Dodgers Sweep Braves, Walker Buehler Set for Return on Monday

Published on by Dennis Schlossman

The Los Angeles Dodgers swept the Atlanta Braves this weekend in what could have been one of the club’s biggest series so far this season. The 5-1 win in Sunday’s finale was highlighted by an offensive showcase by DH Shohei Ohtani and another solid outing from veteran southpaw James Paxton.

Ohtani went 4-for-4 with two long balls and three RBI on the afternoon, increasing his team-leading average and OPS to .364 and a monstrous 1.111, respectively. His homers were his ninth and tenth of the season.
Outfielder Teoscar Hernandez added a long ball of his own in the sixth inning to extend the Dodger lead to four runs.

Paxton boosted his record to 4-0 with the victory. He threw 84 pitches over 6-2/3 innings, allowing one earned run on five hits and two walks while striking out three.

Veteran righty reliever Blake Treinen was also impressive in his return, throwing a perfect eighth inning with one strikeout on 11 pitches.

Among the biggest news stories so far for the Dodgers this season is the return of righty pitcher Walker Buehler. The 29-year-old Kentucky native will take the mound in Monday’s series opener against the Miami Marlins, who are coincidentally ranked right at the bottom in offense for all major league clubs.

Since the team optioned righty starter Landon Knack back to the minors earlier in the week, the Dodgers will likely make room for Buehler by optioning a relief pitcher. Buehler is on the 15-day inured list right now, so no adjustments will need to be made to the 40-man roster.

Buehler made a total of six rehab starts for the Dodgers while building up his return to the majors. In his last start for Triple-A Oklahoma City on April 30, he threw 75 pitches, going an even five innings and allowing just one earned run with five punchouts and no walks. The team probably expects to get a similar effort from him against Miami on Monday.

The remainder of Buehler’s 2024 campaign will certainly be interesting because he will become a free agent at the end of the season if he doesn’t reach a contract extension with the Dodgers sooner. Over parts of six lifetime MLB seasons in Los Angeles, he has compiled a 46-16 record and a 3.02 ERA with 690 strikeouts over 638-1/3 innings of work and 106 starts.

Lining up to start for the Dodgers in the rest of the series are righty Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Tuesday and right-hander Gavin Stone on Wednesday.

18 thoughts on “Dodgers Sweep Braves, Walker Buehler Set for Return on Monday”

  1. Team has a 5 game win streak. Pitching has been a major contributor. How will Buehler come back from injury especially as it is his contract year. Glasnow and Yamamoto have been very effective. Stone is getting better Knack was showing promise.Kershaw and Miller will be available. Did anyone see the break on Treinen’s pitches? Wow or Kelly’s?

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      1. OOps thanks Bear… Well its 5 now.. I was calling the sweep! LOL

        How are you Bear? Havent seen any of your comments are you on a different site? Always appreciate your baseball knowledge and comments…

        Take Care we aint gettin any younger….

        Liked by 1 person

      2. It’s 5 now lol. It will be interesting to see how Buehler progresses. Kelly to IL can’t catch a break on bullpen health!

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  2. I doubt Buehler is worrying about contracts right now. In order for him to capitalize on his pending free agency, he is going to have to show he is healthy. Otherwise, he will probably get the type of deal Montgomery did, a one year let’s see how you do contract. I think against a weak hitting Marlin team, the Marlins are 26th in the league, he should do well. It is a light landing for his first action. They traded their best hitter, Arraez, and the best power hitter on the team has 6 homers. They have 27 as a team. They actually strike out less than the Dodgers do. Miller might be back in about a month. He just started throwing off of a mound, same with Kersh. But they won’t rush either of them. The bullpen is going to be a carousel. That you can count on. Both of the pitches you mentioned were nasty.

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  3. On another subject. On another blog, one poster was talking about Urias’s availability since his court case has been concluded and the punishment laid down by the court which shows no jail time. But there is a problem there since MLB has yet to decide if he will be suspended or not. He pled no contest, which is tantamount to pleading guilty. He is a two-time offender. I look for MLB to make a strong statement against spousal abuse and nail him with at least a year’s suspension. Since he is not on any team, that suspension would not start until he was signed. That is not going to make him very attractive to potential suitors. And his commitments to the court as far as counseling, he has to take 52 weeks of counseling, and his community service that is also a part of his punishment, he would not be able to pitch in the Mexican League as some have suggested. I also believe there is no way the Dodgers bring him back into the fold. That bridge has closed.

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  5. I am fine Tom. I keep pretty busy researching and writing articles for Dodger Chronicles. My health is decent for a 75-year-old male. I have some medical issues that are under control. I still live in Colorado. Been here almost 14 years.

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  6. Buehler activated. No corresponding move announced yet. Streak is still four Tom. If they win tonight, it goes to five. Check the expanded standings on the Dodgers website. They lost the middle game of the Arizona series.

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      1. I saw that when I turned the game on. I ordered a Ohtani 2024 Topps Heritage card. Should be here soon. I also ordered an autographed Carl Erskine card shortly after he passed away.

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  7. Roberts said today that there are no plans to send James Outman back to AAA at this point in time. Heyward’s return means someone on the 26-man has to go. Heyward may be back next week in SF. Then again, he might need a short re-hab stint. There is no room at this time for a recall of Miguel Vargas either.

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    1. There may not be room for Heyward and Vargas this very minute, but never underestimate the ever present injury which lurks just around the corner, especially on teams run by Mr. Friedman.

      Outman to AAA – Actually “at this point in time” means as he is uttering those words. That doesn’t mean things won’t change the minute they need a roster space for a position player.

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      1. I think Taylor goes down with an injury. Maybe a shoulder or better a thoracic complex strain probably out until someone else is injured LOL

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      2. How about TJ surgery? That would allow them to keep him out for the rest of the year at least.

        Tomorrow they announce he’s becoming a member of the bullpen.

        They bring him in during the game, he throws one pitch and grabs his elbow.

        The rest is history.

        All kidding aside, I’d love to see him miraculously rediscover his hitting eye, but I wouldn’t bet the house on it.

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      3. After years of strikeouts and pop ups I don’t see a hitting epiphany in his future lol. I wish he could get it together and I think he is a great teammate but no room on this roster for a :074 hitter. Even if he is a Swiss Army Knife type. This team needs everybody pulling their own weight to win the WS.

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