The Arizona Diamondbacks were stymied by Walker Buehler but found success against Wilmer Font in their 4-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers at Salt River Fields. Jake Lamb led the Diamondbacks with two RBI.
Buehler returned from Minor League camp to make his second appearance but first start this spring. He completed the scheduled two innings of work with relative ease. He opened the bottom of the first with a strikeout and needed just 15 pitches to get through the inning.
After a leadoff walk and advacing to second base on a groundout, Lamb took third base on a wild pitch. Buehler maintained his composure to strike out Alex Avila and retire Ketel Marte. He threw 38 pitches, which essentially hit the target of 40 that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said was in place.
Buehler finished with two strikeouts and one walk over two hitless innings. His fastball sat 97-99 mph with relative ease. Per custom for a starter, Buehler threw another inning’s worth in the bullpen.
Font began the third with a walk, then faced runners at the corners with one out after allowing a base hit to David Peralta. A.J. Pollock’s RBI groundout gave the Diamondbacks a 1-0 lead, and Lamb’s two-run double extended it.
Several Dodgers managed to hit the ball on the screws throughout the game but Cody Bellinger’s solo home run in the fourth inning was all the team could muster. The homer was Bellinger’s second and fourth extra-base hit of the spring.
An Austin Barnes single and error that allowed Kyle Farmer to reach put two on with one out in the fifth inning. But the threat came to an end when Chris Taylor grounded into a double play. Kris Medlen issued a pair of walks and hit Kyle Farmer to load the bases in the seventh inning though managed to escape the jam by catching Corey Seager looking.
Although Seager failed to deliver at the plate, he successfully fielded his position for the first time in a Cactus League game. Seager fielded multiple ground balls and made throws to first base uninhibited by the elbow trouble that dogged him early in camp.
