If you were not among the 43,517 on hand at Dodger Stadium or one of the millions more watching on SportsNet LA or listening on AM 570 radio on Wednesday night, you missed what was one of the best pitching performances of Dodgers right-hander Dustin May‘s six-year MLB career. The 27-year-old Justin, TX native and Dodgers third-round draft pick in 2016 from Northwest High School in Justin, who entered the contest with a less than stellar 1-4 record and potentially DFA-able 4.43 ERA, was reminiscent of the Dustin May of old – the one we witnessed during the Dodgers World Series Championship season in 2020.

The hard-throwing 6-6/180lb right-hander allowed only one run on five hits while walking one and striking out a season-high eight Arizona Diamondbacks in his team’s 3-1 win over the Snakes to improve his record to 2-4 and lower his ERA to a far more respectable (and Dustin May-like) 2.63.

“I was able to establish fastball early, splits were going in and out, I was able to wind-up when I needed to, just getting ahead of guys, and I was able to figure stuff out, so it was good,” May said postgame. “I mean, I felt much better today physically than I did the last outing, so I just felt way more in tune with myself and I was able to execute my throws,” he added.

“Certainly much better than his last one, you know. Ironically, his two best were against this ball club, which is very offensive, very balanced. But I think, for me, tonight was the best he’s thrown the baseball,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said postgame.

That lone D-backs run came on a fourth-inning 425-foot solo home run to right-center field by D-backs second baseman Ketel Marte to lead off the fourth inning. It was the sixth home run surrendered by May this season, tying him with Roki Sasaki and Alex Vesia for most on the team.

It would be a gross understatement to say that the Dodgers did not miss outfielder Teoscar Hernández, who missed 12 games due to a left groin strain. In his first game back, the 32-year-old Cotui, Dominican Republic native crushed an 85.5-MPH slider from D-back right-hander Corbin Burnes for a towering 413-foot three-run home run over the center field wall for the game-winner.

“He hang one and I put a good swing on it,” Hernández told SportsNet LA’s Kirsten Watson postgame.

After a scheduled day off on Thursday, the Dodgers begin a six-game road trip, with three against the NL East second-place New York Mets at Citi Field and three against the AL Central fourth-place Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field.

Play Ball!

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