It is a phrase that gets ridiculously (and obnoxiously) overused at this time of year every year – ‘Mid season form.’ But based on his performance in his 2023 season debut against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium on Friday night, 25-year-old Dodgers right-hander Dustin May is in ‘Mid season form,’ allowing no runs and only three hits with one walk and four strikeouts in his 7.0-inning season debut.

“Really good, really good. Very efficient, pounded the strike zone,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of May’s stellar season debut. “Got behind, found a way to get some contact, some easy outs, and first time he’s gone through the seventh inning in over a calendar year, so that was really good to see. He did a really nice job” added the Dodgers skipper.

“I would say very good,” May answered, when asked of his assessment of his season debut. “I was getting ahead of a lot of guys, a lot of quick outs, the defense played very well behind me. Just a very well-played game.”

May was poised to win his first game of the two-day-old 2023 season after Dodgers perennial All-Star right fielder Mookie Betts crushed a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh to give the May and the Dodgers a 1-0 lead.

Unfortunately, that lead was short-lived, when soon-to-be (on April 11) 26-year-old Dodgers left-hander Alex Vesia, gave up a devastating eighth-inning two-run home run to the third batter he faced, Dbacks pinch-hitter Kyle Lewis; this after giving up a one-out double to Dbacks pinch-hitter Evan Longoria and giving Arizona a 2-1 lead and eventual final score, for which Vesia was charged with a blown save and the loss.

“I don’t think so,” Roberts answered, when asked is Vesia was bothered by the new pitch clock rule. “He’s tried and true, he’s been good for us, and had the experience in Spring Training, so I don’t think it was a pitch clock thing at all.”

Whatever it was, it absolutely wasted May’s brilliant ‘Mid season form’ season debut.

Play Ball!

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