Stone polishes off Dodgers' 1st shutout from rookie since 2013

CHICAGO -- Gavin Stone wasn’t even guaranteed a spot in the Dodgers’ starting rotation in Spring Training, when he competed with and beat out Michael Grove for the No. 5 job.

Now halfway through the 2024 season, it’s fair to wonder where a Los Angeles staff down several arms would be without Stone. And as the calendar nears July, the 25-year-old could find himself in the mix for another career achievement: his first All-Star nod.

“He's had an All-Star first half,” manager Dave Roberts said of Stone before Wednesday’s 4-0 win over the White Sox to complete the sweep. “I haven't put his numbers and compared notes on other players in the National League. … I'm sure he's right up there.

“Whether it's initially or [as] a late add, it would be great to see him make the All-Star team. That would be a great story.”

And that was true before Stone threw a shutout vs. Chicago, as his stellar rookie season continues to roll along. Stone allowed just four hits and no walks and struck out seven, on an efficient 103 pitches (73 strikes).

“He looked like the Bulldog tonight,” Roberts said postgame, in a nod to Orel Hershiser. “That was really fun to watch.”

Stone's shutout was the first by a Dodgers rookie since Hyun Jin Ryu threw one against the Angels on May 28, 2013. It was the Dodgers' first shutout since Walker Buehler's against the D-backs on April 25, 2022.

It was also the first complete game Stone has thrown, to his recollection, since his final collegiate outing at Central Arkansas -- which happened to be a no-hitter.

“That was cool, just getting a win for the club,” said Stone, who lowered his ERA to 2.73 in 15 starts. “We really needed it after using our bullpen yesterday. It was sick to get a ‘dub’ right there.”

The outing marked Stone’s fifth time throwing at least seven innings this season. It was a much-needed performance for the Dodgers, whose bullpen covered seven innings in Tuesday’s 4-3 win and four innings in Monday’s 3-0 win.

“Today, we were coming into the game very short in the ‘pen,” Roberts said. “And so certainly, to be able to keep that in the back of your mind and know what's expected of you as a starter on that particular night, and then to still go out there and execute pitches and do what he did, was pretty special.”

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And Stone’s excellence continues to be key for the Dodgers, certainly with Buehler (right hip inflammation) and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (right rotator cuff strain) each landing on the 15-day injured list within the last 10 days.

After a 1-2-3 first inning, Stone allowed a leadoff double to Gavin Sheets in the second. Stone retired the next 10 White Sox hitters in order. That was the only extra-base hit he allowed on Wednesday. He otherwise scattered three singles.

Roberts said he felt comfortable with Stone starting the seventh inning, when the right-hander’s pitch count was only at 71. Stone rewarded his manager’s faith with a 1-2-3 inning that included two strikeouts.

“At that point in the game, you’re still just pitching,” Stone said of the late innings. “You’ve just gotta stay focused.”

Roberts said Stone, whose pitch count was at 93 after his nine-pitch, 1-2-3 eighth, was going to have a shorter leash in the ninth. But Stone got Lenyn Sosa to pop out to third baseman Kiké Hernández to lead off the inning.

“Just the way he was throwing the baseball, I wanted it to be his game,” Roberts said. “And I think he was smelling it.”

Roberts credited catcher Austin Barnes for his work guiding Stone behind the plate. Stone mixed in six pitches: sinker, slider, changeup, four-seamer, cutter and curveball.

“His slider makes you respect the other side of the plate,” Barnes said. “He has the ability to [throw the] four-seam on the other side. His changeup, he threw some good ones in there, today too. I think it was just the sinker and his slider today that was really helping us throughout the lineup.”

Stone’s emergence has been a huge development this season. Considering the Dodgers are 12-3 when he starts, and 9-1 since May, it’s evident what he’s meant to the team.

“He's a rock in the rotation,” Roberts said. “Certain pitchers, you get in tough games, tight ballgames, you have a lead, they find ways to lose games. But Gavin is a guy that, he's a winner.”