After a big win in the series opener, the Los Angeles Dodgers had a lackluster performance in the second game of their three-game set against the Colorado Rockies, falling 4-2 at Coors Field to drop back to 1.5 games out of first place in the National League West.
As has been the case a lot recently, the Dodgers offense struggled for most of the night. The lineup produced just six hits and the Dodgers finished 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position.
The Rockies weren’t much better offensively but were able to come up with some big hits when they needed them against Walker Buehler. Rockies catcher Chris Iannetta hit a solo home run off of Buehler in the third inning, and then Charlie Blackmon hit a big two-run shot in the fifth.
Buehler still made it through six innings in the outing, allowing six hits and four runs while striking out seven and walking one. He dropped to 6-5 on the season.
After the game, Buehler was not happy with his performance, particularly the two pitches that wound up going for home runs, via Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:
“Two bad pitches, two good hitters. Blackmon hopped on a slider and Iannetta, a fastball,” said Buehler. “Just wasn’t good enough.”
While it definitely wasn’t Buehler’s best start of the season, he has proven time and time again that he has the ability to keep the Dodgers in the game even when he is not at his best.
Before the game, manager Dave Roberts called Buehler a ‘front-line’ starter, and his numbers support that as he has posted a 3.09 ERA and 1.03 WHIP with 122 strikeouts and 29 walks in 110.2 total innings on the season.
