Walker Buehler got through four perfect innings and was largely sailing along until he was removed with one out in the sixth due to rib soreness. Buehler exited with a lead, and the Los Angeles Dodgers went on to defeat the Atlanta Braves, 7-3.
Nick Markasis ended Buehler’s bid for a perfect game with a leadoff single in the fifth, and it was immediately cashed in by Kurt Suzuki on an RBI double. Buehler limited the damage to just one run and struck out Johan Camargo to start the sixth.
There wasn’t a clear indication of what may have ailed him and prompted Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and a trainer to visit the mound. Pat Venditte allowed a ground-rule double to Buehler’s college teammate, Dansby Swanson, and an RBI double to Freddie Freeman that landed on the chalk in right field.
Venditte allowed the first two batters faced in the seventh to reach safely but Adam Liberatore stranded both to preserve the Dodgers’ lead.
Their scoring began early and often against former teammate Brandon McCarthy. Yasiel Puig’s RBI single in the first inning gave the Dodgers a 1-0 lead, which Yasmani Grandal extended in the second with a solo home run.
Grandal clubbed a second homer in the fourth inning, his 11th on the season to momentarily tie with Cody Bellinger for the team lead. Joc Pederson and Max Muncy joined in by going back-to-back in the fifth inning, despite McCarthy being removed after allowing the first of the two homers.
After the Braves scored a run in the eighth, Bellinger hit his fourth home run in as many games to get it right back. Despite it not being a save opportunity, Kenley Jansen was used in the ninth to wrap up the game.
The victory was the Dodgers’ 16th in their past 21 games and helped them keep pace with the Colorado Rockies and San Francisco Giants. All three teams sit 1.5 games back of the Arizona Diamondbacks for first place in the National League West.
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