Dodgers: Takeaways from a pitchers’ duel in the Big Apple

Urias fails a postseason test

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Dave Roberts knows with the division locked up, now is the time to test players in certain scenarios to see how they react prior to the postseason.  Saturday he did exactly that, putting Julio Urias in the game with runners on base.  For most of the season, Julio has started innings off clean and taken a multiple inning role out of the bullpen.

Saturday night he came into an unknown situation and looked uncomfortable.  Urias hit the first batter that he faced, Brandon Nimmo, and then he followed that up with a walk to load the bases.  He battled Rajai Davis who delivered a bases clearing double on a changeup on the outside part of the plate.

While the results did not work out on Saturday night, this is the kind of managing Dave Roberts will do for the final two weeks of the regular season.  He needs to prep players and especially relievers, for situations they could be asked to come into during the postseason.  If Urias comes into a similar situation in October and delivers, he could thank Doc for throwing him into the fire in the regular season.

The Dodgers will go for a series victor on Sunday night when they send Walker Buehler out to the mound.  It will be the final game on the east coast during the regular season, so it would be nice to take that final long flight coming off of a series win.