Recap: Dodgers beat the Twins, but Dustin May is heading to injured list

As ominous as the situation appeared for Dodgers pitcher Dustin May, who was pulled from Wednesday’s 7-3 comeback victory over the Minnesota Twins after one inning because of right elbow pain, it could have been a lot worse.

An MRI revealed a flexor pronator strain that is expected to sideline May for about six weeks, an injury that put a damper on a win that featured James Outman’s tie-breaking grand slam in the seventh inning and reliever Victor Gonzalez’s bases-loaded, no-outs escape act in the sixth.

But the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) that was reconstructed when May had Tommy John surgery in May 2021 remained intact and “looks good,” according to a person familiar with May’s test results but not authorized to speak publicly about them.

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Dodgers pitcher Dustin May walks through the dugout before his start Wednesday against the Minnesota Twins.

(Ashley Landis / Associated Press)

Dodgers pitcher Dustin May is heading to the injured list after sustaining a flexor pronator strain in his right elbow during Wednesday’s win over the Minnesota Twins, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

“When he returns, I don’t know,” said Roberts, who believes May will miss at least a month. Justin Bruihl will take May’s place on the active roster.

May left the game after one inning because of right elbow pain, stirring concern that the Dodgers right-hander might have caused serious injury to the same elbow he had Tommy John surgery on in May 2021. He underwent an MRI a short time after leaving the game.

May gave up one hit in a scoreless first inning, striking out Joey Gallo with a 96-mph fastball and Carlos Correa with a 95-mph fastball, but the average velocities of his two-seam sinking fastball (94.7 mph) and four-seam fastball (95.4 mph) were down about 2 mph from their season averages of 96.7 mph and 97.4 mph, respectively.

Ninth inning

Twins: Evan Phillips now pitching for the Dodgers. Kyle Farmer grounded to short, Chris Taylor bobbled it for an error. Willi Castro flied to center. Christian Vazquez struck out looking. Joey Gallo fouled a ball off his shin and had to leave the game. Ryan Jeffers hit for him and struck out swinging to end the game.

Final score: Dodgers 7, Twins 3

Eighth inning

Twins: Byron Buxton fouled to first. Michael Taylor grounded to second. Donovan Solano struck out looking.

Dodgers: Right-hander Cole Sands now pitching for the Twins. Trayce Thompson lined to short. Mookie Betts lined to center. Freddie Freeman flied to center.

Score after eight: Dodgers 7, Twins 3

Seventh inning

Twins: Caleb Ferguson now pitching for the Dodgers. Willi Castro hit a grounder between first base and the pitcher, outrunning Ferguson to the bag. Christian Vazquez singled to right, Castro to second. Joey Gallo struck out swinging. With Alex Kirilloff batting, Castro broke for third. Ferguson stepped off the mound and threw the ball past Muncy at third for an error, allowing Castro to score and Vazquez to move to third. Kirilloff struck out swinging. Brusdar Graterol replaced Ferguson. Carlos Correa grounded to the pitcher.

Dodgers: Mookie Betts struck out swinging. Freddie Freeman struck out swinging. Will Smith singled to left. Max Muncy singled to right, Smith to second. Emilio Pagan replaced Jose De Leon. Jason Heyward walked to load the bases. Miguel Vargas walked, forcing in a run. James Outman hit a grand slam to straightaway center. Chris Taylor flied to right.

Score after seven: Dodgers 7, Twins 3

Sixth inning

Twins: Joey Gallo homered to center. Alex Kirilloff to left. Carlos Correa singled to left, Kirilloff to second. Byron Buxton walked, loading the bases. Victor González replaced Dylan Covey. Jorge Polanco popped to first. Donovan Solano, batting for Trevor Larnach, struck out swinging. Kyle Farmer flied to left. Great pitching by González.

Dodgers: Right-hander Jose De Leon now pitching for the Twins. He was once a top Dodgers prospect, traded to Tampa Bay before the 2017 season for Logan Forsythe. James Outman struck out swinging. Chris Taylor flied to center. Trayce Thompson fouled to the catcher.

Score after six: Dodgers 2, Twins 2

Fifth inning

Twins: Nick Gordon struck out swinging. Willi Castro struck out swinging. Christian Vazquez lined to right.

