Dodgers News: Writer Expects Julio Urias to Have Huge 2nd Half for LA

Can Urias turn things around this season?

If the Los Angeles Dodgers are going to reach their goals of winning another World Series this season, they are going to need Julio Urias to get back on track. The left-hander has been very up and down this year as he navigates between his impending free agency and winning games.

He said that the free agency hasn’t changed anything for him, but he hasn’t looked like himself this season. His ERA is way up and he's gotten rocked more often than not. He did spend quite a bit of time on the injured list earlier in the year, but has since come back and continued his weird year.

On the season, Urias owns a 4.98 ERA and a WHIP of 1.20. Prior to this season, Urias had been one of the best pitchers in baseball, posting two straight seasons with an ERA under three.

It’s been the nightmare situation that both he and Dodgers never envisioned with his free agency coming this winter. But one writer seems to believe that Urias will turn things around in the second half of the season.

Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report listed players he believe can get back on track in the second half of the season, and El Culichi was on that list.

“As poorly as things have gone on the whole, though, the 26-year-old has peppered in a few gems, recording a quality start in seven of his 14 outings. And since returning from six weeks on the IL with a hamstring injury, he has allowed just one home run in 20 innings of work.”

Per Bleacher Report

The ERA is up for Urias, but many of his other metrics remain similar to the past few seasons when he was dominating hitters. It’s been a strange trend for him this year, and there is still plenty of time to turn things around.

He looked better in his last start against the Toronto Blue Jays, allowing three runs and eight hits over six innings of work. So maybe he is saving his best for the last few months of the season.

“If Urías can continue keeping long balls to a minimum and get back to not completely falling apart with runners on base, this impending free agent—who has historically done his best work in August and September, going 22-2 with a 2.02 ERA—should have a solid final two months with the Dodgers.”

Per Bleacher Report

No matter what the team does at the trade deadline, they need to be able to rely on their guy when he takes the mound every five days. He has been a critical part of their rotation for the last few seasons, and both sides need him to regain his form.