LOS ANGELES -- Three hours before lefty Alex Wood improved to 16-3 with six solid innings in the Dodgers' 9-2 victory over the Padres Tuesday night, manager Dave Roberts was noncommittal as to whether Wood will be a starter in the postseason.
Wood, who began the season in the bullpen, has enjoyed a breakout campaign, going 11-0 with a 2.56 ERA over his first 14 starts to earn his first All-Star appearance. He worked as a reliever in the postseason the last two years with the Dodgers but has never started a postseason game.
Considering what Wood has done this season, coming out of the bullpen in October wouldn't be his first preference.
"It's out of my control, but I expect to start," Wood said. "I've been pretty good all year. I think guys trust me with the ball in my hands, so we'll see what happens."
The Dodgers have already moved one of their starters, Kenta Maeda, into the bullpen. Wood could be the next. Roberts plans to meet with Wood in the coming days to discuss his role in the postseason, and the lefty is an option to start the Dodgers' season finale vs. the Rockies on Sunday.
"He's definitely pitched well," Roberts said. "We're continuing to watch and find a way to win as many games as we can. We're still not prepared to make a decision."
Lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu tossed a 34-pitch bullpen session on Tuesday, and Roberts said Ryu is in line to start Friday vs. the Rockies. If Wood is indeed moved to the bullpen, Ryu would serve as the Dodgers' fourth starter in the National League Division Series, behind Clayton Kershaw, Yu Darvish and Rich Hill.
"It is what it is," Wood said. "I've thrown pretty good and would love to start and appreciate the opportunity, it'll be my fourth time in the postseason. I'm just excited for us to finally get to October and go on from there."
Urias hopes to resume throwing soon
Julio Urias was on hand at Dodger Stadium for his bobblehead night on Tuesday, not to pitch and prepare for the postseason like the Dodgers had hoped heading into this season, but instead the injured lefty fielded questions about his recovery process.
Urias, who was ranked as the No. 4 prospect in baseball by MLBPipeline.com, had season-ending shoulder surgery in June, which will require an estimated 12-14 months of recovery time. The lefty said he expects to pitch in the four-month mark following his surgery, which would be late October or early November. Urias had the procedure on June 27 by Dodger team doctor Neal ElAttrache
"Right now, I'm just working in Arizona and getting my rehab," Urias said through an interpreter. " I have my mind set on just the work I have to put in."