Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
Late recap? Late recap.
Oh well, anyway the Dodgers were quite frankly somewhat fortunate to not get stuck with another depressing loss to a bad team. They didn’t play especially well, but a win is a win, and the prevailed over the Tigers, 6-3.
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Eduardo Rodriguez is a lefty, so he was another challenge for a Dodgers lineup that has struggled against them so far, but they answered the bell alright today. Things started early behind a Mookie Betts check-swing single, a Freddie Freeman single, and then a Will Smith singled poked the other way for a 1-0 lead.
The Dodgers rallied again in the 2nd with some help from the Tigers. Back-to-back singles from Hanser Alberto and Gavin Lux kicked things off, then Mookie reached on a throwing error that scored Alberto. The lineup took advantage of the miscue, with Freddie doubling a run home and then Trea Turner plating another on a ground out to make it 4-0.
Rodriguez settled in after that with three consecutive clean innings, at one point setting down 12 in a row. That ended in the 6th with a Chris Taylor single, followed by a Cody Bellinger double to score him, and later an error by the Tigers on a Lux grounder led to Cody also scoring for a 6-0 scoreline.
The Tigers pen was very effective after that. Drew Hutchison got the last out of the 6th in relief of Rodriguez, and then got a clean 7th. Andrew Chafin followed with a clean 8th, and the pair retired the last seven Dodgers of the game.
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Meanwhile it was honestly a miracle Walker Buehler managed to keep that 0 up on the board given his start. In the 1st he gave up a walk, steal, and single but escaped without damage, then in the 2nd he allowed two singles and hit a batter to load the bases but again was unscathed.
Things improved in the 3rd, allowing only a single, but he had to escape trouble again in the 4th thanks to back-to-back infield singles against him. Thankfully, he got a grounder for an inning-ending double play to avoid disaster in that situation as well. The 5th ended up being his first clean inning, and after struggling through the day that was it for him: 5 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K, 92 Pitches.
That did lead to a debut chance for Tommy Kahnle, getting a soft landing in his first outing in two years. And he looked sharp, going 1-2-3 with a pair of strikeouts.
Alex Vesia then did him one better in the 7th, striking out the side on 14 pitches. But Phil Bickford didn’t have nearly as easy a time, giving up a double and then a Miguel Cabrera homer in the 8th to make it 6-2.
The 9th saw more trouble with Justin Bruihl giving up a solo shot to Jeimer Candelario to start and make it a save situation. After getting just one out, he allowed a double and that made it Craig Kimbrel time. He issued a walk but otherwise closed the game without drama for a 6-3 victory.
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14-7 on the year now and they’re back in first place in the NL West.
After a day off tomorrow, the Dodgers will welcome the rival Giants to town with Julio Urias on the mound against Carlos Rodon.
