Game Recap: Dodgers Pitching Dominates in Victory

Walker Buehler, Tony Cingrani, Yimi Garcia, and Adam Liberatore all combined to throw the 23rd no-no in Dodgers history. It was the 12th combined no-hitter in MLB history, and the first in Dodgers history.

The call. #LosDodgers pic.twitter.com/TnngL7sLzx

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) May 5, 2018

Buehler set the tone for the evening, going six innings and striking out eight batters. It was the longest outing of his career. Cingrani, Garcia and Liberatore all threw an inning of relief.

The Dodgers jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first inning. With two on, Matt Kemp hit what looked like a routine fly ball. The ball got lost in the rainy sky, falling into no-mans land and bringing in a run.

Two more runs were tacked on in the second. Chris Taylor and Kike Hernandez hit back-to-back solo shots, giving the Dodgers a 3-0 lead. An Alex Verdugo RBI single in the sixth would give L.A. a four run lead. For the Dodgers, that was more than enough.

The Pitching

With how well the pitching looked tonight, the Dodgers would have needed only one run. Walker Buehler led the way for the Dodgers. The rookie, making only his third start, kept the Padres out of tact. They were able to string together two walks in the third, but Buehler escaped the jam. He had eight strikeouts on the evening, and had it not been for his 93 pitches, he easily could have gone at least another inning. His fastball looked un-hittable, and his off-speed pitches appear to be getting better and better each game.

.@buehlersdayoff chats with @alannarizzo after tonight's combined no-hitter.#Dodgers | #MexicoSeries pic.twitter.com/9kXbiconK0

— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) May 5, 2018

Earlier in the week, we wrote an article criticizing the bullpen. Well, I did. And I must admit. They’ve stepped it up over the last three games. A few games ago, if I would have told you the bullpen would need three hitless innings for a no-hitter, you most likely would have gasped and held your breath. Tonight, there was a confidence I felt in them, that I haven’t felt all season.

Tony Cingrani did cause a scare in the seventh. He walked back-to-back batters to put two on with an out. Just like Buehler earlier, he was successfully able to escape the jam. Yimi Garcia then entered the eighth, and struck out two on 14 pitches. Touching the upper 90’s, Garcia was blowing them past the Padres hitters.

Needing just three more outs, Dave Roberts turned to Adam Liberatore. With some shaky outings on the year, Liberatore came in to face the heart of the Padres order. That didn’t phase him. He struck out two, including the last batter of the game.

.@adamlib21 talks with @alannarizzo about closing out the 9th inning for the #Dodgers and completing the combined no-hitter. pic.twitter.com/tCMbq4PA8o

— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) May 5, 2018

Analysis

Overall, this was a great game for the Dodgers. We got to see the potential Walker Buehler possesses. We got to see the bullpen continue their dominance. Even the offense looked pretty darn good! The Dodgers still sit two games below .500, but they’ve now won three in a row, and appear to be getting hot. With two more games against the Padres, and four with the Reds next week, this team appears to be hitting their stride at the right time.

Enrique Hernandez: “This is my fourth year with the Dodgers, and it seems like May is when we get going every year. And May is here.”

— Andy McCullough (@ByMcCullough) May 5, 2018