September 13th, 2019 at 8:00 am 
by Ron Cervenka If you missed the first 27 pitches of the Dodgers and Orioles game at Camden Yards on Thursday night, you missed the sum and total of 39-year-old Dodgers veteran left-hander Rich Hill‘s long-awaited and much-anticipated return to action after spending nearly three months on the injured list for a strained left forearm. You may have also missed the final appearance of the season – and postseason – for the extremely popular Boston, MA native.
On his eighth pitch of the night, a 75-mph curveball to Orioles shortstop Jonathan Villar, Hill felt his left knee “grab.”
“I felt really good the first two hitters,” said Hill after the game. “After the last curveball to the second hitter there, I kind of felt my knee grab. I tried to, stupidly, pitch through it.
“I worked hard to get back. I felt great, felt the ball coming out really, really well for the first two hitters. It was short-lived,” he added.
(Photo credit – Joseph Noyes)
Worked hard indeed. Anyone in and around Dodger Stadium while Hill was working his way back saw – and heard – him working almost daily with trainers and pitching coaches, as noted by his loud signature grunt as he delivers the ball. Unfortunately, this latest setback will probably take him out of the Dodgers starting rotation for the 14 remaining regular-season games and into the upcoming postseason.
“We hadn’t had any signs of that leading up to this outing,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters after his team’s 4-2 win over Baltimore. “You could see some time after that second hitter, it just started to go down as far as velocity, command. You could see him compensating a little bit, so we had to get him out.”
Although it took seven ‘relievers’ to complete the win, including occasional starters Tony Gonsolin, Kenta Maeda and Julio Urias (with Gonsolin being credited with the win), it immediately brings up the burning question of who will replace Hill in the Dodgers starting rotation for the postseason if he is indeed unable to return.
Although opinions vary widely on this topic, for many (perhaps even most), the answer is both simple and quite obvious – just turned 22-year-old (on September 6) Dodgers rookie right-hander Dustin May.
Although Roberts has repeatedly said that if the young Justin, TX native and Dodgers third-round draft pick in 2016 out of Northwest High School makes the Dodgers postseason roster, it would more than likely be out of the bullpen. But while it is understandable that the Dodgers skipper might be reluctant to thrust his star rookie into the extremely high leverage pressures of starting in the postseason, 73 of May’s 75 minor league career appearance were as a starter.
In the simplest of terms, Dustin May – regardless of his age and / or short time in the Bigs – is a starter, not a reliever, period. Not utilizing him is this role would, in all honesty, be an injustice to him and could very well cost the Dodgers their first World Series title in 31 years.
(Photo credit – Steve Mitchell
Do the right thing, Doc; include Dustin May in your postseason starting rotation. Chances are exceptionally good that even Rich Hill would agree with this one.
Play Ball!
* * * * * *
Posted in 
My vote for the fourth starter would be either Stripling or Gonsolin. But you have to consider Urias also. May needs to really impress over the rest of the season to be considered as fourth starter in my opinion.
Dustin May is not ready yet too inconsistent let’s in runs Not already!
Obvious? Sure . . . if you say Julio Urias. May? Maybe next year.
Re Urias, it could be decided by who we are playing and if they are lefthanded strong or righthanded. Btw, the roster can be changed for each series in the playoffs, so a player might not make the Dividion Series but be included in the League series or World Series.
The Dodgers will keep a taxi squad of extra players, who will be staying in game shape to be used accordingly.