Monday, May 6, 2024
Copyrighted by Sarah Morris, 2024
On a beautiful Monday evening at Dodger Stadium, Walker Buehler returned from a twenty-two-month absence and pitched satisfactorily for four innings. Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, James Outman, and Teoscar Hernandez hit home runs. Ryan Yarbrough, Blake Treinen, and Alex Vesia hurled beautifully in relief. The Dodgers beat the lowly Miami Marlins 6-to-3.
Shohei Ohtani was named the National League’s Player of the Week even though he had a three-strikeout game. He hit .528 with three home runs and seven RBI. Friday, he had a crucial hit to the win over the Atlanta Braves. His OPS is first in the National League.
When the Dodgers activated Walker Buehler, they placed Joe Kelly with a right shoulder strain on the 15-day IL. Kelly was pitching well of late. Yesterday, the Dodgers put Evan Phillips on the 15-day IL with a slight hamstring pull. Last Tuesday, Ryan Brasier, who is expected to miss about two months with a strained calf, went on the IL. If Blake Treinen didn’t come back yesterday, the Dodgers would have had only Daniel Hudson to be their high leverage reliever.
After missing twenty-two months while recovering from his second Tommy John surgery, Walker Buehler returned to the Dodger Stadium’s mound Monday. His stuff looked great. He allowed an infield single to the first major leaguer and he scored on a single after a stolen base.
The next two hitters made out, but he allowed another RBI single. The 29-year-old got out of the first inning on batter’s interference with Will Smith.
Mookie Betts walked, and Shohei Ohtani socked a game-tying homer. Freddie Freeman hit his third home run of the year. With an out, Max Muncy walked but was left.
Buehler allowed a solo home run to lead off the second. Buehler made an error while covering first. Will Smith caught the stealer. Buehler got his first strikeout. Jazz Chisholm doubled but was left.
To open the second, Gavin Lux walked and scored on James Outman’s home run.
Buehler struck out two before allowing a single in the third but retired the last out. His off-speed pitches need improvement.
In the third, Teoscar Hernandez homered with two outs. Andy Pages singled but was left.
Buehler faced the minimum in the fourth even though he hit a hitter by a pitch.
In the fourth, Betts and Ohtani singled. Ohtani stole a base, but no Dodgers scored.
Ryan Yarbrough relieved Buehler in the fifth. While Buehler would have liked to pitch the fifth to qualify for a win, he had a great first start in twenty-two months. He needs to improve his off-speed pitches to be great. Yarbrough was perfect in the fifth.
Pages walked, a rare occurrence in his young major league career, in the fifth was left.
Yarbrough pitched well in the sixth.
Betts singled in the sixth, and Ohtani walked. Ohtani stole second. No one scored.
Without Yarbrough’s ability to pitch multiple innings, the Dodgers would have a problem with the bullpen since they have so many injuries. Yarbrough had a six-pitch seventh inning.
In the seventh, Hernandez singled, but Pages hit into a double play.
Blake Treinen pitched a perfect eight
