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ST. PETERSBURG — When Gavin Stone made his Major League debut earlier this month, the Dodgers raved about his command and a devastating changeup that helped him win the organization’s Pitcher of the Year Award in the Minors in 2022.
They also couldn’t say enough good things about Stone’s ability to handle adverse situations. Unfortunately for the young right-hander and the Dodgers, Stone’s first struggles in the Majors happened much earlier than either side hoped.
In his third career start, Stone was tagged for seven runs on 10 hits over two innings in the Dodgers’ 11-10 loss to the Rays on Sunday at Tropicana Field. The 17 earned runs Stone has allowed through his first three career appearances three starts are tied for the fourth most in Dodgers history.
“My thought is he’s going to be better for it,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “I do think that looking back, this was good for him. We wouldn’t do this to a player we didn’t feel could handle it emotionally. Right now I know he’s down in the dumps, but he’ll be all right.”
Mostly out of necessity in the starting rotation, Stone has not benefited from much of a soft landing to begin his Major League career. Stone made his debut against the Phillies, a lineup that has multiple All-Stars. His second start came against the Braves earlier this week and he allowed four runs in the first inning.
Stone’s third challenge at this level was perhaps the most difficult to date, as he was facing a Rays lineup that has easily been the most potent offense in the Majors this season, especially at its home ballpark.
From the beginning, it was clear that the Rays were on everything Stone was throwing. Tampa Bay scored one run in the first on three consecutive singles. In the second, the Rays batted around, putting up six runs in the frame and ultimately ending Stone’s afternoon early. He became the first Dodgers starter to allow seven or more earned runs in two or fewer innings since Carlos Frías in 2014.
“I think you’ve just got to stay positive,” Stone said. “I’ve got to go back to work on fine-tuning some things.”
Stone’s next start is scheduled to be over the weekend against the Yankees, another top lineup in the Majors. But following his past three starts, Roberts said the team will need to “reassess” whether or not the young hurler will make that start.
The Dodgers have no doubt that Stone will be a key piece in their rotation for years to come, but right now, they need to guard against his confidence spiraling out of control, something that could easily happen to a young pitcher.
“It’s three games,” said Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman, who extended his hitting streak to 17 games with a pair of doubles on Sunday. “We’ve all taken our lumps in this game. It’s gonna happen. So we got a lot of confidence in him.”
If Stone doesn’t make his next start, which is the most likely scenario, it appears Michael Grove would slide into his spot in the rotation. Grove made his second rehab start for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Sunday, striking out seven over 5 2/3 innings of work.
Moving Grove into the rotation for Stone could also, in theory, give Noah Syndergaard — another struggling starter — some more leash to try to figure out how to be more effective moving forward. It also adds more responsibility for Bobby Miller, the organization’s top pitching prospect, who will start Monday against the Nationals.
Julio Urías is going to be out for at least one more week and Dustin May is out until at least after the All-Star break. Tony Gonsolin has been solid, but struggles to get deeper into games and hasn’t been nearly as dominant as he was during the first half last season. Clayton Kershaw has talked about the current struggles he’s fighting through.
The Dodgers went 4-6 on a 10-game road trip that included series against the Cardinals, Braves and Rays, each of whom made the postseason in ‘22. L.A. believes it played better than the record showed. Offensively, that’s definitely true. But some of the starting pitching issues were highlighted over the trip, with no immediate solution on the horizon.
“It’s not ideal,” Roberts said. “Our hope every time a guy takes the mound is for a guy to get deep into a game, but we have to weigh that versus potentially putting a guy in harm’s way moving forward. It’s baseball, and a lot of teams go through it.”