Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
The results of these games barely matter at this point, so it’s hard to find motivation to be invested in the results, and things essentially boil down to hoping guys don’t get hurt.
That is why despite a 6-3 win over the Padres tonight, the story for the Dodgers is Rich Hill and his knee.
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Dick Mountain started today almost two weeks after tearing up scar tissue in his left knee. He’s kept fighting to get relevant for the playoffs and today was certainly representative of his roller coaster path.
While Hill struck out the first batter he faced, he was also limping around from the first batter he faced. Back-to-back walks followed and things looked grim, but Rich gritted his teeth and got out of the jam somehow.
So that seemed to be it, or at least that’s what most assumed, but Dave Roberts let Hill hit and amusingly he doubled to left.
He ended out coming out for the 2nd and then promptly struck out the side, which seemed like a miracle in itself. It was also his 1000th strikeout of his career.
But he wasn’t done, as he ran out to the pen to get a simulated inning in and then seemed to be feeling it as he sprinted in from his session to the dugout.
Rich Hill, everybody.
While all that was going on the Dodgers jumped out to a lead in the 1st. Max Muncy drew a walk, Justin Turner got hit by a fastball, and Corey Seager walked to load the bases. A.J. Pollock then cashed the situation in … sorta. He dribbled a ball up the third-base line for an infield single and a 1-0 lead.
Tony Gonsolin then entered in relief and had a nice showing, going 1-2-3 in both the 3rd and the 4th, racking up three strikeouts in the process. Postseason audition? Probably.
The Dodgers then put up a crooked number in the 4th with a two-out rally. Will Smith walked, Gonsolin singled, and Joc Pederson walked to load things up. Muncy liked the first pitch he saw with things loaded and hit a rain-making grand dong for his 34th of the year and a 5-0 lead.
Dylan Floro took over a combined no-hitter in the 5th and proceeded to get absolutely shelled. He got just two outs, giving up three runs on three singles, a double, and a triple to cut the lead to 5-3. Adam Kolarek then had to come in with the go-ahead run at the plate and got a strikeout, again passing his LOOGY test.
Kenta Maeda entered in the 6th now with a slim lead to protect, issuing a walk but also getting three ground outs. He also started the 7th, getting a strikeout before exiting for Julio Urias, who got a strikeout and a ground out to end the frame. Pedro Baez set things up in the 8th with Joe Kelly still down and he cruised through a 1-2-3 frame.
In the 9th, Joc hit his 33rd homer of the year, though not without some confusion. After contact he looked disgusted with himself, but because of the juiced ball, it flew over the wall in left to make it 6-3.
Kenley Jansen looked for a clean 9th and didn’t quite get it. He did get a routine fly out and a strikeout before issuing a walk, then rebounded to get a fly out to end it.
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Shirt kinda rules, honestly.
