Dustin May thrives in his return from Tommy John surgery as Dodgers blank Marlins
Tommy John surgery is so common, with hundreds of pitchers from high school to the big leagues undergoing the elbow ligament replacement procedure every year, and its success rate (80% to 90%) so high that it almost seems routine.
It is anything but, the grueling 16-month rehabilitation process, with its endless hours of strength and range-of-motion exercises, the painful breaking up of scar tissue and the months-long throwing progression, accompanied by an equally challenging mental component.
“The doctors have done a great job with the surgery, and guys are coming back and performing, but as a player, you feel isolated and ostracized, like you’re not a part of the team,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
“I think we do as good a job as anybody trying to keep guys feeling valued and relevant, getting them in town with us when we can, but it’s a tough road mentally.”
Dodgers dominate Marlins in Dustin May’s return
Dustin May delivered five quality innings and the bullpen more or less replicated the effort in a 7-0 victory over the Miami Marlins.
Phil Bickford pitched the final two innings to secure the Dodgers’ 16th victory in 19 games. The Dodgers, which scored the majority of their runs on three-run home runs by Will Smith and Justin Turner held the Marlins to three hits in the win.
May struck out nine and allowed one hit in his first game on the mound for the Dodgers in 15 months after undergoing Tommy John surgery in May 2021.
The Dodgers will look for the series sweep Sunday afternoon at Dodger Stadium.
Dustin May impresses in return from Tommy John surgery
Dustin May’s first start for the Dodgers in more than 15 months was about as good as you could expect from a pitcher returning from Tommy John surgery.
May struck out nine and allowed one hit over five shutout innings, helping the Dodgers maintain a commanding 7-0 lead over the Miami Marlins.
May retired the final 13 batters he faced and battled through a brief spell of strike-zone jitters in the first inning for a memorable season debut.
Caleb Ferguson will take over in relief in the sixth inning.
⚾ End of the fifth: Dodgers 7, Marlins 0
Dustin May continues to rack up strikeouts against Marlins
Dustin May continues to impress in his first Dodgers start in 476 days.
He struck out the side in the fourth inning, giving him eight strikeouts on 63 pitches as the Dodgers hold onto a 7-0 lead.
⚾ End of the fourth: Dodgers 7, Marlins 0
Justin Turner’s three-run home run gives Dodgers 7-0 lead
Justin Turner hit a three-run home run off Marlins pitcher Bryan Hoeing to give the Dodgers a 7-0 lead in the third inning.
Turner’s 398-foot blast to left field came just after Freddie Freeman drove in Mookie Betts to continue a Dodgers scoring surge that started in the first inning with a three-run home run by Will Smith.
Hoeing’s major league debut against the talented Dodgers batting order is going as expected. He’s allowed eight hits and seven earned runs on 73 pitches.
⚾ End of the third: Dodgers 7, Marlins 0
Dustin May retires Marlins in order in the second inning
Dustin May looked a lot more comfortable in the second, striking out Miami’s Lewin Diaz as part of a 1-2-3 inning that required just 10 pitches.
The Dodgers also went down in order in the inning, with Austin Barnes hitting into a 6-4-3 double play.
⚾ End of the second: Dodgers 3, Marlins 0
Will Smith hits three-run homer to give Dodgers lead in the first
Will Smith hit a three-run home run off Marlins starting pitcher Bryan Hoeing to give the Dodgers a 3-0 lead in the first inning.
Smith’s blast to the left-field corner was his 18th home run of the season. Hoenig, making his big-league debut, also gave up singles to Trea Turner and Freddie Freeman.
⚾ End of the first: Dodgers 3, Marlins 0
Dustin May overcomes first-inning jitters to defuse bases-loaded jam
The first inning of Dustin May’s 2022 season was polarizing, but he got the job done.
Making his first start since undergoing Tommy John surgery in May 2021, May recorded three strikeouts and also allowed a hit and issued a pair of walks on 26 pitches.
May gave up a leadoff single to Joey Wendle before striking out Jon Berti and Jesus Aguilar. He then struggled to find the strike zone, throwing seven consecutive pitches outside the zone to walk JJ Bleday and Brian Anderson.
With the bases loaded and the pressure on, May got back into the zone and got ahead in the count to Nick Fortes before striking him out on four pitches.
The first-game jitters seemingly conquered, it’ll be interesting to see where May goes from here.
⚾ Middle first: Marlins 0, Dodgers 0
Tonight’s Dodgers starting lineup vs. Marlins
Here’s the starting lineup for the Dodgers’ Saturday night contest against the Miami Marlins at Dodger Stadium:
ICYMI: Trayce Thompson’s spectacular catch caps Dodgers’ comeback win over Marlins
Trayce Thompson recorded the putout, the Dodgers center fielder leaping to the top of the wall to make a spectacular, potential game-saving catch in the ninth inning of a 2-1 victory over the Miami Marlins before a crowd of 50,431 in Chavez Ravine on Friday night.
Credit Daryl Boston with the assist.
Boston is a former big-league outfielder who is currently the first-base coach for the Chicago White Sox, but he was the organization’s minor league outfield coordinator when the White Sox selected Thompson, a former Santa Margarita High School standout, in the second round in 2009.
“Every day after I got drafted, we’d be out there working on stuff, working on balls off the wall, working on ground balls, throwing guys out at home, so you know, he’s my guy,” Thompson said of Boston. “I still keep in contact with him pretty regularly. I’m sure he’ll text me when he sees that play.”
How to watch and stream the Dodgers this season
Here’s a look at the Dodgers broadcast and streaming schedule for the remainder of the 2022 regular season: