Justin Wrobleski strong for seven in besting Twins

Wrobleski was outstanding on Tuesday, keeping the Rays off the board over six frames. He allowed just three hits and did not walk a batter, tossing an efficient 50-of-67 pitches for strikes and collecting five strikeouts. The 25-year-old left-hander will take a 2.72 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and a 50/16 K/BB ratio across 79 1/3 innings into a start against the Twins in Minnesota next Tuesday.

Wrobleski appears ready to take the ball on normal rest after leaving Thursday’s start against the Pirates with a hamstring contusion. The 25-year-old southpaw appears to have avoided serious injury. He’s compiled a respectable 2.95 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 45/16 K/BB ratio across 73 1/3 innings this season.

All things considered, it sounds like the 25-year-old southpaw was fortunate to have avoided any serious injuries after he was struck by a comebacker and then got tangled up with a baserunner while attempting to cover first base. He should be okay to make his next scheduled start, but check back over the next few days just to be on the safe side.

Wrobleski then got tangled up with the runner while covering first base on the play. He’ll head for further evaluation to see what’s going on. Before exiting, the 25-year-old southpaw had allowed four runs on six hits and a pair of walks in his 4 2/3 innings. He exits with a lead and one out shy of qualifying for a victory.

Wrobleski left with a 2-0 lead, but that was blown by Will Klein and Alex Vesia in the eighth before Tanner Scott lost the game in the ninth. Wrobleski averaged 95.4 mph with his fastball tonight, which was 1.6 mph above his season average. It’s his second straight outing with a season high in that department, as he came in at 94.9 mph last week against the Phillies. There was good reason to think Wrobleski’s early season success was unsustainable, given his hideous strikeout rate, but with his velocity and his whiff rate up, he’d seem to have a much sturdier foundation now. He’ll face the Pirates next week.

Wrobleski’s only blemish was a solo homer by Kyle Schwarber. The 25-year-old bounced back nicely from his rough outing against the Brewers where he gave up five runs in as many innings, and he pounded the strike zone with zero walks and 63-of-88 pitches landing. Wrobleski is now 7-2 on the season, and he’s earned that mark with a 2.87 ERA over the first two months of the campaign. He’s set to face the Diamondbacks on Thursday

It was a rough start to the game for Wrobleski, who allowed the first three batters he faced to reach base. The third batter to reach base, William Contreras, did so via a three-run homer to give the Brewers an early 3-0 lead. He would allow one more run in the frame thanks to a sac fly by Sal Frelick, and gave up one more run in the second inning on an RBI double by Andrew Vaughn. Wrobleski wouldn’t allow another run over the next three innings, but the damage had been done and the Dodgers managed just one run on the evening. Wrobleski has been solid for most of the season, but has allowed five earned runs in two of his last three starts. Although, it’s worth nothing both of those starts game against two of the league’s top offenses. He gets a more favorable matchup in his next outing, which is scheduled for Wednesday against the Rockies.

Wrobleski was coming off his bizarre seven-run, 8 2/3 inning effort against Atlanta on Mother’s Day. This was much more straightforward, and more effective. He allowed seven hits, walked one and struck out five in another solid effort from the 25-year-old; even while not generating many swings and misses (8). He’ll be back on the mound and try and lower his 2.49 ERA against the Brewers over the weekend. That start is scheduled for Saturday, but the Dodgers may choose to shuffle the rotation a bit.

What year is this? Wrobleski is the first pitcher since Zach Wheeler in 2021 to go at least eight innings and allow seven runs. But only five of Wheeler’s seven were earned. He’s the first since Alex Cobb in 2012 to go at least eight innings with seven earned runs, and he’s the first since Carlos Silva in 2006 to go 8 2/3 innings with seven runs allowed. With one more out, it could have been the first nine-inning complete game with seven runs allowed since Bobby Witt threw 151 pitches on the final day of the 1993 season. Although that would have required him giving up a couple of more hits first; it was actually 5-2 when he was pulled after unfortunately hitting Mike Yastrzemski in the helmet. Wyatt Mills replaced him and allowed two inherited runners to score before finishing the game. Wrobleski, who allowed seven hits and walked one today, threw a mere 100 pitches. He actually struck out seven, besting his previous season high by one. He fell to 5-1 with a 2.42 ERA. He’s due to face the Angels next.

It’s a wonder how Wrobleski continues to get the job done despite a lack of strikeouts. He had another excellent day on the mound, holding the Cardinals scoreless over six frames. He scattered six hits and one walk with zero strikeouts. The 25-year-old left-hander ends the day with a 1.25 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and a 15/10 K/BB ratio across 36 innings. Wrobleski lines up for a home start against the Braves next Sunday.