 was the 6,106th in the majors this season, breaking the previous mark of 6,105 in 2017. The milestone shot came on a fastball that Villar sent deep into the left-field seats to snap a 2-2 deadlock.Pedro Severino added a two-run drive in the eighth.Having clinched the NL West title on Tuesday night before indulging in an alcohol-themed celebration, the Dodgers did not appear to play with their usual intensity.Manager Dave Roberts rested starters Joc Pederson and Justin Turner, starting pitcher Ross Stripling toiled for only three innings before getting the rest of the night off and a first-inning double by David Freese was Los Angeles' only hit off John Means through the fifth.Roberts used seven pitchers. The Dodgers finished with six hits, the most notable a two-run drive by A. J. Pollock that made it 2-1 in the sixth.In the bottom half, Joe Kelly walked the leadoff batter, threw a wild pitch and gave up a two-out RBI single to Dwight Smith Jr.The Baltimore seventh began with a walk, and Austin Hays' third hit of the game preceded Villar's career-high 21st home run.The victory was Baltimore's 47th of the season, matching its total from last year. The Orioles remain two defeats away from their second straight 100-loss season.Shawn Armstrong (1-1) followed Means with 1 2/3 innings of one-hit relief to earn his second career victory in 100 appearances.SHOUT OUTRoberts is in the midst of his fourth straight 90-win season with Los Angeles. Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde is striving to win 50 games in his first year with the rebuilding Orioles.Hyde, who won a World Series ring as a coach with the Chicago Cubs, can appreciate what it takes to be a constant winner.''I have a lot of respect for the Dodgers. I have a lot of respect for Dave Roberts,'' Hyde said. ''That's so hard to do, seven years in a row winning the division. He's done some great things there.'' TRAINER'S ROOMDodgers: Turner (ankle) remained out of the lineup. Roberts said X-rays were inconclusive and that Turner would undergo an MRI exam. ''Right now, with where we're at, to push it doesn't make a whole lot of sense,'' Roberts said. ... INF Max Muncy (fractured wrist) is expected to rejoin the team Friday in New York. Muncy, who has 33 HRs and 87 RBIs, has been hitting live pitching in Arizona this week.Orioles: Hyde is adamant about protecting the right arm of 2013 first-round pick Hunter Harvey (1-0, 1.69 ERA over 5 1/3 innings). ''He hasn't thrown this much since 2014, so he's got some soreness,'' Hyde said. ''He's never pitched into September, so we're just giving him a little bit more time off.'' UP NEXTDodgers: LHP Rich Hill (4-1, 2.55 ERA), who is 2-0 with an 0.87 ERA in 12 lifetime appearances against Baltimore, returns from a forearm strain Thursday night to make his first appearance since June 19 in the finale of the three-game series.Orioles: Dylan Bundy (6-13, 5.06) makes his 28th start, needing to win twice more to match his victory total of 2018.---More MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Division set, Dodgers begin next phase vs. OriolesFLMWith their seventh straight National League West Division title all wrapped up, all that's left for the Los Angeles Dodgers is to try to wrap up baseball's best record in order to stay home as much as possible in the postseason.Los Angeles is four games ahead of the Atlanta Braves for the best record in the National League but one game behind the New York Yankees and the Houston Astros for the best record in both leagues.On Wednesday, fresh off their 7-3 win in Baltimore to clinch the division, the Dodgers will play the middle game of the three-game series against the Orioles.Los Angeles actually would have won the division even if it had lost, as second-place Arizona fell 3-2 to the Mets in New York on Tuesday. The Dodgers had a magic number of one heading into Tuesday's games.In the series opener, Los Angeles did what it has done all season long -- used lots of power. Corey Seager homered twice and Gavin Lux belted his first major league home run. The Dodgers and their power could keep proving very dangerous in Camden Yards, where the ball flies out in warm temperatures.Meanwhile, Los Angeles is having some injury problems. Third baseman Justin Turner is being bothered by soreness in his left ankle, and was initially listed in the starting lineup Tuesday but told manager Dave Roberts he could use another day to recover.Turner hasn't played since Saturday, but Roberts would like to see if he can come back Wednesday."It's enough that he feels trying to give it another day will benefit him," Roberts said Tuesday, according to MLB.com. "It's one of those things where it's compromising just enough as far as on the offensive side taking swings earlier. And, obviously, that would affect the defensive play." Also, Roberts said that Alex Verdugo won't do baseball work for two or three days while trying to get past back stiffness that popped up when trying to return from an oblique strain suffered last week.Ross Stripling (4-4, 3.42 ERA) starts for the Dodgers on Wednesday. He's done a bit of everything for Los Angeles, starting 13 times in 28 games. This will be the first time he has pitched against the Orioles.Baltimore, which has dropped six in a row and nine of 10, will hope to get a decent start Wednesday from John Means (10-10, 3.50 ERA).This is the first time Means has faced the Dodgers. He has pitched well in his past four starts but has received little offensive support, going 2-2 with a 2.45 ERA in that span.The Orioles are hoping that Means can give the overtaxed bullpen a bit of a break as the starters have really struggled in the past week. The bullpen has pitched better, but the team would prefer not to use it as much.On Tuesday, starter Ty Blach lasted just 2 1/3 innings and allowed six runs, including two homers from Seager that drove in five. However, the Baltimore bullpen allowed just one run the rest of the way.The Orioles had to stand and watch the Dodgers have a mild celebration on their field before partying in their clubhouse on Tuesday night.Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said he thought his team might benefit from watching an opponent celebrate a division title, since that's where he wants his team to be in a few years.And several of the Orioles did stand on the dugout steps and take a look at the Dodgers celebrating on the infield grass."That's a really good club," Hyde told the media after the game. "I'm glad our guys are watching this, because this is what it looks like in October." --Field Level Media
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