Steve Webb
DENVER, CO — Almost perfect. It was a beautiful Rocky Mountain afternoon, and the Dodgers played almost as well as the weather. Playing under sunny skies in Denver, the team fell behind in the early going, but exploded for a five-run inning in the top of the fourth, and a strong day for the LA bullpen made it stick. Their 5-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies was a textbook Dodger win through and through.
Rockies get to Buehler early
For a while, it looked like things might not turn out so nicely. Rockies’ starter Kyle Freeland brought the good stuff to the ball park in the early going, cruising fairly easily through the lineup the first time and a half. Meanwhile, Walker Buehler, making the first Opening Day start of his career, seemed a little shaky in the opening frames. In the second inning, he gave up a double to Ryan McMahon and a single to Connor Joe to get into a no-out jam. Then, an RBI ground out and a single up the middle later, and the Dodgers found themselves in an 0-2 hole.
Outburst in fourth
The Dodgers weren’t ripping the cover off the ball today at Coors Field, but they strung their hits together in a very opportune fashion. Will Smith started things off with a solid one-out single in the top of the fourth. Chris Taylor immediately followed up with a double to center that put runners at second and third. After a Cody Bellinger pop-up on the next pitch (not great), Gavin Lux came to the plate with two outs. He quickly fell behind 0-2, but watched two curveballs land out of the zone to even up the count. Then, he got the pitch he was looking for. He smacked a solid single into center and just like that, the game was tied.
But the Dodgers weren’t done in the frame; they scored again on a Mookie Betts double (very good to see). After a Freddie Freeman walk which chased Freeland from the game, the visitors added one more on an RBI single from Trea Turner. Finally, Freddie Freeman scampered home with the Dodgers’ fifth run of the inning on a wild pitch from reliever Tyler Kinley. It was 5-2 Dodgers, and the Boys in Blue never looked back.
Relievers solid the rest of the way
The three-run lead would turn out to be plenty on this Opening Day. Walker Buehler settled down after the second, and pitched very well the rest of the way for his first win of the season. The bullpen was almost flawless. Brusdar Graterol pitched a scoreless sixth. Blake Treinen was lights-out in a five-pitch seventh, and Daniel Hudson struck out the side in the eighth.
The lone hiccup came in the ninth when new closer Craig Kimbrel gave up a pair of doubles to Elias Diaz and Charlie Blackmon before he was able to close the door by striking out new Rockie Kris Bryant to end the game.
Overall, a solid win for a team that looked a little shaky throughout much of Spring Training. They try to make it 2-for-2 tomorrow with a night game against these same Rockies. Tony Gonsolin gets the ball against German Marquez. The game will have a 5:10 local time first pitch.
Cans of Corn…
- Freddie Freeman got his first hit as a Dodger today in the sixth inning, when he hit a hot shot to short that bounced into the outfield.
- Gavin Lux was on base three times today, and looked very poised at the plate before hitting his game-tying single.
- Chris Taylor went 2-for-4, including the double that started the Dodgers’ big rally.
- This Rockies lineup is not going to get to the playoffs, but they have got some pop.
- Kimbrel was kind of meh today.
- Trea Turner booted a ball in his first game back at short.
- Blake Treinen. Filthy.
- No Kershaw in this series. He’s been pushed back to Wednesday to allow more time to build up his pitch count.
