The team scored five early runs in the second inning, got five innings out of starting pitcher Michael Grove and beat the Baltimore Orioles 10-3 to win for the fourth time in five games coming out of the All-Star break.
“Going into the break, we were playing good baseball,” said manager Dave Roberts, whose club is 16-6 since June 20. “You just hope you can keep that momentum coming out of the break. We certainly have.”
On Tuesday, the team surged ahead early, ambushing Orioles starter Tyler Wells by batting around in the second inning.
J.D. Martinez drew a leadoff walk. David Peralta followed with a single. Then Jason Heyward hammered a 2-and-0 fastball, launching his ninth homer of the season to straightaway center for a 3-0 lead.
“We talked about us lefties trying to hit a line drive back through the middle,” Heyward said. “Got ahead in the count and put a good enough swing on it to do some damage.”
Four of the next five Dodgers also reached safely, including RBI singles from Freddie Freeman and Will Smith.
Gifted a 5-0 lead, Grove delivered one of the better starts of his young career.
The right-hander gave up one run in the second after a leadoff walk and Aaron Hicks’ double, but blanked the Orioles the rest of the way for his first start of at least five innings and fewer than four runs since April 15.
“It’s great to get the results, but it’s the process for me,” said Grove, who lowered his ERA to 6.40 by mixing in more cutters to left-handed hitters. “Seeing the results proves that it’s working. So try to keep doing that.”
Grove’s outing finished with a whimper, the rookie giving up a leadoff double and a walk in the sixth inning before being replaced by Yency Almonte.
(Nick Wass / Associated Press)
Almonte, however, escaped the jam with the help of a sliding catch by Chris Taylor in left.
From there, the Dodgers (55-39) added four insurance runs in the seventh and another in the eighth. They’ve clinched a series win over the upstart Orioles (57-37), who entered the week winners of eight straight.
“We believe we can beat anybody when we’re playing the way we’re capable of,” Roberts said.
“We’ve done a good job of executing, keeping it simple and playing good baseball,” Heyward added.
Heyward didn’t get another at-bat, replaced by the right-handed-hitting Jake Marisnick after the Orioles summoned left-handed long reliever Cole Irvin in the third inning.
“I signed up to play winning baseball and have a chance to do it late into October,” Heyward said when asked if he was OK with such an early platoon switch. “Whatever role that means is something I’m going to be ready for. It’s just nice trying to win every game, every single day no matter what comes our way.”
Marisnick didn’t make it to the end of the game either. In the fourth inning, he was removed with left hamstring tightness. Roberts said it’s “pretty certain” that Marisnick, who was signed last week to give the Dodgers more outfield depth, will need to go on the injured list.