The ballyhooed Los Angeles Dodgers lineup was slow to get going against Kyle Freeland but eventually found their footing in a 5-3 Opening Day win over the Colorado Rockies. The Dodgers improved to 11-3 in their last 14 season openers.
Freeland had six strikeouts and stranded four runners through three scoreless innings before the bottom of the Dodgers lineup sparked a rally. After Will Smith’s single, Chris Taylor lifted a double to right field with one out.
Freeland nearly stranded the tying runners in scoring position but the Dodgers strung together a two-out rally. It started with Gavin Lux tying the game on a two-run base hit, which Mookie Betts followed with an RBI double to left field.
Freddie Freeman kept the inning alive with a walk that also ended Freeland’s day. Freeman finished 1-for-3 with one walk in his Dodgers debut.
The pitching change didn’t slow the Dodgers’ momentum. Trea Turner greeted Tyler Kinley with an RBI single and Freeman scored on a wild pitch to cap off the five-run inning.
That was enough run support for Walker Buehler in his first career Opening Day start. He was a little shaky early and the Rockies seemingly sat on Buehler’s fastball to take a 2-0 lead in the second inning.
The Rockies threatened to cut into their deficit in the fifth inning when Kris Bryant doubled with two outs and Turner booted a routine grounder. Buehler kept Colorado off the board by getting C.J. Cron swinging for his sixth strikeout.
That wound up being all for Buehler, who threw 78 pitches and allowed two runs on four hits and two walks.
Dodgers bullpen backs Buehler
With 16 relief pitchers on the Dodgers active roster to begin the season, manager Dave Roberts turned to four of them for one inning each.
Brusdar Graterol was first to appear, and he stranded a walk. Blake Treinen then worked a clean seventh inning, Daniel Hudson pitched the eighth, and Craig Kimbrel allowed an RBI double before converting his first save opportunity with the Dodgers.
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