Behind Buehler, Dodgers deliver convincing win

LOS ANGELES — Bouncing back after a heartbreaking loss in Game 3, the Dodgers dominated Game 4 from the start. Walker Buehler, the losing pitcher in Game 1, showed why he is known as one of the premier big-game pitchers of his generation, getting into the fifth on a night when he was pitching with just three days’ rest. The offense did the rest, putting pressure on the Giants in almost every inning, and attacking Giants’ pitchers with a relentless 12-hit attack. The Boys in Blue won every aspect of the game, and quite frankly the score could have been a whole lot more than the 7-2 victory that it ended up being.

On short rest, Buehler comes out sharp

This was the first time in his career that Walker Buehler has had to pitch on only three days’ rest instead of the standard four that pitchers are given these days, so it was an open question how the Dodgers’ ace would respond. He answered any questions about his effectiveness in the very first inning. He got a couple of flyouts and a harmless grounder on eleven pitches against the top of the Giants’ potent batting order, and sent the Dodgers to the bat rack with a little early momentum.

Corey and Trea put the Dodgers on the board

In the bottom of the first, after a Mookie Betts lineout, Corey Seager got the first hit of the game against Giants starter Anthony DeSclafani. He ripped an 0-2 pitch the opposite way for a one-out single. The Dodgers wasted little time to capitalize on the hit, as the very next batter, Trea Turner, ripped an opposite field hit of his own, this one a run-scoring double to the right field corner.

With a man on second and nobody, the Dodgers started a very familiar pattern of stranding a runner in scoring position, as neither Will Smith nor Justin Turner could bring him home. If there was a weak point in Tuesday’s performance, it had to be the Dodgers’ hitting with runners in scoring position. They went 1-for-11 in this one. They’ll need to improve on that in Game 5, where scoring opportunities figure to be few and far between against Giants’ ace Logan Webb.

Betts home run a turning point

The Dodgers added another run in the second on a Chris Taylor sacrifice fly to deep left field to make it 2-0. But the real turning point of the game came in the bottom of the fourth. Walker Buehler led off the inning, having put up four straight zeros in the scorebook. Buehler hit a comebacker to reliever Jarrin Garcia, who failed to field the ball cleanly. Buehler managed to leg it to first before the throw arrived, and was on first base with a fielding error on the opposing pitcher.

Usually, having your pitcher on base to lead off any inning is a mixed blessing. You’re happy he’s on base, but then he has to stay there the whole inning and not rest in the dugout. However, Buehler’s stay on the bases was a short one, thanks to Mookie Betts. After taking the first pitch he saw for a strike, Betts teed off on Garcia’s second offering. He went oppo with the four-seam fastball and deposited it over the right field fence for a two-run home run. The score was 4-0 now and the Dodgers would never look back.

Buehler’s gritty performance

Though he would be pulled from the game after surrendering a single and a walk in the top of the fifth, we have to admire Walker Buehler’s performance tonight. After only three days’ rest, I figured he’d be good for fifty pitches max in this one. In fact, he threw 71 pitches, landing 41 for strikes. He only gave up three hits while walking two, and pitched around a two-on, one-out jam in the second inning. One of the runners that Buehler left on base in the fifth came around to score on from Darin Ruf, which got belatedly added to Buehler’s ledger, but overall a really sharp performance on a night that it was needed very badly. Buetane’s final line for the night: 4.1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 4 K.

Offense tacks on lots of insurance

After the pivotal fourth inning, the Dodgers continued to apply pressure to Gabe Kapler’s bullpen. They put multiple runners on base in almost every inning, collecting twelve hits along the way. Six Dodgers had two-hit games, including Gavin Lux (who reached four times) and Cody Bellinger. With this kind of production up and down the lineup, it was inevitable that they would add a few more runs to their tally. They got a sacrifice fly from Mookie in the fifth, and then in the bottom of the eighth, Will Smith added a coup de grâce with a two-run blast off Jake McGee.

Bullpen solid in relief

With the short start from Buehler baked into the cake in this one, it was up to the bullpen to get the final fourteen outs of the game. And, overall they were plenty up to the task. Joe Kelly let one of his inherited runners score, and Blake Treinen gave up a run on a leadoff double and a couple of productive outs, but other than that, a solid night from the pen. Brusdar Gaterol pitched a clean sixth, and the Bazooka set social media abuzz with a sinker that clocked in at nearly 103 mph. With the lead at five runs, Kenley Jansen’s services were not required in the ninth and Phil Bickford finished things up for the victorious Dodgers.

“Baseball wants this,” says Roberts

So after a season of back and forth, the Dodgers and the Giants both have 109 wins on the season (the Dodgers’ Wild Card win put them in a tie). However, it will be the 110th game that will decide supremacy and statewide bragging rights this year. With Atlanta awaiting the winner, the Dodgers and Giants will lock horns one last time on Thursday night. Julio Urias will be facing Dodger nemesis from Game 1 Logan Webb. The game will be a 6:07 start, on TBS once again. It all comes down to this. We know that the pitching will show up on Thursday. The question will be whether or not the Dodgers will be able to solve Logan Webb. We shall see.