It was all Justin Wrobleski for the Los Angeles Dodgers as his eight scoreless innings lifted the Dodgers past the New York Mets.
In last year's World Series, with the bullpen beginning to stretch uncomfortably, the Los Angeles Dodgers turned to right-hander Justin Wrobleski.
He proved, coming out of the pen in the most crucial of spots, that he can pound the strike zone relentlessly and induce soft contact for quick outs.
Wrobleski displayed that and more in his Monday start, tossing eight scoreless innings in a 4-0 win against the struggling New York Mets.
The 25-year-old left-hander needed just 90 pitches [64 of which were strikes] to record the eight scoreless frames, and he allowed just two hits and struck out two.
Though he was replaced in the ninth inning by Tanner Scott, who only needed 8 pitches to retire the side in the ninth, Wrobleski was starting to prepare for a complete game scenario.
“You smell a complete game, and that’s what you go for as a starting pitcher, but it’s rare in modern baseball. It’s something I value, and I want to do in my career," Wrobleski said.
Manager Dave Roberts told the media that Wrobleski earned the right to go out in the 9th inning — but the decision to go with Tanner Scott stemmed from the fact that Wrobleski had not gone more than five innings "in a long time".
His outing on Monday marked the longest start of his professional baseball career. Up until Monday, he had only dabbled in the seventh inning twice in his minor league career.
So what was the key to getting through eight innings in just 90 pitches?
"I think the key is just attacking," Wrobleski said. "I don't think there's any secret to it. I think a lot of it, of being a good pitcher and preventing runs, is knowing where you're at in the game and knowing where you're at in the lineup."
Apr 13, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Justin Wrobleski (70) throws a pitch against the New York Mets during the first inning at Dodger Stadium. -- Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Wrobleski retired the first 13 batters he faced before giving up an opposite-field single to Jorge Polanco on an 0-2 fastball.
Efficiency was the name of the game for Wrobleski. He threw a total of 50 fastballs, paired up with his dominant slider, that registered a 104 proSTUFF % according to Pitch Profiler.
By the beginning of the eighth, Wrobleski was beginning to fatigue. He gave up his second hit to Francisco Alvarez on a full-count heater with two outs in the eighth.
Despite the fatigue, Wrobleski was able to get Tommy Pham to ground into a force out to end his outing on a high note.
Andy Pages once again was the spark for the Dodgers' offense as he launched his fifth home run of the season, a three-run shot, to give Los Angeles their 4-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning.
"I feel like I have always had good success on breaking balls," Pages said to the media, reflecting on his three-run shot that was hit off a David Peterson hanging curveball.
Pages doubled down on his success of hitting curveballs, saying that it's more of him staying in the zone when looking for a breaking ball, rather than expanding the zone.
Apr 13, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Andy Pages (44) hits a three run home run against the New York Mets during the third inning at Dodger Stadium. -- Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images With that home run, he becomes the fifth Dodgers player in franchise history with at least 25 hits and 20 RBI in the first 16 games of the season.
He joined Babe Herman (1930), Ron Cey (1977), Matt Kemp (2012), and Cody Bellinger (2019).
The Dodgers improve to 12-4 on the season, and the Mets drop their sixth straight. Yoshinobu Yamamoto toes the rubber on Tuesday as the Dodgers look to secure another series victory in their home stand.
Join the Community
Don't miss out on our ROUNDTABLE community and the latest news!
It's completely free to join.
Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.
Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!