Matt Chapman gave the Oakland Athletics an early lead and pulled away late for an 5-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers at Hohokam Stadium.
Walker Buehler pitched into the third inning but was removed with one out and responsible for runners on second and third base. Parker Curry allowed a sacrifice fly prior to getting the Dodgers out of the jam.
That closed the book on Buehler on two earned runs, three hits, two walks and two strikeouts. He threw 50 pitches, at times appeared frustrated with the strike zone and had stretches where he labored through the outing.
Kenley Jansen allowed a baserunner for the first time this spring but worked around a one-out single to complete a scoreless fourth inning. Caleb Ferguson also added to his impressive showings, but the A’s broke through for three runs against Dylan Floro in the sixth.
That gave Oakland more breathing room after Cody Bellinger’s solo home run cut their lead in half. Bellinger’s blast was his first of Spring Training and further supported claims the back trouble that caused him to miss a game earlier this week was a non-issue.
Bellinger’s home run was one of just five hits the Dodgers mustered. Edwin Rios singled off Mike Fiers, which was the lone baserunner the right-hander allowed over four scoreless innings. Cody Thomas was stranded after hitting a two-out double against Jake Diekman in the fifth.
Former Dodgers pitching prospect Grant Holmes worked around a pair of singles in the ninth to wrap up the Athletics’ win.
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