Bobby Miller overcame a high pitch count early to get through a scoreless start that helped the Los Angeles Dodgers defeat the Philadelphia Phillies, 9-0. The Dodgers snapped the Phillies’ six-game winning streak, and are in position to take the series on Sunday and finish .500 on their road trip.
Miller ran into trouble in the second inning when Bryson Stotts’ double put two runners in scoring position with one out. Kody Clemens then walked to load the bases with two outs, but Miller escaped the 34-pitch inning without allowing a run to keep the game knotted in a scoreless tie.
The Dodgers provided Miller with a lead in the third inning thanks to James Outman’s double breaking up Aaron Nola’s perfect game and sparking a two-out rally. Mookie Betts followed with an RBI single to left field and Freddie Freeman drove him in with the Dodgers’ third consecutive hit.
David Peralta added a solo home run in the fourth inning.
The Dodgers didn’t score again until the seventh inning but Miller protected their initial lead. His efficiency improved and the right-hander went on to tie a career high with seven strikeouts. Miller additionally set a career high with 104 pitches, surpassing the 95 from his MLB debut.
Betts extended the Dodgers’ lead in the seventh inning with his second RBI single of the game that also chased Nola from his start. Will Smith’s RBI groundout put L.A. up 5-0, they scored another run on a wild pitch, and J.D. Martinez then broke the game open with a three-run home run.
Blasts from Peralta and Martinez put the Dodgers at 111 home runs on the season to give them the MLB lead over the Tampa Bay Rays.
Andre Jackson completed a three-inning save, his second of the season. The Dodgers turning to Jackson for some length effectively rules him out for their impending bullpen game in the series finale.
Bobby Miller scoreless streak
Miller now has a scoreless streak of 16 consecutive innings. He also became just the second Dodgers pitcher since at least 1901 to go a minimum of five innings and one run or fewer allowed in all of his first four starts. Kenta Maeda previously accomplished the feat in 2016.
Furthermore, Miller is the ninth pitcher since 1901 to allow a combined two runs or fewer through his first four starts. The only other Dodgers on that list are Fernando Valenzuela (1981) and Maeda (2016).
Among Dodgers pitchers this season, Miller is tied with Julio Urías and Dustin May with three starts of at least six innings and one run or fewer allowed. Clayton Kershaw leads in that category with five such starts.
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