Julio Urías earns MLB-best 18th win as Dodgers gain ground
By: Rowan Kavner
Tags: Sweep, Dodgers, Postgame, Julio Urias, MLB

(Photo by Carrie Giordano/Los Angeles Dodgers)

by Rowan Kavner

The Dodgers wanted to acknowledge their accomplishment Tuesday, making the playoffs for a ninth straight year. They enjoyed what manager Dave Roberts described as a “a little champagne toast,” congratulated one another, said some words about their achievement and then immediately looked ahead with much loftier goals still within reach.

The division remains up for grabs, even more so after the Dodgers’ work in a 5–3 win Wednesday night against the Diamondbacks. Their sixth straight victory swept the homestand and allowed them to gain a game on the first-place Giants for the first time since Sept. 4. They’re now 1 1/2 games back with 15 to play.

“It’s definitely huge, knowing that the Giants have been playing unbelievable baseball this whole season,” said closer Kenley Jansen, who finished off Wednesday’s win by striking out the side in the ninth inning. “We’ve just got to take care of us. Just keep playing good baseball. Whenever we just worry about us, good things are going to happen.”

After the Dodgers celebrated their on-field success Tuesday, they began Wednesday celebrating a legend.

Hispanic Heritage Month festivities kicked off at Dodger Stadium with a tribute to Fernando Valenzuela on the legendary lefty’s bobblehead night. He was introduced on the field by actor Edward James Olmos before another young left-handed sensation from Mexico took the mound.

Julio Urías became baseball’s first 18-game winner of the season and the Dodgers’ first 18-game winner since Clayton Kershaw went 18–4 in 2017.

“It was a really beautiful night,” Urías said through a translator. “Even when I started getting warmed up and started getting hot for the game, you can hear the mariachi playing in the background, and you can hear the excitement of the crowd, and obviously it was a very emotional night for Fernando and his family, and it was very nice for me to pitch tonight.”

Urías said he tried to focus more on location over velocity Wednesday, but he had trouble finding his rhythm from the start. The speed of his pitches dipped a couple ticks from the norm, but he still allowed just one run-scoring hit on the night — a two-run single from Henry Ramos, who also robbed Mookie Betts of a run-scoring hit with a spectacular catch against the wall in left field — and went the requisite five innings to record a win before departing at 76 pitches.

“It’s more of just keeping an eye on him,” Roberts said. “It’s regular rest, and he’s got an extra day going into his next start. I thought he was fighting his delivery all night, so to get out with a lead, feel good about that. To not try to tax him any more and get him to his next start I thought was the best way to manage him and to win the ballgame.”

Gavin Lux, who is 7-for-17 since getting recalled, spotted Urías an early lead. The Diamondbacks jumped ahead with Ramos’ fourth-inning hit, but the Dodgers immediately responded with an RBI single from Cody Bellinger and another run-scoring single from Lux to retake a lead they’d hold onto the rest of the way.

While Urías said he wasn’t as sharp Wednesday as his last few starts, the left-hander still hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs in any of his last 10 outings. He has a 1.44 ERA in that time.

Urías could become the Dodgers’ first 20-game winner since Kershaw in 2014. Kershaw has the Dodgers’ only two 20-win seasons since Ramon Martinez won 20 games in 1990.

“It’d be incredible,” Urías said. “This is the first full season where I feel like the reins have been pulled off and I’ve been able to go and do the things I’ve been able to do, but also I don’t think I could’ve imagined a season like this, imagine what I’ve been able to do and the winning streak or the wins I’ve been able to accumulate throughout this year. It’s an incredible year, and obviously it’s something that would be incredible as well.”

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