Dodgers bash 4 HRs to back 10-K Hill in win

CINCINNATI -- On Friday night, Rich Hill joined Dazzy Vance as the only Dodgers pitchers age 39 or older to strike out 10 or more batters in a game.

“I think I played with him my first year,” Hill said of Vance, who pitched for the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1922 to ‘32.

Hill hasn’t been around quite that long, but he used his veteran guile to limit the Reds to only two hits in six innings on Friday to go along with his 10 Ks in a 6-0 victory at Great American Ball Park.

• Box score

“Tonight Richie had it going,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “He was spinning it the right way at the top of the zone. The breaking ball had that north-south depth that he likes. He was in complete control tonight.”

Hill helped reduce the Dodgers’ MLB-leading ERA among the starters to 2.19. They now have 132 strikeouts with only 17 walks. Friday was their fifth shutout of the season.

“Everybody’s throwing the ball excellent,” Hill said. “Starter after starter, we’re attacking the zone. And I think that’s the biggest thing, we’re going after hitters and pitching to our strengths.”

The Dodgers homered four times on Friday.

Corey Seager’s fourth homer, which followed Cody Bellinger’s double off Anthony DeSclafani leading off the second, put the Dodgers ahead, 2-0. Bellinger added a solo shot in the eighth, his 16th of the season.

Seager’s homer was his first this season away from Dodger Stadium.

“I’m just putting good swings on balls right now,” Seager said. “This was a very well played baseball game on our behalf. The pitching was really [great]. We were on pretty much every ball, there wasn’t a whole lot of soft contact.”

Back-to-back homers by Joc Pederson, his 14th, and Max Muncy, his 9th, made the score 4-0. It was the third set of back-to-back homers by the Dodgers this season and the first allowed by the Reds.

Hill retired the first 10 batters he faced with six strikeouts before Joey Votto singled with one out in the fourth.

The 10 strikeouts are one shy of Hill’s career high. The last time he fanned 10 in a game was on June 29, 2018, vs. Colorado.

“We really just went back to the drawing board, stuck with fastballs and breaking balls,” Hill said. “Just getting the fastball down and throwing everything downhill so it opens up the top of the zone as well.”

Friday’s game came with an injury scare for the Dodgers when third baseman Justin Turner left after fouling a ball off his left shin in the third inning. David Freese pinch-hit for Turner in the fourth then took over at first base while Muncy moved to third.

X-rays on Turner’s shin were negative, and he is day to day. He was diagnosed with a left shin contusion.

Turner finished the at-bat by grounding out to second. Then, in the bottom half of the inning, he made an outstanding play to deny José Peraza’s bid for a bunt single.

Roberts said Turner will get a day off on Saturday for treatment.

Hill was removed after six innings with 84 pitches. The Dodgers bullpen then allowed only one hit and one walk, striking out three.

“With regular rest and [Hill] going on Wednesday, where we were at in the score, and having guys [in the bullpen] that needed to throw, those were the variables,” Roberts said.

Cincinnati had only three hits and struck out 13 times. DeSclafani dropped to 0-5 in his career vs. Los Angeles.

“Rich Hill was really good tonight,” said Reds manager David Bell. “His fastball is in the low 90s, but it plays up. It looks like upper 90s from the side. It just has really good life. He knows how to pitch. He uses the top of the strike zone. It’s the ol’ sneaky fastball. It has really good life. We didn’t get much going off him.”