The Los Angeles Dodgers lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-7 in the ninth inning on Friday.

The team announced that right-hander Dustin May, who has been on the disabled list, will undergo elbow surgery. He is out for the season. May previously had elbow ligament reconstruction surgery in May 2021.

He was placed on the disabled list with elbow soreness after pitching one inning against the Minnesota Twins on May 18 and ended up on the operating table. He will have surgery on his forearm and internal flexor-pronator, not his elbow ligament. The surgery is scheduled for July 16.

The Dodgers, who are 47-38 and in second place in the National League West, have had a collective struggle on the mound. Both the starting rotation and bullpen are among the worst in recent years. Their 4.53 team ERA ranks 23rd in MLB.

As of June 6, only two pitchers in the Dodgers’ starting rotation have made an Opening Day start. The starting order for Opening Day is Urias-May-Clayton Kershaw-Noah Syndergaard-Michael Grove. Currently, it’s Urias–Tony Gonsolin–Grove–Emmitt Sheehan–Bobby Miller.

Grove, Sheehan, and Miller are rookies. The extent of the injuries to the Dodgers’ starting rotation is quickly apparent.

No. 1 starter Urias returned from a hamstring injury last week against the Kansas City Royals, but still struggled, allowing five runs in three innings. Urias, who is eligible for free agency after the season, is 5-5 with a 4.94 ERA.

Kershaw, who won 10 games in June and was named to his 10th career All-Star, was placed on the disabled list for the first time this season with shoulder soreness.

Noah Syndergaard has no timetable for a return after being placed on the IL with a blistered finger following his June 8 start against the Cincinnati Reds. He is 1-4 with a 7.16 ERA. He is expected to throw a live game this weekend.온라인바카

The Dodgers’ ERA this season is the worst in franchise history. In addition to their overall pitching, their starting rotation is 19th in MLB at 4.55. The bullpen is 25th at 4.51.

Still, it’s the offense that has kept the Dodgers 2.5 games behind the first-place Arizona Diamondbacks. Their run differential of +59 is second in the NL behind the MLB’s best run differential, the Atlanta Braves +140.

The team expects Walker Buehler to return if they make the postseason. But the key will be regular-season performance. It will be interesting to see what happens at the trade deadline for the Dodgers.