LOS ANGELES — Justin Wrobleski wasn’t happy on Saturday, and Dave Roberts could sense it. The Los Angeles Dodgers manager has come to embrace Wrobleski’s self-assuredness, which was much warranted when it came to the merits of his All-Star case. That made it sting even more when Wrobleski, a revelation this season for the best team in baseball, was not initially listed among the pitchers selected to represent the National League next week in Philadelphia.So after announcing the five Dodgers who were going to the game, Roberts pulled Wrobleski aside to reassure him. The words bounced off Wrobleski. It certainly didn’t help matters three days later when three different NL pitchers were added as replacements for the game, and he wasn’t one of them.“You want to be an All-Star,” Wrobleski said. “It’s something that, regardless of the year, whenever, it’s always a big deal. It’s something I wanted to do. It’s frustrating to not get that nod.”Then Wrobleski went out Tuesday night and added to a case that already felt airtight. Facing the hapless Colorado Rockies, he bullied his way through seven innings of one-run ball, lowering his ERA to 2.69 in a game the Dodgers fumbled away after he departed, losing 4-3.It is worth reiterating what Wrobleski has already accomplished this summer, becoming a stalwart for a juggernaut. A year ago, he was in the minors trying to sort out his delivery. He did not begin this season in the rotation and only got a chance to prove he could start because Blake Snell opened the year on the injured list with a balky shoulder. Wrobleski has blossomed with a throwback approach and awareness of modern sensibilities, pounding the strike zone and working as efficiently as any pitcher in baseball while relying on his own internal evaluation processes.
Dodgers’ Justin Wrobleski shows he can pitch like an All-Star after ‘frustrating’ snub
Wrobleski can't seem to find his way onto the NL All-Star roster despite a season that just keeps getting better.














