The Los Angeles Dodgers wrapped up the regular season on a strong note, extending their winning streak to seven games with a 9-0 victory over the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park.
The victory was historic, as it marked L.A.’s 106th of the season, setting a new franchise record. The 1953 Brooklyn team previously held the all-time mark with 105.
Rich Hill took the mound for his final tuneup before the postseason, allowing one hit and two walks in three scoreless innings. He recorded four strikeouts in the outing and lowered his ERA to an excellent 2.45 in the process.
Dustin May additionally made his final case for a spot on the Dodgers’ National League Division Series roster, following Hill with a promising inning of his own. May’s 1-2-3 frame culminated with a strikeout of Austin Slater on a 98 mph sinker.
Clayton Kershaw also got some work in, making his first regular season appearance out of the bullpen since 2009. He, too, tossed a scoreless inning and finished his day by retiring Madison Bumgarner in a pinch-hit opportunity — likely his final moment in a Giants uniform.
Also noteworthy was Joe Kelly returning to the mound for just the seventh time in September and first in over a week. Battling through an unspecified injury, he recorded two outs while only needing to throw six pitches.
Adam Kolarek, Dylan Floro, Julio Urias and Ross Stripling combined to accumulate the final 10 outs of the game, helping the Dodgers pitching staff come away with yet another shutout.
On the offensive side of things, Corey Seager and Will Smith led the way with three RBI each. The former gave the Dodgers an early 3-0 lead by delivering a double with the bases loaded — his 44th of the season, which tied Anthony Rendon for the NL lead.
The rookie catcher, swinging the bat better as of late, slugged his 15th home run of the season to give the Dodgers a commanding 5-0 lead in the top of the second. Smith later added the club’s final RBI of the day with a single in the ninth.
L.A. additionally received offensive contributions from Gavin Lux, who drew a bases-loaded walk in the seventh, and Austin Barnes, who produced a two-run single one inning later.
After a complete all-around effort in Sunday’s regular-season finale, the Dodgers return to action on Thursday, Oct. 3, for Game 1 of the NLDS at Dodger Stadium.
They await either the Washington Nationals or Milwaukee Brewers, who face off in an intriguing NL Wild Card Game two days prior.
