LOS ANGELES – Although he didn’t make the Dodgers’ Opening Day roster, Tony Gonsolin will finish the season on a short list of Rookie of the Year candidates.
Gonsolin has a 1.77 earned-run average in eight games, including seven starts, which would rank second in the National League if he had enough innings to qualify. He’ll start Saturday against the Angels with a chance to polish his credentials prior to the postseason.
A strong start would also boost Gonsolin’s case to start an if-necessary Game 3 in next week’s wild-card series.
“For the front office and staff to have confidence in me to throw strikes and get outs is very important to me,” Gonsolin said. “At the end of the day, we just want to win our games in October and take home our ring.”
Gonsolin, right-hander Dustin May and left-hander Julio Urías are the candidates to start behind Walker Buehler and Clayton Kershaw. Manager Dave Roberts said his choice will depend primarily on the Dodgers’ first-round opponent.
The Dodgers already clinched the No. 1 seed in the eight-team National League bracket. Five teams (the Marlins, Reds, Giants, Phillies and Brewers) were within one game of each other for the final three spots in the field as of Friday afternoon. The Dodgers will host the No. 8 seed in Game 1 Wednesday.
Gonsolin has boosted his case by pitching well against both left- and right-handed hitters this season. It’s a stronger case than Gonsolin had this time a year ago.
Despite pitching to a 2.93 ERA across 40 innings, with hardly a platoon disadvantage to be exploited, Gonsolin was left off the Dodgers’ roster for their NL Division Series against the Nationals. May grabbed the final spot in the Dodgers’ bullpen. The Dodgers lost the series in five games, and Gonsolin’s next postseason appearance will be his first.
“It wasn’t great hearing the news initially,” he said. “I had to come to terms with it.”
The Dodgers can take a difficult decision out of Roberts’ hands by winning (or losing) their first two wild card games. They might not need a Game 3 or Game 4 starter until the NL Division Series.
Roberts has intentionally used Gonsolin, May and Urías out of the bullpen at times this season in case they need to shift to that role in October. Whoever doesn’t make the Dodgers’ rotation is all but assured of landing in the bullpen.
“The truth of the matter is, you have one spot for three different guys who are more than capable in that first round,” Roberts said. “You’ve got a tough and good decision to make.”
THE ADVANTAGE OF HOME
The Dodgers have already clinched home-field advantage throughout the postseason, though it will be less apparent after the wild-card round. Should they advance, all of the Dodgers’ remaining playoff games will be at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
On the surface, that would seem to neutralize a big advantage. The Dodgers are 18-9 at Dodger Stadium this season, ranking among the best in baseball in their home park.
Through Thursday, home teams enjoyed a .554 winning percentage. That’s one of the biggest home-field advantages over a full season since 1901, according to Baseball Reference – ironic considering the utter absence of fans in the abbreviated 2020 season.
Roberts couldn’t explain the phenomenon, but he does believe the Dodgers will have an advantage over their October opponents should they advance past the first round.
“I do think hitting in the bottom half of the inning matters,” he said. “I do think that playing around a ballpark, and surroundings and familiarities that you’re used to, matter. I don’t know how many games have gone to extra innings, but in that format it’s certainly a benefit to be the home team.”
ALSOMay will “take down the bulk innings” in Sunday’s regular season finale, Roberts said, but the manager has not identified who will “open” the game for the Dodgers. … Will Smith got his second start as a designated hitter Friday, with Austin Barnes catching Kershaw against the Angels. Roberts suggested it won’t be Smith’s last turn at DH this year. “There’s a scenario where I could see (Smith) being a DH for a game or two in the postseason,” Roberts said. … The Dodgers will carry “12 or 13” pitchers on their 28-man postseason rosters, Roberts said. They currently have 15 pitchers and 13 position players active. … The only inactive position players who have batted for the Dodgers this season are Matt Beaty, Zach McKinstry and Keibert Ruiz. … Roberts did not rule out the possibility of adding a non-40-man roster player to the Dodgers’ postseason player pool.
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