Tony Gonsolin could start for LA
Dodgers’ pitcher, Vacaville High grad may throw Game 3, if necessary
If the best- of-three Wild Card series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Milwaukee Brewers goes to a third game, former Vacaville High star Tony Gonsolin could be the starting pitcher for the Dodgers this Friday at Dodger Stadium.
Manager Dave Roberts has named Walker Buehler to start on Wednesday, with Clayton Kershaw starting on Thursday. Roberts has not yet named a Game 3 starter, but it could be Gonsolin, Dustin May or Julio Urias.
Roberts said his decision will be driven by lefty-righty matchups against the Brewers.
“You look at Julio and Tony, they’re more neutral as far as their splits,” Roberts told Dodger Blue. “Where Dustin is more dominant against right and then not as dominant against left. So I think the opponent certainly matters; that’s kind of the main driver. They’ve all shown they can pitch well out of the ‘pen. Truth of the matter is, you have one spot in that first round for three different guys that are more than capable. We’ve got a tough and good decision to make.”
Two Dodger websites, Dodger Blue and True Blue LA, are making the case for Gonsolin to start that game.
“Of the trio, Gonsolin arguably enjoyed the most success during the regular season,” wrote Dodger Blue. “He went 2-2 with a 2.31 ERA, 2.29 FIP and 0.84 WHIP across 46.2 innings and nine appearances (eight starts).”
Gonsolin is second on the team in ERA and strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.57) and third in strikeout rate (26.1 percent), while allowing the fewest home runs (two) in the
“He’s considerably more focused, just really understanding major league hitters and how to use his mix and how to get guys out.” — Dave Roberts, Dodgers manager, on Tony Gonsolin.
rotation.
“He’s considerably more focused, just really understanding major league hitters and how to use his mix and how to get guys out,” Roberts told True Blue LA. “I think the easy thing is to say that he’s really gaining confidence in his slider to go along with the changeup. But there’s a next layer that I think is just as beneficial as all that stuff on the surface.”
Gonsolin’s slider has been particularly effective. It has become his put-away pitch, with more strikeouts than any of his other pitches.
The righthander’s last start was Saturday at Dodger Stadium against the Angels. The Angels tagged him for four runs in the third inning — the most runs per game he has given up all season. But those were the only runs he yielded over six innings, getting credit for the win in the 7- 6 Dodger victory.
With the Dodgers leading 5- 4, Kiké Hernandez flew out to left field to end the sixth inning. Seconds after Angels left fielder Taylor Ward made the catch, the power at Dodger Stadium went out, plunging everything on and off the field into darkness.
“That was spooky. It was dark,” Gonsolin told the Orange County Register. “It got real dark, real fast too. A few seconds earlier (with the ball in play) and it could have been dangerous.”
Power was restored 25 minutes later.
As a senior at Vacaville High, Gonsolin played shortstop and pitched for the 2012 Bulldogs. They tied for first with Napa in the Monticello Empire League with a 13-2 record, losing to Davis 2-1 in the finals of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoffs. He also played for the 2011 squad that tied Armijo for the MEL title with a record of 12-3.
Gonsolin hit .370 with 26 runs, 19 RBIs and seven triples his senior year. He went 4-1 on the mound that year with a 2.60 ERA.
Gonsolin went on to star for St. Mary’s College in Moraga, where he both pitched and played right field. The Dodgers selected Gonsolin in the ninth round of the June 2016 MLB draft.