Sonny Gray retired the first 11 batters faced but Gavin Lux helped turn the tide for the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 5-1 win against the Cincinnati Reds.
The Dodgers’ first hit was a Trea Turner infield single with two outs in the fourth inning, which easily could have been ruled an error on Mike Moustakas for throwing low to first base. Nothing came of it, but Justin Turner’s leadoff double in the fifth seemed to light a spark.
Chris Taylor then reached on a Moustakas throwing error that left two runners in scoring position with nobody out, and Lux broke up the scoreless tie with a two-run triple. Lux was back in the lineup one day after getting hit by a pitch from a pitching machine.
“There was still some residual soreness in there, I’m sure, but he wanted to be in there,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after the game. “Played good defense for us, took good at-bats and made a difference.”
A three-spot in the fifth! pic.twitter.com/KCNgcM4auX
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 18, 2021
0.78 ERA with 79 strikeouts and seven walks in nine Dodger starts? @Max_Scherzer is on fire. pic.twitter.com/5ZmPdP2Lyk
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 18, 2021
Austin Barnes’ swinging bunt made it a three-run inning for L.A., and they pushed another across in the sixth on Chris Taylor’s squeeze bunt that brought Trea Turner home. Mookie Betts’ RBI single extended the Dodgers’ lead to 5-0 in the ninth.
Scherzer continues dominating for Dodgers
Despite not having his best stuff, Max Scherzer got through seven scoreless innings with just two hits allowed and seven strikeouts.
After walking Joey Votto in the fourth inning, Scherzer retired the final 12 batters faced. He improved to 7-0 with a 0.78 ERA and 0.66 WHIP in nine starts for the Dodgers.
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