Rich Hill failed to make it through the first inning his return from the 60-day injured list but the Los Angeles Dodgers erased their early deficit to defeat the Baltimore Orioles, 4-2, and earn a series win.
Hill struck out the first two batters faced, though his body language and facial expressions suggested he was pitching through discomfort. He then hit a batter, issued a four-pitch walk and hit another to load the bases.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and a trainer went out to check on Hill, who remained in the game but was removed after issuing his second walk of the inning. That gave the Orioles a lead and marked the end of the road for Hill, who later was diagnosed with a strained MCL in his left knee. It’s the same injury he suffered back in Spring Training.
The Dodgers manufactured a run in the second inning behind Cody Bellinger’s leadoff single and stolen base. Dylan Bundy nearly worked out of trouble but Gavin Lux’s bloop single into left field tied the game with two outs.
After Adam Kolarek got the Dodgers out of the bases-loaded jam in the first inning, Yimi Garcia worked a scoreless second, and Tony Gonsolin was a third relief pitcher to appear within the first three frames.
The combined no-hitter was broken up in the fifth when Pedro Severino led off the fifth inning with a go-ahead home run. A single and wild pitch followed, but Gonsolin stranded the runner in scoring position to keep the Dodgers’ deficit at 2-1 and it was all he allowed in three innings.
It was another encouraging appearance for the rookie as he continues to audition for a potential spot on the postseason roster. Given some uncertainty again surrounding Hill’s health, it’s not beyond reason to believe Gonsolin could be the Dodgers’ fourth starter in October.
Bellinger’s RBI single tied the game in the sixth and led to a situation that saw L.A. put two runners on with nobody out when Corey Seager walked. The Orioles then couldn’t get out of their own way, first committing an error that loaded the bases with two outs, then allowing the Dodgers to score two runs on a dropped strike three.
A fastball went off Severino’s glove and carried to the backstop, which allowed Martin to reach safely and Bellinger to score. It came on a full count, so with Seager running, he also crossed home — albeit in large part due to Bundy’s inexplicable failure to cover the plate.
Kenta Maeda, Pedro Baez, Julio Urias and Kenley Jansen each worked a scoreless inning to preserve the decided lead.
