Stone flirts with perfection in statement start vs. Padres

LOS ANGELES -- Given some of his struggles early on in his Major League career, it’s easy to forget that Gavin Stone was the prized pitching prospect in the Dodgers’ organization coming into last season.

On Saturday, the 25-year-old right-hander wanted to send a quick reminder.

Stone, who is getting his first extended run at the MLB level to start this season, flirted with a perfect game into the sixth en route to allowing two runs on five hits over 6 2/3 strong innings of work, leading the Dodgers to a 5-2 win over the Padres at Dodger Stadium.

“He was really good,” said Dodgers catcher Will Smith, “He was mixing pitches. He was constantly executing his pitches, getting in on guys, putting guys away with his changeup and heater. Yeah, he was really good tonight.”

With a two-hour, 15-minute rain delay, a bullpen that desperately needed a lengthy outing from a starter, and news that Bobby Miller was placed on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation before the game, Stone’s best start in his young big league career couldn’t have come at a better time for the Dodgers.

“We needed it. We needed the length. We needed to put up zeroes, and he was fantastic all night,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “This is what can happen when you pitch with conviction, and he was on the attack from pitch one, flooding the zone, making those guys comfortable, and using his entire pitch mix. … I can’t say enough about what Gavin Stone did tonight.”

Following a dominant 2022 Minor League campaign, Stone came into the ‘23 season as the best pitching prospect in the Dodgers’ organization. When he got his chance in the Majors last season, it didn’t go nearly the way he hoped. Stone allowed 16 earned runs over his first 10 innings, getting sent back down to the Minors after giving up seven runs on 10 hits over two innings against the Rays.

Given those troubles, Stone wasted no time to get back to work this offseason. He put on close to 15 pounds and began working on fixing a tipping issue that affected him throughout the season. He also understood that he needed multiple quality pitches to get big league hitters out.

“I feel like there’s a big difference from this year to last year on how I feel on the mound,” Stone said. “Just pound the zone with all my pitches and be as confident as I can with all my pitches and keep the ball low.”

Stone’s development was on full display on Saturday, as he used a wide range of pitches to retire the first 15 batters of the game before walking Tyler Wade to lead off the sixth. His no-hitter bid ended two batters later, when Kyle Higashioka lined a two-out single into left field.

Despite not being able to make history -- which looked possible given how he had all his pitches working -- Stone got 14 swings and misses on Saturday, at least one coming on five different pitch types. He, of course, got four whiffs on his signature changeup, which grades out as one of the best pitches on the staff.

"Looks like both sides of the plate, [he was] commanding his heater,” said Padres manager Mike Shildt. “He had a good fastball tonight. You know he's sitting 96 [mph] with some late life. Again, throw to both sides of the plate and control counts, he did a nice job."

Stone’s poise was also tested on Saturday, and he passed the test with flying colors. With the Dodgers holding on to a one-run lead in the fifth, Jurickson Profar squared up to bunt against Stone. The next pitch was a cutter that got close to Profar, who stared down Stone in displeasure.

As Profar continued to look at Stone, Smith chimed in and exchanged some words with the Padres’ outfielder. The benches ultimately cleared, but no punches were thrown and nobody was ejected. Instead, Stone just got back on the mound and retired the next three batters he faced.

“I’ve used that word ‘unflappable’ with other guys, and he’s one of those guys, too,” Roberts said. “He was focused all night from pitch one, and even after that little delay, it didn’t affect him.”