The Los Angeles Dodgers welcomed division-rival Colorado Rockies to town for the start of a three-game series on Friday night and continued their winning ways with a 5-1 victory to improve to 20-8 on the season, which is the best record in all of baseball.
Walker Buehler has had some great starts against the Rockies in his career, striking out 12 in 2018 and a career-high 16 in an outing last season in addition to shutting them out to win the National League West in Game 163 in 2018.
He added to that list on Friday, turning in his best outing of the season. It has been a slow start to the year for Buehler after not getting much work in Summer Camp, but he finally looked like his usual self against the Rockies.
Buehler struck out a season-high 11 while allowing just four hits and one run with no walks in six innings of work.
Buehler’s offspeed pitches had been a work in progress to this point, but he was able to get the breaking ball going, specifically against the Major League’s leading hitter Charlie Blackmon to strike him out with a pair of runners in scoring position in the sixth.
Timely hitting gives Buehler plenty of run support
The Dodgers had a rare night without a home run, but they still gave Buehler more than enough support for him to pick up his first win of the year.
Despite Mookie Betts getting the night off, the Dodgers were able to break through for a run in the first inning as Joc Pederson doubled to lead things off and later scored on a double by Cody Bellinger.
L.A. then added three more in the fourth when AJ Pollock doubled and scored on a single by Matt Beaty. After Chris Taylor also singled, Corey Seager came up big with two outs, doubling down the right-field line to bring home two more.
The final run of the night came in the bottom of the sixth when Taylor doubled and then Austin Barnes drove him in with a sacrifice fly.
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