Buehler blanks Bucs in bounce-back win for Dodgers

PITTSBURGH – Walker Buehler didn’t have his strikeout pitch working on Tuesday night, but just about everything else was. In an efficient outing, Butane pitched seven innings of shut-out ball before coming off the mound with a five-run lead. The bullpen was able to make the lead hold up (barely) and the Dodgers hung on to win 5-3 in the first game of this three-game set at PNC Park.

Ya gotta touch the base, Ke’Bryan…

Early on, the Pirates showed why they have been cellar dwellers the last few seasons. Young third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes somehow managed to turn a first inning home run into an out due to a baserunning error. Batting second in the game, Hayes pasted a Buehler fastball and sent it deep down the right field line. It hugged the foul pole, but landed just fair, for an apparent solo home run. Only problem was that Hayes sort of, um, forgot to touch the bag while rounding first on his way around the bases. The Dodgers challenged, and the run was wiped off the board. Oops.

Buehler in a jam in the second

Then, it looked like the Pirates might have something going in the second as well. They were able to load up the bases thanks to a single, an error on Gavin Lux, and a walk. Luckily for the Dodgers, it was pitcher JT Brubaker coming to the plate with two outs. Buehler was able to wriggle off the hook when he got Brubaker to ground into a force play at second to end the inning.

Though Brubaker did little to help his cause at the plate, he was pitching a pretty good ball game early on. He held the Dodgers scoreless through the first four innings, only surrendering a couple of singles along the way. However, it’s tough to keep this Dodger lineup down for too long.

Dodger bats heat up in middle innings

In their second time through the batting order, the Dodgers were starting to see Brubaker’s pitches a lot better. With one out in the fifth, Gavin Lux ripped a single to Gregory Polanco in right, and was able to scamper to third on a Polanco fielding error. He was quickly driven home by a solid AJ Pollock double and the Dodgers were on the board. After Walker Buehler grounded into the second out of the inning, the Dodgers turned the lineup over and were able to keep the line moving. Mookie Betts hit a triple to the warning track to score Pollock and end Brubaker’s night.

Max’s back…

But the Dodgers weren’t done scoring. Max Muncy, returning to the starting line-up after missing a couple of games with an ankle injury, greeted new pitcher Chasen Shreve with another two-out RBI, a solid single through the infield. The Dodgers continue to do well in two-out hitting, delivering ribeyes with more regularity than any other team in the league.

#VOTECT3

The Dodgers were able to tack on two important insurance runs in the next inning. Chris Taylor walloped a two-run home run to left center off the Pirates’ third pitcher of the evening, Chris Stratton. Taylor put a sweet swing on a hanging breaking ball up in the zone, and delivered a no-doubter that landed ten rows deep among the paying customers. CT3 continues to add to the case for his inclusion on the All-Star team, and since Dave Roberts will have something to say about the roster, chances are good we’ll see him in the Mid-summer Classic. After the Taylor dinger, the Dodgers were up 5-0, and the way Buehler was pitching, that seemed pretty insurmountable.

Buehler’s strong outing

Indeed, after the trouble in the second, the Dodgers righthanded flamethrower was cruising through the rest of the evening. He went seven full innings on 93 pitches, and was not really challenged much the rest of his outing. The Pirates’ hitters were swinging like they were double parked, and Buehler got a lot of weak contact early in counts. He ended up with one walk and two strikeouts for the night, but more importantly no earned runs (Thanks, Ke’Bryan!).

Pen still having trouble locking down wins

Unfortunately, the Dodger relievers didn’t have nearly as much luck as Buehler. Joe Kelly gave up a run on a couple of hits in the eighth, and Nate Jones gave up two solo shots in the ninth. Suddenly the score was 5-3, and it was a little too close for comfort, even if there were two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Kenley Jansen was brought in to put an end to all this foolishness, which he promptly did, striking out Philip Evans on three straight pitches. Good morning. Good afternoon. Good night.

The Cat Came Back

The Dodgers are now 2-2 on this road trip, and hope to continue to feast on the Pirates on Wednesday. The 4:10 start will be notable because it will signal the return to the mound of one Tony Gonsolin. Goose is finally done with all his rehabbing after his shoulder issue, and he is ready to show us that 2020 wasn’t a fluke. Looking forward to the return of the Cat Man!