It took exactly one batter for Dodger fans to realize that the Julio Urías that they had come to know and love ‘back in the day’ (as they say) was back, when he struck out Pirates third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes to lead off the final game of the three-game series against Pittsburgh at Dodger Stadium on Thursday evening … on five pitches.

The extremely popular 26-year-old Culiacan, Mexico native ended up going six innings (that’s not a typo) for Dodgers manager Dave Roberts‘ team, during which he allowed two runs on three hits while striking out seven and walking one, doing so on 88 pitches of which 59 were strikes.

But it wasn’t all roses for Urías. In the second inning, he allowed those two runs on three consecutive hits, of which two were doubles.

He did not allow another run – or hit – after that.

“This is Julio,” Roberts said, following his team’s 5-2 win over the Bucs. “I think there was a little bit of frustration and some embarrassment, but he rolled up his sleeves and competed like he always does. He was truly on attack from pitch one.”

Urías received some strong support from right-handers Nick Robertson, Brusdar Graterol, and left-hander Alex Vesia out of the ‘pen, the three of whom also kept the Pirates at bay. In doing so, Robertson and Graterol each earned a hold, and Vesia his first save of the season and third of his four-year MLB career.

As for those five Dodgers runs, the first two came on first baseman Freddie Freeman‘s 15th home run of the season in the bottom of the first inning, a 415-footer to right field, the next two on Max Muncy‘s 20th home run of the season, a 414-footer to left-center field in the bottom of the sixth, and the fifth on Freeman’s line drive single to left in the bottom of the seventh.

With the win, Urías is now 6-5 on the season with a 4.67 ERA and the NL West second place Dodgers now 49-38. That, coupled with a loss by the division leading Arizona Diamondbacks to the New York Mets on Thursday, has them a mere 0.5 games back of the Snakes.

The Dodgers host the Angels of Anaheim for a brief two-game set at the Ravine beginning on Friday evening. The injury-laden Angels have lost seven of their last 10 games and will probably be without the services of future Hall of Famer Shohei Ohtani (cracked fingernail and blister on his right [pitching] hand) and definitely without future Hall of Famer Mike Trout (fractured hamate bone in his left wrist). As such, the Dodgers could very well enter the All-Star break in first place.

Stay tuned…

Play Ball!

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