Max Scherzer turned in another dominant start and although it was cut short due to right hamstring tightness, the Los Angeles Dodgers finished their homestand with a 4-3 win and sweep of the Atlanta Braves.
Coupled with the San Francisco Giants losing their fourth game in a row, the Dodgers moved into first place in the National League West. It’s their first time atop the division since April 28, and added even more intrigue to this weekend’s series at Oracle Park.
While it could have been easy for the Dodgers to look ahead to the NL West showdown, their focus didn’t wane against the Braves. On Wednesday night a lot of that credit went to Scherzer.
Scherzer allowed a two-out base hit in the first inning, then retired 11 in a row. He ran into some trouble when Eddie Rosario and Ehire Adrianza both singled in the fifth inning, but that brought up Braves starter Max Fried and resulted in a strikeout.
Fried batting for himself was a bit of a curious decision considering Scherzer’s dominance and the Dodgers’ lead. Though, Fried turned in a quality start himself.
Muncy’s home run in the first inning put the Dodgers ahead 1-0, and Austin Barnes hit a solo shot in the third.
Scherzer preserved the Dodgers’ 2-0 lead through his six innings of work. He gave way to Brusdar Graterol despite throwing just 76 pitches, though Scherzer later explained he could no longer push through the hamstring trouble.
Turning to the bullpen did not yield positive results for the Dodgers as Graterol surrendered a game-tying home run. More trouble ensued in the eighth when Alex Vesia gave up a go-ahead home run to Dansby Swanson.
The Dodgers responded in the bottom half of the inning behind a game-tying RBI base hit from Justin Turner, and AJ Pollock gave them a lead for good with his single.
With Blake Treinen and Kenley Jansen unavailable, Joe Kelly converted the save.
Dodgers’ one-run games record
Since losing to the Philadelphia Phillies on Aug. 12 and falling to 13-21 in one-run games this season, the Dodgers are now 21-21 in such contests.
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