Dustin May’s focused, impressive start not enough to spur Dodgers to victory

After ending the fifth inning with a swing-and-miss cutter, Dustin May skipped down the back of the mound and hung a confident left back toward the dugout.

After finishing off the sixth with a big looping curveball, the Dodgers ever-intense right-hander flexed his arms and bellowed a fired-up scream.

And after completing the seventh with yet another punchout, posting nothing but zeros in the longest — and, very likely, most complete — major league outing of his five-year career, May yelled again before strutting off the field one final time.

In a scoreless seven-inning season debut Friday night, in the second game of the Dodgers season-opening series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, May flashed all the promise and potential the team had been longing to see.

It appeared in flashes during his first MLB stints in 2019 and 2020. It was becoming a familiar sight before he suffered a torn elbow ligament requiring Tommy John surgery in 2021. Upon his return at the end of last season, May’s dominance appeared only in brief spurts, often undone by wild command and inconsistent mechanics.

But after a fully healthy offseason and auspicious spring display, both May and the Dodgers believed there was more in the tank.

That turned a corner in injury-delayed development.

Arizona’s Kyle Lewis, right, crosses home plate in front of Dodgers catcher Will Smith after hitting a two-run home run in the eighth inning.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

That he was primed for a breakout 2023.

In his first start, at least, May checked all those boxes. He pounded the zone and worked quick off soft contact. He mixed all five of his pitches while yielding just three hits and one walk.

Most of all, the fiery red-head kept his emotions in check — or, more importantly, funneled in the right direction — en route to perhaps his best start in the big leagues.

“I think the thing I saw was a consistent delivery with Dustin, and a consistent demeanor, as far as the emotions,” manager Dave Roberts said pregame when asked about May’s encouraging spring camp.

“I don’t want to take away emotions from him, because he’s an emotional guy and that’s what makes him tick and he feeds off that. But I do think there’s been a concerted effort, in trying to manage it.”

Mookie Betts hits a solo home run off Arizona reliever Drey Jameson in the seventh inning Friday. It was Betts’ first hit of the season.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

Don’t expect the steal

In one of the quickest signs that MLB’s new game-play rules are working as intended, the league saw a dramatic opening-day spike in steals Thursday.

After MLB teams combined to steal just five bases in nine attempts during last year’s opening day, Thursday’s games saw 21 successful steals from 23 total tries.

It’s the result of the new pitch timer, a limit on pickoffs in each at-bat and the slightly larger bases MLB introduced this year.

The Los Angeles Dodgers bring a vastly new look to the field for the 2023 season. Beat reporter Jack Harris and sports columnist Bill Plaschke talk about the upcoming season and how well the Dodgers might do.

So will the Dodgers, who didn’t attempt a steal Thursday, join the trend?

Don’t bet on it, at least based on what Roberts said Friday.

“I still think it boils down to personnel,” Roberts said. “I’m still not in the business of running into outs, regardless of how big the bases are. We just don’t have the burners, the prototype base stealers. So I’m not gonna run just to run.”

Hours later, the manager got a reminder why.

In the bottom of the second, David Peralta led off with a single and then tried to steal second with no outs. Peralta, who has stolen just four total bases the past four seasons, was initially ruled safe on the field. However, the Diamondbacks successfully challenged the play, getting the call overturned despite what seemed to be little clear video evidence.

Moments later, Miguel Vargas smacked a double off the wall, one that might have been close to scoring Peralta from first. With one out already on the board, though, the Dodgers squandered a chance to take an early lead, with James Outman and Miguel Rojas striking out to end the inning.