LOS ANGELES -- During the 2020 World Series run, the Dodgers asked Julio Urías to play a hybrid role. They used him as a starter when needed, while also using him as a reliever, which put him in position to record the final out and secure a championship.

Two seasons ago, the Dodgers asked Urías to be a full-time starter. He responded by being the only pitcher in the Majors to win 20 games. A year ago, Urías, asked to play a more prominent role, came through once again, leading the National League with a 2.16 ERA.

Coming into the 2023 season, the Dodgers were asking Urías to be the ace of their pitching staff. That responsibility was the most logical progression for the Mexican left-hander. Through nine starts, Urías is certainly holding his own, with his latest work coming in the form of seven strong innings in the Dodgers’ 4-2 win over the Padres on Saturday at Dodger Stadium.

“I thought he was really good,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “Plays that didn’t get made, he picked us up. Went deep in the ballgame. Just what we needed.”

Urías’ outing didn’t get off to the easiest start, as he gave up a screaming line-drive homer to Juan Soto to help the Padres get an early 1-0 lead in the first. In the second, Urías hung a changeup against Ha-Seong Kim, which the Padres’ shortstop sent to the left-field pavilion.

If there’s been a weak spot in Urías’ game this season, it’s that he’s allowing the opposing teams to jump out to early leads. Of the 17 runs Urías has given up, nine have come in the first and three in the second.

“First inning, I’ve had some issues and I know it,” Urías said in Spanish. “Today was only one run and I tried to limit the damage there. That’s what I’ve been working on, and then I just talk to the pitching coaches to see what the plan is for the next couple of innings.”

Whatever that plan is, it has definitely been working for Urías, who improved to 5-3 this season. After those two early solo homers, Urías allowed just one hit over the final five innings of his outing, a two-out infield single to Soto in the sixth.

In that same frame, the Dodgers’ infield defense continued to struggle as a Max Muncy error momentarily opened the door for the Padres. But with runners on the corners and just one out, Xander Bogaerts hit a weak grounder that appeared to be headed past the mound. However, Urías snagged it, turned around quickly and fired a perfect strike to second base to start an inning-ending 1-4-3 double play.

“I don’t even know how I made that play,” Urías laughed. “But it worked.”

Something else that has been working during the current 12-2 stretch is the fact that the Dodgers have gotten contributions from different players in the lineup. Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman played the roles of heroes on Friday. On Saturday, it was J.D. Martinez who delivered the big hit, a three-run homer in the first inning to give the Dodgers a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

“In the beginning, I felt like I was pressing a little bit, trying to do too much,” Martinez said. “But we got a good enough team, I don’t have to do anything, really. Just do what I know how to do, and if it’s me that night, it’s me. If it’s the other eight hitters, it’s the other eight hitters. Our lineup is pretty potent.”

After a 13-13 start to the season, the Dodgers have shown just how talented this team can be. With Saturday’s win, Los Angeles has now won four in a row against the Padres and has opened up a six-game lead in the NL West over San Diego.

How the Dodgers finish the season is what will ultimately matter. But with Urías looking like an ace again and the lineup finding its footing, the Dodgers have appeared much more like themselves lately.

“It’s good that we’re playing good baseball, winning baseball,” Roberts said. “I’d argue now, more importantly, is we’ve got to just continue to play good baseball. … We have a chance to really go for the jugular tomorrow, and that’s our intent.”