Major League Baseball's history is littered with players that had an incredible, out-of-nowhere first half of a season and were named All-Stars, only to regress in a massive way after the break. Could regression already have started for unlikely Los Angeles Dodgers ace and NL Cy Young contender Tony Gonsolin? He makes his first start post-break Monday vs. the visiting Washington Nationals, who are the biggest underdogs on the board at Caesars Sportsbook.
It sure seems like Caesars o ddsmakers were a bit leery of Gonsolin (11-0, 2.02 ERA), as he was never the NL Cy Young favorite despite the fact he hasn't lost in 17 starts and led the Senior Circuit in ERA for a while. In fact, the 28-year-old right-hander became one of just 10 players in MLB history to begin a season with 17 starts without taking a loss.
However, he was the loser in the All-Star Game last Tuesday at Dodger Stadium, becoming the first starting pitcher to enter the All-Star break undefeated but then take the loss in the All-Star Game regardless of whether he started the Midsummer Classic or not. He was also the first pitcher to pick up the loss in an All-Star Game in his home stadium since Roger Clemens in Houston in 2004.
Ironically, here are Gonsolin's past two losses, although the ASG obviously doesn't count:
- *-Allowed 3 earned runs and two home runs on July 19, 2021 at Dodger Stadium (vs. American League)
- *-Allowed 3 earned runs and two home run s on July 19, 2022 at Dodger Stadium (vs. Giants).