Steve Webb
CHAVEZ RAVINE, CA — Sooner or later, you are who you are. After a couple of days mediocre play, the Dodgers return to form on Sunday afternoon. And for that matter so did the Tigers. You see, the Dodgers are a very good team that can win even when not playing their best baseball. The Tigers, on the other hand, are…not. Taking advantage of some poor Detroit fielding, the Dodgers got off to a big lead early and then held on for victory, notching a 6-3 win over the Tigers and finishing the weekend with the series victory.
Buehler bends but does not break
Walker Buehler got the start for the Dodgers in this one, and while he was far from the perfect version of himself, he went five scoreless innings. Pitching around a lot of traffic in the early innings, he made the pitches when they counted and stranded a small army of Detroit base runners Sunday afternoon. It wasn’t a great start for the Dodger ace, but it was plenty good. Buehler’s line for the day: 5.0 IP, 6H, 0 ER, 5K.
Sustained attack scores runs in multiple innings
Meanwhile, the Dodgers were converting most of the base runners they got on in this one. They got a run on three singles in the first. Then in the second, they put up a three-spot, aided by an infield throwing error and a Freddie Freeman double. Finally, in the 6th inning, Cody Bellinger drove in a run with a nice double and then he scored on yet another error as part of a two-run inning that put the Dodgers up 6-0. They looked to be on cruise control to an easy victory.
Bullpen makes it interesting
Unfortunately the Dodgers didn’t quite coast to victory. Phil Bickford and Justin Bruihl both surrendered home runs in the late innings and the Dodgers suddenly found themselves having to call on closer Craig Kimbrel to secure the win. With the tying run at the plate, Kimbrel got Austin Meadows to pop out in the infield to end the game and secure the series victory. It was a little sloppy, but it was a win. Which what should have happened all along.
Bring on the Giants
The Dodgers, now 14-7 and in first place by a whisker, will lock horns for the first time with the San Francisco Giants this week. After an off-day on Monday, they take the field against their divisional foe on Tuesday and Wednesday night. Julio Urias is slated to pitch on Tuesday, and the Wednesday starter has not yet been announced, though it is Tony Gonsolin‘s spot in the rotation. We’ll get our first look at lefty Carlos Rodon on Tuesday, and it’s our old buddy Alex Wood toeing the rubber for the Giants on Wednesday. Both games have a 7:10 first pitch at Dodger Stadium. Once the Dodgers get through that early season test, they have a relatively easy schedule in May. Lots of opportunity to shore up the standings in the next few weeks.
Cans of Corn…
- Freddie Freeman has been the best Dodger offensive player in April, and it wasn’t even particularly close.
- Tommy Kahnle pitched a 1-2-3 sixth inning in his return to the big leagues. He hadn’t seen any MLB action for nearly two years due to Tommy John surgery. If we can get anything out of him, it will be huge.
- Dave Roberts indicated in pregame interviews that Blake Treinen will be out for “a while,” whatever that means.
- Sunday marked the second straight day where the bullpen was not really sharp. We’ll have to keep an eye on this.
- Walker wasn’t all that sharp today, either, but he battled. His ERA is now a team-leading 2.12. I think he’s going to be okay.
