Steve Webb
Game 48, 5/18/2024: Dodgers 4, Reds 0
CHAVEZ RAVINE, CA — Even if the bullpen had completely imploded and given the game away, this game would have been a triumph. Why? Because we saw what starter Walker Buehler could be on a regular basis. For the first time in two years, Buehler looked like HIM again, going six scoreless innings in a 4-0 home win over the Cincinnati Reds.
After two frustrating starts that had his ERA closer to 10.00 than it was to 3.00, Buehler looked sharp from the get-go. He commanded the mound immediately, buzzing through the top of the Cincinnati batting order on just seven pitches. After getting groundout and lineout from Will Benson and Elly De La Cruz, Buehler recorded his first strikeout of the night by inducing a swing-and-miss from Mike Ford on a wicked knuckle curve at the bottom of the zone.
Buehler pretty much dominated the Cincinnati hitters for the rest of the evening. The Reds managed three hits off him all night. The closest they got to scoring was in the top of the fifth on a misplay in the outfield between untested rookies Andy Pages and Miguel Vargas that was scored a “triple.” With one out, Buehler had to dig a little deeper than he might have liked to get out of the inning. He did just that on a pop foul to bobblehead boy Will Smith and a groundout to retire the side. After an uneventful sixth inning, Buehler left the mound with a frankly impressive stat line for the evening: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K. And all this on just 78 pitches. In the words of his own Twitter feed: YEESH!
Offensively, there wasn’t a whole lot going on early, but the Dodgers’ batsmen pushed Reds starter Graham Ashcroft to use a lot of bullets the first time through the lineup. Then, after a couple of walks in the bottom of the fourth, Andy Pages banged a single into center to put the Dodgers’ first run in the scorebook. A Gavin Lux groundout scored another in the same inning and then Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Herndez both got RBI basehits later in the game. With those four runs, Buehler had plenty of support to get his first home win in exactly two year. Revenge is a dish best served cold indeed.
This might not be an everyday thing with Buehler, but it’s good to know the guy still has it in him. Now, we get Kershaw online and then just try and get runs on this team in October.
Now 31-17, the Dodgers go for the series win on Sunday afternoon. Local product Hunter Greene gets the start for the Reds, going up against that ubitquitous foe TBA. The game gets underway at 1:10, and then the D-backs show up for their first visit to the Ravine on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. See you at the ballpark!
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