The Los Angeles Dodgers picked up their first win of the 2022 season with a 5-3 Opening Day victory against the division rival Colorado Rockies.
The Dodgers’ vaunted lineup struggled to begin the game as Rockies starter Kyle Freehand had six strikeouts and stranded four runners through three scoreless innings.
However, in the fourth inning the bottom of the lineup started a rally, led by Will Smith’s single and a double from Chris Taylor with one out.
Freeland nearly stranded the tying runners in scoring position but the Dodgers strung together a two-out rally. It started with Gavin Lux tying the game on a two-run base hit before Mookie Betts followed with an RBI double to left field to give L.A. the lead.
Betts’ extra-base hit was not without some comedic relief as Lux had a rocky head-first slide into home plate.
A five-spot in the fourth! pic.twitter.com/nbrML6WQKm
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Freddie and KB pick up their first hits in their new threads. pic.twitter.com/K7CzwROMtS
— MLB (@MLB) April 8, 2022
Welcome to the @Dodgers, @Kimbrel46. pic.twitter.com/uV8kWb6zWP
— MLB (@MLB) April 9, 2022
The first victory formation of 2022! pic.twitter.com/bcc6pkgjOu
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 8, 2022
Freddie Freeman kept the inning alive with a walk that also ended Freeland’s day and Trea Turner greeted Tyler Kinley with an RBI single. Freeman later scored on a wild pitch to cap off the five-run inning.
In the sixth inning, Freeman picked up his first career hit as a member of the Dodgers, roping a hard hit ball to the opposite field past Rockies shortstop Jose Iglesias. Freeman finished 1-for-3 with one walk and one hit-by-pitch in his Dodgers debut.
The Dodgers bullpen was also able to shut the Rockies down, throwing four innings combined by Brusdar Graterol, Blake Treinen, Daniel Hudson and the newest closer, Craig Kimbrel, with only one run allowed.
Of the four relievers, Kimbrel was the only one to allow a run, but he was able to pick up the first save with the Dodgers while making his team debut. Although he wasn’t perfect, Kimbrel managed to strike out two in his one inning of work.
Buehler gives Dodgers five innings
Walker Buehler took the ball for his first career Opening Day start and pitched five innings, allowing two runs on four hits while walking two and striking out five.
Clayton Kershaw has been the Dodgers’ de facto Opening Day starter all but two times since 2011, with injuries being the only reason for the two previous changes.
With that type of history in mind, Buehler acknowledge there was added meaning to effectively taking the Opening Day torch from Kershaw.
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