Getting “back to the basics,” Hill’s two-pitch combo flummoxes Reds
by Rowan Kavner
Seven days of waiting could’ve led to rust. With his start pushed back, the unfamiliar routine could’ve fazed Rich Hill. Instead, the veteran lefty said he used the lengthy time between starts “getting back to the basics,” which meant sticking with a fastball-curveball combination that looked as lethal as it has at any point this year in a 6–0 win.
With the backing of home runs from four different Dodger players, Hill helped lead the Dodgers to their fourth straight win by peppering the zone with his trusty two-pitch repertoire, cruising through the Reds’ lineup with a season-high 10 strikeouts in six scoreless innings to start the road trip.
“We really went back to the drawing board and stuck with fastballs and breaking balls,” Hill said.
The combo was on from the start.
Entering Friday, Hill had allowed nine of his 11 runs this season in the first two innings of games. On Friday, he put the first six Reds batters down in order with four strikeouts. He would go on to retire each of the first 10 batters he faced.
“The breaking ball just had that north-south depth that we like, he likes,” said manager Dave Roberts. “I don’t know if it was the humidity, just the feel of the baseball, but it was fun to watch.”
On the first day of the Dodgers’ road trip, Hill picked up where the rotation left off at home. Since last Friday, Dodgers’ starting pitchers have a 0.66 ERA with 49 strikeouts and five walks in 40 2/3 innings. The Dodgers have held their opponent scoreless in three of their last four games and five of their last nine games.
Hill and Kenta Maeda went back-to-back games with at least six scoreless innings pitched and 10 strikeouts on 85 pitches or fewer. Prior to Wednesday, that feat had only been accomplished nine other times by a Major League pitcher.
“It’s a really fun team,” said Max Muncy. “We’re all enjoying it.”
Muncy, Cody Bellinger, Corey Seager and Joc Pederson all homered in Friday’s win as the Dodgers hit the ball hard all night off starter Anthony DeSclafani and the Reds’ pitchers.
Each of Pederson’s last four hits have been home runs, including 14 of his 27 hits overall this year.
Seager continues to heat up, hitting 6-for-15 with two home runs during a four-game hitting streak, which started with his Mother’s Day grand slam.
“He’s been really trending in the right direction,” Roberts said. “His work, batting practice, everything. The body feels good.”
As for Bellinger, the performance continued what he’s done all season. After hitting his 16th home run of the year, he’s now slashing .404/.481/.788 in 185 plate appearances.
The Dodgers crushed from the start Friday, hitting three of their four home runs in the first three innings. Through those three innings, they had already put nine balls in play with an exit velocity greater than 95 mph.
“We were on pretty much every ball,” Seager said. “There wasn’t a whole lot of soft contact.”
The only downside Friday was seeing Justin Turner leave the game in the fifth inning, two innings after fouling a ball off his shin. X-rays were negative, but Roberts said he’ll give Turner tomorrow off for treatment and see how he’s feeling Sunday.
With the win, the Dodgers became the first Major League team to 30 victories this year.
