Julio UrÃas engages ‘attack mode’ and strikes out 10 as Dodgers rout Phillies
Julio UrÃas snapped off a slurve. Bryce Harper swung through it. And Dodger Stadium organist Dieter Rhule immediately pounded his keys.
As Harper returned to the dugout, the catchy “Welcome Back†theme song echoed around Chavez Ravine.
It was directed toward Harper, who was making his season debut Tuesday night just six months after an offseason Tommy John surgery.
The jingle, however, worked as a fitting tune for UrÃas’ performance in the Dodgers’ 13-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies too.
Philadelphia’s Brandon Marsh, who had a woeful season for the Angels in 2022, is among the league leaders in many offensive categories this season.
In a resounding return to form for last year’s National League Cy Young Award finalist, UrÃas shook off one of the worst two-start stretches of his career with by far his best performance of the season, giving up one run and one hit during a seven-inning gem.
The left-hander retired the first eight Phillies, the streak ending only because of a catcher’s interference call in the third inning.
He didn’t give up his lone hit until the fourth, when former teammate Trea Turner took him deep for a home run to center.
And despite that hiccup, UrÃas immediately rediscovered his groove, giving up just one walk the rest of the way while finishing with 10 strikeouts, his most since last June.
“Tonight, it just seemed like a different demeanor,†manager Dave Roberts said. “He was in attack mode … and he carried it all the way through the seven innings.â€
In his previous two starts, UrÃas had looked uncharacteristically susceptible to struggles, giving up 11 runs in just nine combined innings.
He had struggled to command the ball and avoid hard contact. He failed to carry momentum from one inning into the next, searching for a feel at various points with each of his pitches.
“The delivery has been a little bit out of sync,†Roberts said before the game.
Echoed UrÃas, in Spanish: “I’ve been fighting myself and not being consistent.â€
That wasn’t the case Tuesday, with UrÃas instead completing his 95-pitch performance with an efficient flurry.
His fastball velocity ticked up, averaging better than 93 mph. He got whiffs with his slurve and cutter, finishing two-strike at-bats that had dragged on in recent outings.
“You have to be confident about your stuff,†UrÃas said. “You’re going to have bad games, games where you’re fighting it, but there’s also going to be good games. Trying to take the good in the bad has been a big piece for me. And today, I feel like that was a big reason why I had success.â€
The Dodgers (18-13) continued their offensive revival as well, collecting a season-high 17 hits en route to their second straight game against the Phillies (15-16) scoring double-digit runs.
Mookie Betts led the way with three singles and three RBIs, shaking off what he acknowledged was a “pretty bad†opening month — he was batting .235 through his first 27 games — with six hits over the last two nights.
The Dodgers never came close to signing Trea Turner to a long-term contract even though the Phillies shortstop said he would have entertained an offer.
“His swing, it just looked really good,†Roberts said. “I think last night triggered something, and it bled into tonight.â€
Miguel Vargas also extended a recent power surge with three doubles and added an RBI single that keyed a four-run rally in the eighth, helping put the game out of reach.
“We’re all at some point going to struggle,†said Vargas, who was slugging only .295 before collecting six extra-base hits in his last seven starts.
“Maybe that was the time for me, and now we go through.â€
On Tuesday, though, it was all superfluous production.
After his mini-slump to close last month, the best version of UrÃas dominantly reappeared.
And to win their season-high fifth straight game, it was virtually all the Dodgers needed.
“When he gets hit in the mouth — the last couple of starts, it hasn’t been good, up to his standards — I think he took it personal,†Roberts said. “Tonight, he just had a different look about him from pitch one.â€
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