Hard-throwing Bobby Miller solid in MLB debut, leads Dodgers past Strider, Braves 8-1

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Bobby Miller delivers in the first inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Tuesday, May 23, 2023, in Atlanta. Miller was making his Major League debut. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

ATLANTA (AP) — Bobby Miller won a duel of hard-throwing pitchers, allowing one run over five innings in his big league debut to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to an 8-1 victory over Spencer Strider and the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night.

J.D. Martinez and Jason Heyward homered for the Dodgers, who also got three RBIs from Will Smith.

Strider fanned 11 hitters to add to his MLB-leading strikeout total — his fourth start this season with double-digit Ks and 10th of his young career.

It wasn’t enough to best the rookie in L.A. blue, especially after Strider (4-2) surrendered a second-inning homer to Heyward and the Dodgers wound up scoring two more unearned runs that inning with an assist from Matt Olson’s error.

Miller (1-0) took it from there. After a bit of a shaky start, the 24-year-old right-hander settled himself and blew away the Braves with a fastball that consistently clocked at 100 mph.

He surrendered four hits, walked one and struck out five before turning it over to the bullpen. Four relievers worked one scoreless inning apiece to stifle the Braves.

Martinez turned it into a rout with a three-run homer in the ninth off Michael Tonkin.

One of the Dodgers’ top prospects, Miller gave the big league rotation a much-needed boost with Dustin May and Julio Urias on the injured list and Walker Buehler expected to miss the season after Tommy John surgery.

Strider, the Braves’ mustachioed rookie sensation from 2022, came into the game leading the majors with 86 strikeouts in just 51 2/3 innings. Throwing in the upper 90s, he was hit hard in the first two frames before finding his groove.

Strider retired 13 of the last 15 hitters he faced, with only Heyward reaching base on a walk and a single. The right-hander finished his outing by striking out the side in the sixth — all swinging.

It didn’t go so well for Strider in the beginning.

Mookie Betts led off the game with a double into the left-field corner and came home on Smith’s line-drive single to center.

The Braves tied it in the bottom half on Austin Riley’s two-out double, the 500th hit of his career, but that would be it for their offense.

The Dodgers quickly reclaimed the lead. Heyward started the second with his fifth homer of the season, launching a 380-foot drive into the right-field stands off a 98-mph fastball that Strider left up in the zone.

The next two hitters struck out, and the inning should’ve been over on Miguel Rojas’ grounder to first. But Olson kicked it away, an error that proved costly to Strider and the Braves.

Betts walked, the runners moved up on a wild pitch, and Freddie Freeman was intentionally walked to load the bases and bring up Smith. He came through again, doubling to left to bring home two more runs.

It was sweet payback for Smith, who was miffed a night earlier when Atlanta’s Marcell Ozuna nicked the Dodgers catcher in the helmet on the follow-through of his massive swing.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Dodgers: RHP May was transferred to the 60-day injured list to clear a spot for Miller on the 40-man roster. May (strained shoulder) won’t be eligible to return until after the All-Star break. The Dodgers also placed RHP Tyler Cyr on the injured list with shoulder impingement, retroactive to Sunday.

Braves: Snitker said LHP Dylan Lee is feeling better after going on the 15-day injured list last week with shoulder inflammation. But the reliever has yet to resume throwing and there’s no timetable for his return. The 28-year-old Lee has been a valuable member of the Braves’ bullpen over the last two seasons. His injury, along with the woes of A.J. Minter and Joe Jimenez, has left the team struggling to fill the set-up role ahead of closer Raisel Iglesias.

UP NEXT

The Dodgers will go for a series sweep Wednesday night behind RHP Tony Gonsolin (2-1, 1.13 ERA), who has not allowed an earned run over his last three starts covering 16 innings. He’ll be opposed by Atlanta RHP Bryce Elder (3-0, 2.06 ERA).

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