The Missing Piece Returns
Justin Wrobleski knew something was different the moment he took the mound on May 29th against Philadelphia. After months of searching for the missing element in his game, the Dodgers left-hander finally felt everything click into place during a dominant 7.0-inning performance that yielded just 1 hit, 0 walks, and 9 strikeouts in a 7-2 victory.
"Yeah, just something clicked for me," Wrobleski said after the outing. "I'm felt good. Feel like my mechanics are back in a good spot and yeah, it was just throwing throwing a little harder and obviously that always helps."
The breakthrough represented a stark contrast to Wrobleski's recent struggles. On May 22nd, he had surrendered 8 hits and 5 earned runs across 5.0 innings in a loss to the same Phillies club, managing just 4 strikeouts while throwing 100 pitches.
Velocity and Confidence Restored
Wrobleski couldn't pinpoint the exact mechanical adjustment that sparked his turnaround, but the results were unmistakable. The southpaw's fastball velocity returned to form, and with it came the confidence to attack hitters more aggressively.
"I can't tell you the exact thing. I mean, I don't really know what exactly it was, but yeah, I just felt better today," he explained. "I felt like I was I don't know just everything felt like it was in sync again and I felt back to normal like as opposed to how I've been honestly all year."
The velocity uptick had actually begun to manifest in his previous start. "I think the back half of my last start if you look at the last three innings of that start. I mean I was back up to normal. I think I hit 98 there in the fourth or fifth inning of that game," Wrobleski noted. "So yeah, I felt just kind of back to normal and yeah kind of carried into tonight."
Simplified Approach Pays Dividends
With his improved velocity came a streamlined pitch mix that allowed Wrobleski to attack with his best weapons. He relied heavily on his four-seam fastball and slider combination, largely abandoning his secondary offerings.
"Today we really didn't use much other than the four seam and the slider. I mean, we were mixing in sinkers here and there, but you know, I think I threw one curveball, two change up/splitter things, and then everything else was fast slider," he said. "Just gives me the confidence to go out there and pitch with my strengths and kind of use them the way that I know how."
The only blemish came via a Kyle Schwarber home run – the lone hit Wrobleski allowed. As a former Cubs fan, Wrobleski knew immediately when Schwarber connected. "I looked at him and that's I mean that's how I know if hitter got it or not if you kind of look at their reaction and I knew he got it. I've seen that a thousand times. I grew up a Cubs fan so I've seen him do that a lot."
Building Momentum
The performance improved Wrobleski's season record to 7-2 with a 2.87 ERA across 62.7 innings pitched. More importantly, it restored the swing-and-miss element that had been conspicuously absent from his recent outings.
"Yeah, it's a lot more fun. I'll tell you that much," Wrobleski said of generating more strikeouts. "Obviously you love to see more strikeouts just cuz you know all the expectants love the strikeouts and everything else which is honestly there's give and take to it and I think it is important and something kind of we've been working towards."
With his mechanics realigned and velocity restored, Wrobleski appears poised to build on this breakthrough as the season progresses.