Dodgers: Left-hander Jovani Moran now pitching for the Twins. Max Muncy struck out swinging. Jason Heyward grounded to third. Miguel Vargas singled to right. With James Outman at the plate, Vargas was caught stealing.

Score after five: Dodgers 2, Twins 1

Fourth inning

Twins: Carlos Correa struck out swinging. Byron Buxton homered to left-center. Jorge Polanco grounded to short. Trevor Larnach grounded to first.

Dodgers: James Outman singled and stole second. Chris Taylor flied to left. Trayce Thompson fouled to first. Mookie Betts singled to center, scoring Outman. Freddie Freeman singled to left-center, Betts to second. Will Smith grounded to short.

Score after four: Dodgers 2, Twins 1

Third inning

Twins: Christian Vazquez flied to center. Joey Gallo grounded to second. Alex Kirilloff grounded to second.

Dodgers: Mookie Betts tripled to right-center. Freddie Freeman flied to left, scoring Betts. Will Smith singled to left. Max Muncy walked. Jason Heyward flied to left. Miguel Vargas flied to center.

Score after three: Dodgers 1, Twins 0

Second inning

Twins: Right-hander Dylan Covey now pitching for the Dodgers, making his Dodger debut. Jorge Polanco singled to right. Trevor Larnach grounded to short, forcing Polanco. Nick Gordon grounded to second, forcing Larnach. Willi Castro grounded to second.

Dodgers: James Outman flied to right. Chris Taylor struck out swinging. Trayce Thompson struck out looking.

Score after two: Dodgers 0, Twins 0

Dustin May left Wednesday’s game against the Minnesota Twins after one inning because of right elbow pain, stirring concern that the Dodgers right-hander might have caused serious injury to the same elbow he had Tommy John surgery on in May 2021.

May gave up one hit in a scoreless first inning, striking out Joey Gallo with a 96-mph fastball and Carlos Correa with a 95-mph fastball, but the average velocities of his two-seam sinking fastball (94.7 mph) and four-seam fastball (95.4 mph) were down about 2 mph from their season averages of 96.7 mph and 97.4 mph, respectively.

Veteran right-hander Dylan Covey, who joined the team from triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday and was activated before Wednesday’s game, began warming up while the Dodgers were batting in the bottom of the first and entered to start the second while May grabbed his gear and headed to the clubhouse.

May, who returned from surgery last August, entered Wednesday’s game with a 4-1 record and 2.68 ERA in eight starts, with an 0.94 WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) that ranked third in the National League and a .171 opponents average that ranked second. He also held opponents to a .501 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, the second-lowest in the major leagues.

“I think Dustin is understanding what it’s like to be a major league pitcher,” manager Dave Roberts said before the game. “I think when he was younger, he was …he’d just try to bully guys.

“At this level, you just can’t do that because they don’t fear the baseball. They don’t fear stuff. You’ve got to make pitches. So now, with that mindset, I think his delivery is much more consistent and he’s making more quality pitches.”

First inning

Twins: Joey Gallo struck out swinging. Alex Kirilloff singled to center. Carlos Correa struck out looking. Byron Buxton lined to left.

Dodgers: Mookie Betts walked. Freddie Freeman grounded to first. Kirilloff booted it for an error. First and second, no one out. Will Smith struck out swinging. Max Muncy walked to load the bases. Jason Heyward struck out swinging. Miguel Vargas grounded to short.

Score after one: Dodgers 0, Twins 0

Here are the lineups for Wednesday’s series finale against the Twins at Dodger Stadium:

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw sits in the dugout during the fourth inning of a 5-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium.

(Ashley Landis / Associated Press)

A month after notching his 200th career victory on an exhilarating April night in Chavez Ravine, Clayton Kershaw took the mound at home under a different set of emotional circumstances Tuesday night — it was just three days after the death of his mother, Marianne Tombaugh.

“I think once you get out there and you get into compete mode, that’s just what you know,” manager Dave Roberts said before the game. “Obviously, he’s never been in this situation before, but I expect it to go well and for him to do what he’s supposed to do.”

Kershaw fell short on both counts in a 5-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins before a sellout crowd of 52,159, grinding through a wobbly four-inning, two-run, seven-hit, 90-pitch start in which he failed to provide much relief for a bullpen that had to cover eight innings in Monday night’s 12-inning victory.

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Here’s a look at the Dodgers TV schedule for the 2023 regular season. All times and broadcast/streaming options are subject to change.