The Los Angeles Dodgers were shut down by Max Fried and had their seven-game winning streak snapped in a 3-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves, which sets the stage for an afternoon rubber match at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday.
Roughly one week after Clayton Kershaw went seven perfect innings, the Dodgers found themselves on the wrong end of a bid for history. Fried held L.A. without a baserunner until the sixth inning, when Hanser Alberto led off with a single.
Nothing came of it as Cody Bellinger struck out swinging and Austin Barnes grounded into a double play. Fried wound up getting through seven scoreless innings with eight strikeouts, facing the one over the minimum in a hometown start.
Fried was backed by Tyler Matzek and Kenley Jansen, who each threw one inning. Alberto’s RBI groundout off Tyler Matzek was all the Dodgers could muster against the Braves bullpen. Jansen’s appearance was his first against the Dodgers since signing with the Braves.
Walker Buehler, who wasn’t pleased after last week’s start, made a mechanical adjustment within his windup to no longer take the glove and baseball above his head. Buehler instead kept his arms and hands near his waist, but the change didn’t produce any immediate return.
Buehler was the victim of some bad luck but also wasn’t sharp over five innings of work. He threw just 79 pitches and exited with a 3-0 deficit.
Travis d’Arnaud provided the Braves with a lead when he hit a solo home run in the second inning. That represented the first time the Dodgers trailed in a game since the series finale against the Colorado Rockies on April 10.
Orlando Arcia added to Atlanta’s lead with a two-out RBI double in the fourth inning, and Austin Riley’s check-swing resulted in a base hit that scored a run in the fifth. Buehler allowed eight hits and had just two strikeouts while never getting through an inning without at least one baserunner.
Dodgers lineup didn’t build inning
The Dodgers had seven different innings in which they have scored at least four runs. Manager Dave Roberts attributed that to the lineup’s collective ability and willingness to take a walk, but that patience and their trademark breakout inning never came.
Chris Taylor’s walk with one out in the eighth inning was the Dodgers’ only of the game.
Kendrick Lamar watches Dodgers
Fresh off announcing a fifth studio album, Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers — which will release May 13 — Kendrick Lamar sat in the right field pavilion to watch the Dodgers and Braves play.
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