Having Tommy-John surgery is never easy, but Dustin May put that experience behind him in style on Saturday. In his first start in 476 days, he shone in a Dodgers 7-0 win over the Miami Marlins on Saturday in Los Angeles.
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May allowed just one hit and two walks in five innings, striking out nine batters in the process. His elbow injury is definitely a thing of the past.
“Happy to be back,” May said after the game, according to Major League Baseball’s official website. And I’m just glad I performed a first [départ]to know that it is behind me and that I come out of it healthy and ready for the next one.”
emotions
Obviously, not all the training sessions in the world are enough to get back into good match form. Thus, May seemed to have trouble finding the strike zone in the first inning, although he got away with making the third out with the bases loaded.
In the eyes of manager Dave Roberts, this first inning is the result of the emotions, palpable by all when May headed to the mound to start the game.
“I think we’ve all seen emotions; he lost control a bit on the mound, Roberts acknowledged. But he showed his determination to do even more, to make his shots and to come out of this round without points. Then after that, I had the impression that he continued to improve as the game went on.
No pressure
By the end of the season, May should remain in the rotation, along with Julio Urías, Tony Gonsolin, Tyler Anderson and Andrew Heaney. He thus becomes an important pillar of the team, whose place in the playoffs is almost already acquired by virtue of an 83-36 record, the first place in the National League, before Sunday’s game.
May, who at 24 has only 32 regular-season games experience, is posting a 2.81 points-against average. However, he gave up five points in two short relief outings in his last playoff appearance, a situation he will certainly want to correct.
He believes he is in the best place to do so by virtue of the quality of the other pitchers at the club.
“We have a lot of great guys on this team and a lot of guys to rely on. So I’ll just go out there and do my business; no reason to put additional pressure on my shoulders,” he said.
Angels: Michael Lorenzen will find form in the minors
Out for nearly two months, Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen has been demoted to AAA in order to get back into shape.
Lorenzen will play for the Salt Lake Bees accordingly for a while. A shoulder injury has kept him sidelined since July 1. The 30-year-old American, however, began a training program on July 31.
A longtime reliever with the Cincinnati Reds, the Anaheim native agreed to a one-year deal with the Angels this offseason to start as a starter. He is 6-6 with a 4.94 ERA in 13 starts this season.
When he returns, he will try to help the Angels close in on a playoff berth. Heading into Sunday’s games, the Californian club was 12.5 games out of a place among the teams drafted in the American League.