ARLINGTON, Texas -- Dustin May, who threw only two innings in his Game 5 start Friday, will start Game 7 of the National League Championship Series for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday night, opposing Atlanta Braves right-hander Ian Anderson.
May, whose right arm has proved resilient, has faced only 18 batters in his two appearances in this series, the other coming in Game 1 on Monday. The Dodgers also have Tony Gonsolin on normal rest after his 88-pitch start in Tuesday's Game 2. Julio Urias, who threw a career-high 101 pitches in his Game 3 start, might also be able to give the Dodgers an inning or two.
A primary reason the Dodgers chose May was to provide the 23-year-old right-hander with some "clarity" on when he will pitch, as opposed to leaving him lingering in the bullpen, manager Dave Roberts said.
"We'll see how long he can go," Roberts added. "But given he just went a few days ago, certainly not that long."
Those three should allow Roberts to save his high-leverage relievers -- Brusdar Graterol, Blake Treinen, Victor Gonzalez, Pedro Baez and Kenley Jansen -- for the later innings. The question is whether Clayton Kershaw will make a relief appearance, as he has done in similar situations in the past.
The possibility of holding Kershaw back for Game 1 of the World Series, which would come on Tuesday, could factor into the decision -- as would the back spasms that forced him to get scratched from his scheduled start in Game 2. Kershaw wound up throwing 87 pitches over five-plus innings in Thursday's Game 4 loss.
"We'll see," Roberts said of using Kershaw. "He's available, but we'll see what happens."