LOS ANGELES – When the Dodgers participated in the Trade Deadline, which brought Max Scherzer, Trea Turner and Danny Duffy, they had the National League West title at the head of their minds. Unlike in previous years, they felt they needed to significantly increase the roster to stay afloat in the ultra-competitive division.
While the big names made a big impact, other players like Billy McKinney and Victor González have flown under the radar, but have made their presence felt when it comes time to shine.
All facets of the Dodgers ’organizational depth were shown Thursday night with a 4-1 win over the Mets at Dodger Stadium. It was the Dodgers’ seventh straight win, the last in a streak that began against the Mets last week in New York.
For the third time this week, the bullring had to host the match as the initial rotation continues without Clayton Kershaw and Julio Urías. Like the other nights, it lived up to expectations. Between that win and Wednesday’s close against the Pirates, the Dodgers lifeguards have only allowed one consecutive bullfight.
“I imagined a couple of wins, but it was probably a little too optimistic,” said manager Dave Roberts. “The defense, the boys in the pen, them [have] the next man up, ready when he is called “kind of minded.”
Right-back Corey Knebel opened the game with a goalless first inning and then handed the ball to Evan Phillips, who impressed in his Dodgers debut. Phillips surpassed 97 mph with his fast ball in 2 1/3 innings, and yielded just one run in three hits. Throwing most of the tickets from the seven pitchers the Dodgers called for, Phillips won his first winning decision in more than a year.
“I thought it was fantastic,” Roberts said. “I thought it was great, getting it [left-handed batters], getting [right-handed batters] out. A guy who can stretch us, which he did tonight. He helped us win a ball game.
González continued the momentum with a 2/3 goalless draw.
The Dodgers relievers have been stellar during the winning streak, combining to go 6-0 with an ERA of 1.86.
“They’re all just tackling the area,” receiver Will Smith said. “We were constantly up front, we had the batsmen on our heels. We were mixing them up, we were just going towards them. All the pitchers tonight for us were throwing really well.”
Phil Bickford, Brusdar Graterol and Alex Vesia combined for three unscored innings before Blake Treinen finished the night of the bullpen. Treinen threw his three-throw arsenal to attack the winger in the ninth inning, extending his streak to 23 games without a win.
“His stuff is moving a lot, his slider is virtually unattainable right now and he locates his cutter,” Smith said of Treinen. “His two seamstresses move a lot. It’s just a matter of running and throwing the boys away. “
The Dodgers offense was an early lead for the bullring, with AJ Pollock and Chris Taylor making a run with a ground clearance in the second inning. At the bottom of the fifth, McKinney and Turner’s new Dodgers also drove in races to extend the lead, as LA maintained control with just two extra-base hits in the game.
“When the ball doesn’t come out of the yard, you have to play defense, you have to throw and get the right shot, and I felt like we had done it tonight,” Turner said. “Our pitch has been very, very good, and it seemed to me that we had played a good defense and that we achieved these timely successes.”
With the win and the Giants idle, the Dodgers moved 2 1/2 games from first place to NL West. With Kershaw and Mookie Betts hoping to return from the injured list, the Dodgers hope to continue in the chase.