Walker Buehler Leads Dodgers' Combined No-Hitter vs. Padres

The Los Angeles Dodgers used four pitchers in a 4-0 combined no-hitter over the San Diego Padres on Friday night in the first regular-season game played in Mexico since 1999. 

Led by six strong innings with eight strikeouts and three walks from rookie phenom Walker Buehler, the Dodgers became the second team this season to throw a no-no. Sean Manaea of the Oakland Athletics threw a no-hitter against the Boston Red Sox on April 21. 

When Buehler was taken out after throwing 93 pitches, Tony Cingrani, Yimi Garcia and Adam Liberatore finished the job over the final three innings. The quartet had 13 strikeouts and five walks in the win.

Per MLB Pipeline, Buehler's outing Friday is only the third of its kind since 1908:

Among the reasons Dodgers manager Dave Roberts likely removed Buehler from the game, his season-high 94 pitches came in his last outing against the San Francisco Giants on April 28.

Per Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times, Roberts has a history of a taking starters out with high pitch counts during no-hit bids:

However, this is the first time Los Angeles' relievers were able to finish the job in those three instances. It also extended the franchise's all-time lead in no-hitters thrown:

Per MLB.com's Anthony DiComo, the Dodgers no-hitter capped off a memorable day across Major League Baseball:

Even though it's still early, things have been rough for the Dodgers this season. Two-fifths of their starting rotation is injured with Rich Hill and Hyun-Jin Ryu on the disabled list. All-Star shortstop Corey Seager needs Tommy John surgery and will miss the remainder of the season. Justin Turner has yet to play in 2018 after suffering a broken wrist during spring training. 

Friday's combined no-hitter doesn't erase all of those problems, but it's a nice stepping stone for the Dodgers to get their season back on track. 

Buehler is a promising 23-year-old starter who has a 1.13 ERA in three starts after Friday's win. He's a foundation piece for the reigning National League champions to build around.