 strikeouts. He walked 0 batters and threw 97 pitches. 64 of the 97 pitches were strikes.
The first batter he faced was Fernando Tatis Jr., and Tatis Jr. grounded out. May’s first matchup against former Dodger shortstop, Manny Machado, ended with Machado grounding into a double play, and May finished the first inning, allowing just one hit, and threw 13 pitches.
May’s first career strikeout in the Major Leagues came in the second inning against Hunter Renfroe.
The movement on @d_maydabeast‘s first career strikeout? Filthy. pic.twitter.com/A23fy6N7ym
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 3, 2019
He gave up one earned run through five innings. But in the sixth inning, however, he ran into some trouble. He allowed 3 runs in the frame and was chased losing 4-2. He will learn from this performance and make adjustments. May is a unique talent, and he is only going to build from tonight’s game, and get better. He is going to be a great pitcher for years to come.
The post Dodgers: Dave Roberts Speaks About Dustin May’s Debut appeared first on Dodgers Nation.
Comments
0 comments