Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
The Dodgers are undoubtedly the hottest team in baseball right now and they’re not even fully healthy yet. After a 4-1 win over the Mets tonight, they have now won seven games in a row, 11 of their last 12, and four in a row against the Mets after adding their series sweep over the weekend.
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Taijuan Walker took a no-hitter deep into his last start against the Dodgers, but things didn’t quite go that way this time around. After a clean 1st, he issued a walk to Corey Seager to start the 2nd, then surrendered a double to Will Smith to put him in trouble. The Dodgers didn’t get a hit the rest of the inning, but they did drive in both runs on ground outs from AJ Pollock and then Chris Taylor to make it 2-0.
For the Dodgers it was yet another pen game, and Dave Roberts decided to start tonight with Corey Knebel, who gave up a single but got a scoreless 1st.
Evan Phillips made his Dodger debut in the 2nd and looked sharp, retiring the side in order with a strikeout. After getting the first two in the 3rd, he then gave up a single to break his streak, but tallied another scoreless inning. Roberts decided to push him in the 4th, but Phillips started to wane a bit, giving up a lead-off single, a lineout, and then a J.D. Davis double down the line in left to cut the lead to 2-1.
That was it for Phillips, who made a successful debut, relieved by Victor Gonzalez. He immediately got a line out to second into the shift that resulted in a double play to escape the 4th. He continued the next inning and did give up a single, but got out of it with a great play to the end the frame.
Since giving up the runs, Walker was cruising along until the 5th when he gave up a one-out infield single to Taylor, combined with an error that advanced him to second. Later on with two down, Billy McKinney went oppo for a pinch-hit double to plate a run, and Trea Turner capped off an eight-pitch battle with a single to right to make it 4-1.
Phil Bickford was given the 6th as he continues his rise into leverage spots, and he showed why, giving up a single but otherwise getting through a 13-pitch scoreless frame with two strikeouts.
Brusdar Graterol took over in the 7th, hitting a batter to start, but not having trouble otherwise thanks to pumping velo.
The Mets turned to their pen in the 7th as well, replacing Walker with Trevor Williams, who issued a walk and hit a batter but got two scoreless frames to close the book on the Dodgers.
Alex Vesia was given the 8th, which was interesting from Roberts, but completely deserved. He showed why too, bumping up his velocity yet again and carving the top of the Mets order with a strikeout and two weak grounders.
Furthering the intrigue, it was not Kenley Jansen in the 9th but Blake Treinen, who continued to look like one of the best relievers in all of baseball by striking out the side.
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Trea is confused.
Jonathan Villar twice dropped his knee on Trea’s steal attempts, which is completely legally, but so is going in to the bag hard with your spikes. Just saying.
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The Dodgers improve to 76-46 on the season, a 101-win pace, and are now 2.5 games back of the Giants in the NL West.
Walker Buehler (2.09 ERA/3.13 FIP/3.04 xERA) goes tomorrow for the Dodgers against Carlos Carrasco (10.32/7.58/5.74 | 11.1 IP), starting at 4:10 PM HT/7:10 PM PT/10:10 PM ET.
