While the Los Angeles Dodgers are using the week’s worth of games as an evaluation and audition period for some players, it’s also serving as a final tune-up for others as the postseason begins Friday.
Such was the case for Rich Hill on Friday night in the series opener against the San Francisco Giants. The start was Hill’s first in the past 10 days, when he faced the same Giants. He was scratched from a scheduled outing against the Colorado Rockies during the Dodgers’ final homestand.
The decision was to afford the southpaw with additional rest as a means of protecting his nagging blisters from becoming an issue.
For the second time in as many outings, Hill pitched just five innings. Though, the plan called for an abbreviated start against the Giants the second time around.
Hill allowed two runs and had four strikeouts, and was generally pleased with his final regular-season start, according to ESPN’s Doug Padilla:
“I’m looking forward to [the playoffs],” Hill said. “I can’t say that I’m satisfied, but the way that I felt, and getting through those five innings, felt stronger as the game went on and there was an understanding that there was a point where they wanted to keep myself fresh to move on to the playoffs.”
Both runs Hill allowed came in the first inning. Gorkys Hernandez hit a leadoff double, Brandon Belt drew a walk, and Buster Posey’s single pushed across the Giants’ first run of the game. After getting an out on a fielder’s choice, Hill allowed a sacrifice fly to Angel Pagan.
San Francisco managed just three hits on Hill the rest of the way, only one of which was for extra-bases — a Belt leadoff double in the third. Their early success was a result of sitting on Hill’s off-speed pitches, and he adjusted as the game wore on.
Hill went 1-1 with a 1.69 ERA and 14 strikeouts in three starts (16 innings) against the Giants this season, all coming after being traded to the Dodgers. The 36-year-old’s next outing is set for Saturday, Oct. 8, against the Washington Nationals in Game 2 of the National League Division Series.
