Betts and Freeman homer in the 1st to back another solid outing from Stone as Dodgers blank Rockies
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman homered in the first inning, Gavin Stone had another strong outing and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies 4-0 on Sunday.
Though much of the focus is on Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s rookie season and Clayton Kershaw’s comeback, Stone is putting together a solid season for the Dodgers’ staff.
The rookie right-hander tossed five innings Sunday and won for the fifth time in his last seven starts.
“Usual command of the fastball. I leaned heavily on the slider today. It felt good out of my hand. I felt like they were a fastball-hitting team, so it felt good,” said Stone, who struck out six while giving up only four hits and two walks.
Stone (6-2) has allowed one run or fewer in six of his seven starts since April 26. During that span, he is 5-1 and has a 1.64 ERA.
“It’s been under the radar, but not lost on us his value,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Consistency and certainty is what you are getting from him now. To his credit, he is watching what his teammates are doing and then applying things fit for his arsenal.”