Buehler! Top Prospect Stars As Dodgers Defeat Marlins, 2-1
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Cody Bellinger drove in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly in the eighth, prized prospect Walker Buehler tossed five scoreless innings in his first major league start and the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Miami Marlins 2-1 on Monday night.
Buehler topped out at 99 mph while allowing four hits in an 89-pitch outing. The 23-year-old right-hander struck out five and walked three in helping the Dodgers (11-10) move above .500 for the first time this season with their third straight win.
Enrique Hernandez homered on a 3-2 pitch from Marlins starter Jarlin Garcia in the fourth to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead.
Hernandez backed Buehler with two sparkling defensive plays in place of shortstop Corey Seager, who struck out as a pinch hitter in the eighth.
After Buehler issued a two-out walk to Garcia, Hernandez made a diving stop on a ball headed up the middle and whipped around to complete a pinpoint throw to first to end the inning.
Hernandez turned in a similar play in the third to throw out Starlin Castro for the second out.
Buehler pitched himself in and out of trouble in the first.
After retiring leadoff hitter Miguel Rojas on a grounder to second, Buehler gave up consecutive singles on identical 89 mph sliders to J.T. Realmuto and Castro. Brian Anderson took a called third strike before Cameron Maybin walked to load the bases.
But Buehler was unruffled. He got JB Shuck on a swinging strike to end the inning and start a run of retiring seven of eight batters.
Maybin singled on a 95 mph fastball from Buehler in the fourth.
Realmuto singled on a 78 mph curve from Buehler with two outs in the fifth before he induced an inning-ending groundout from Castro.
Garcia gave up one run and four hits in six innings. He struck out seven and walked one as the Marlins fell to 2-8 on the road.
Miami tied it 1-all in the eighth on Anderson's RBI single off J.T. Chargois.
Chris Taylor doubled leading off the bottom half, went to third on Hernandez's bunt single to the pitcher and scored on Bellinger's fly to center.
Adam Liberatore (1-0) got the win in relief. Josh Fields pitched the ninth for his first save.
Kyle Barraclough (0-1) took the loss, allowing one run and two hits in the eighth.
Buehler, drafted in the first round by the Dodgers in 2015 out of Vanderbilt, made his major league debut last September as a reliever when the team insisted on limiting his innings. He allowed eight runs in 9 1/3 innings last year and didn't make the playoff roster.
Buehler pitched sparingly in spring training, giving up one hit without allowing a run in four innings. He began the season at Triple-A Oklahoma City, going 1-0 with a 2.10 ERA in three starts.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Marlins: RHP Elieser Hernandez (tooth infection) will throw five innings Tuesday when he begins a rehab assignment. ... Martin Prado (left hamstring strain) will play seven innings at third base Tuesday in the start of a rehab assignment. ... JT Riddle (right shoulder tendinitis) will play five innings at shortstop in his rehab assignment. ... 1B-OF Garrett Cooper (bruised right wrist) will begin range-of-motion exercises.
Dodgers: 2B-3B Logan Forsythe (right shoulder inflammation) took grounders and did some throwing, but no rehab assignment has been scheduled. ... LHP Rich Hill (left middle finger inflammation) is set to throw 75 pitches in a simulated game Tuesday.
UP NEXT
LHP Dillon Peters (2-2, 6.98 ERA) starts for the Marlins against RHP Kenta Maeda (2-1, 3.77).
(© Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)