LA walks off following Buehler's strong return

Walker Buehler returned from the injured list looking like he was never hurt.

Buehler threw five scoreless innings on Wednesday night in the Dodgers’ wild 3-2 walk-off win over the D-backs, as reliever Junior Guerra’s throwing error brought home the tying run and Will Smith singled home Chris Taylor to win it with one out in the bottom of the 10th inning at Dodger Stadium.

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The comeback took National League Reliever of the Month Kenley Jansen off the hook after he walked Christian Walker with the bases loaded and one out in the top of the 10th inning for a 2-1 Arizona lead. Mookie Betts had tied the game with a one-out home run in the bottom of the ninth inning, his 12th homer.

The Dodgers’ offense struggled without the injured Cody Bellinger and Justin Turner, but they out-executed Arizona in the latter innings, as a first-place team should against a last-place team. They even dusted off the sacrifice bunt, which Taylor performed expertly in the winning rally.

“I thought it was a really well-played baseball game,” said manager Dave Roberts. “We’re so used to home runs and offense; to get pitchers making pitches and defensive plays, low scoring, where every pitch and baserunner matters, I thought it was a fun game to be part of.”

The biggest takeaway for the Dodgers, though, one night after six strong innings from Julio Urías, is Buehler’s return solidifying a young starting rotation that has struggled getting traction.

Buehler allowed two hits, struck out six and walked one. In his previous start, he struck out 11 Rockies in six innings. In between, he went to the injured list with a right index finger blister.

“It kind of flared maybe a little bit in the Colorado game,” Buehler said of his first blister issue as a Dodger. “Throwing bullpens and things like that will rub it. Kind of made it a group effort to try to prevent it from getting much worse and it kind of is what it is.”

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Roberts said the blister should no longer be an issue.

“Give credit to the trainers and Walker buying into what we’re trying to do to take care of him,” Roberts said. “I thought he threw the baseball really well tonight and certainly expect him to make his next start.”

Now that Buehler is dominant again, the Dodgers are mostly concerned with keeping him that way for the postseason. Rather than push Buehler with a month before the real fun begins, Roberts removed him after 71 pitches.

“At the end of the day, it’s the manager’s decision, and I’ve been a lot more upset before coming out of a game,” Buehler said. “Coming off the IL, given the stress of the [20-pitch] second inning, and just trying to be careful with it were the motives behind that.”

Meanwhile, the Dodgers’ lineup was silenced by D-backs starter Zac Gallen, who outpitched Buehler. Gallen allowed only one single, on the first pitch he threw to Betts leading off the first inning, the only Dodgers hit until Betts’ homer. Gallen struck out seven with two walks in seven-plus innings and retired 16 consecutive batters at one point.

Buehler, at 26, is only one year older than Gallen, but the Arizona starter has admired Buehler’s evolution.

“Every time we play them, I try and just sneak a peek of him playing catch,” Gallen said of Buehler. “I just think it's unbelievable the way his body moves in space. And then the pure stuff. He's somebody that I've seen since I think ‘15 or ‘14, maybe, back in the Cape [Cod League], but he's just gotten unbelievably better over those years, and I tip my hat to him -- he’s pretty good.

“I haven't talked to him. Maybe one of these days, I'll go over and say ‘what's up’ and maybe talk shop with him.”