Dodgers lean on depth for 7th straight win

LOS ANGELES -- When the Dodgers went all in at the Trade Deadline, which brought over Max Scherzer, Trea Turner and Danny Duffy, they had the National League West title in the forefront of their minds. Unlike years past, they felt they needed to significantly bulk up the roster to stay afloat in the ultra-competitive division.

While the big names certainly made a splash, such other players as Billy McKinney and Victor González have flown under the radar but have made their presence felt when it’s their time to shine.

Every facet of the Dodgers’ organizational depth was on display Thursday night in a 4-1 win over the Mets at Dodger Stadium. It was the Dodgers’ seventh consecutive victory, the latest in a streak that started against the Mets last week in New York.

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For a third time this week, the bullpen had to shoulder the game, as the starting rotation is still without Clayton Kershaw and Julio Urías. Just like the other nights, it met expectations. Between this win and the shutout Wednesday against the Pirates, Dodgers relievers have allowed only one run across back-to-back bullpen games.

“I envisioned a couple of wins, but that was probably a little bit too optimistic,” manager Dave Roberts said. “The defense, the guys in the ’pen, they [have] the ‘next man up, ready when called upon’ type of mentality.”

Right-hander Corey Knebel opened the game with a scoreless first inning, then handed the ball to Evan Phillips, who impressed in his Dodgers debut. Phillips topped out at 97 mph with his fastball in 2 1/3 innings, and he surrendered only one run on three hits. By pitching the most innings of the seven pitchers the Dodgers called upon, Phillips earned his first winning decision in more than a year.

“I thought he was fantastic,” Roberts said. “I thought he was great, getting [left-handed batters], getting [right-handed batters] out. A guy that can give us length, which he did tonight. He helped us win a ballgame.”

González continued the momentum with a scoreless 1 2/3 innings.

Dodgers relievers have been stellar during the winning streak, combining to go 6-0 with a 1.86 ERA.

"All of them are just tackling the zone,” catcher Will Smith said. “We were constantly ahead, had the hitters on their heels. We were mixing it, just going right at them. Every pitcher tonight for us threw really well."

Phil Bickford, Brusdar Graterol and Alex Vesia combined for three scoreless innings before Blake Treinen finished the bullpen’s night. Treinen flashed his three-pitch arsenal to strike out the side in the ninth inning, extending his streak to 23 games without an earned run.

“His stuff is moving a lot, his slider is pretty much unhittable right now and he's locating his cutter,” Smith said of Treinen. “His two-seamer is moving a lot. It's just executing pitches and putting guys away.”

The Dodgers’ offense provided an early lead for the bullpen, with AJ Pollock and Chris Taylor each plating a run with a groundout in the second inning. The bottom of the fifth saw the newer Dodgers in McKinney and Turner also drive in runs to extend the lead as L.A. maintained control with only two extra-base hits in the game.

"When the ball is not leaving the yard, you got to play defense, you got to pitch and get the timely hitting -- and I felt like we did that tonight,” Turner said. “Our pitching has been really, really good, and I felt like we played some good defense and we got those timely hits.”

With the win and the Giants idle, the Dodgers moved within 2 1/2 games of first place in the NL West. With Kershaw and Mookie Betts expected to return from the injured list, the Dodgers expect to remain in hot pursuit.