 gave by far his best performance in four starts since returning from a sprained right knee. The left-hander allowed two hits and didn't walk a batter in six innings.He fanned 10 for the first time since June 29 last year against Colorado.''Richie had it going,'' manager Dave Roberts said. ''It was fun to watch. Complete control tonight.'' Hill had a couple extra days between starts this time and decided to go back to relying on his fastball and curve to get outs. It was an overwhelming combination against a Reds lineup that came in batting .219, second-worst in the NL behind Miami.''I really went back to the drawing board and stuck to the fastball and curveball,'' said Hill, who threw 64 strikes in 84 pitches. ''I threw everything downhill.'' Hill also extended the Dodgers' stretch of solid starts. Since April 25, LA's rotation is 11-1 with a 2.19 ERA. The Dodgers have thrown five shutouts, second to the Cubs for the NL lead.''Just continue to pass the torch, so to speak,'' Hill said.Corey Seager, Joc Pederson and Max Muncy also homered at one of the Dodgers' most comfortable road stops. They're 34-22 at Great American Ball Park, the second-best mark by any NL team, trailing only the Mets' 32-19 record.Bellinger also had a double, raising his batting average to .410.The Reds couldn't overcome another subpar start by Anthony DeSclafani (2-2), who lasted only four innings for the second time in a row. He gave up four runs and six hits as the Dodgers repeatedly hit line drives. Only one of his outs came on a ground ball.''Nothing was working,'' DeSclafani said. ''It's pretty embarrassing for myself, to say the least. I've got to be better. I was lucky. They were crushing line drives right at people.'' Cincinnati was blanked for the sixth time, second most in the majors. Only Miami is worse with nine shutouts.Bellinger doubled and Seager homered in the second inning. Pederson hit his 14th homer leading off the third, and Muncy connected three pitches later for a 4-0 lead. Bellinger added his 16th homer, the second-most in the NL behind reigning MVP Christian Yelich.DODGERS MOVESLos Angeles recalled infielder Matt Beaty and selected the contract of outfielder Kyle Garlick from Triple-A Oklahoma City. Beaty went 2 for 3 with the Dodgers from April 30 to May 5. The 27-year-old Garlick would make his major league debut.REDS MOVESInfielder Josh VanMeter was optioned to Triple-A Louisville and reliever Cody Reed was recalled, giving the Reds another left-hander for the series.QUOTE OF THE DAYGarlick, on learning he was getting his first promotion to the major leagues: ''I didn't know what to do. I was kind of in shock. ... I'm still kind of in disbelief.'' DeSCLAFANI'S STRUGGLESIn his last two starts, DeSclafani has given up eight runs, 14 hits and four homers in eight innings. He fell to 1-5 career in six starts against the Dodgers.TRAINER'S ROOMDodgers: Kenta Maeda went on the 10-day injury list. He fouled a ball off his left thigh in his start Wednesday, a 2-0 win over the Padres . ... Justin Turner fouled a ball off his left shin in his second at-bat and left the game two innings later. X-rays were negative. He's expected to miss the second game in the series.UP NEXTDodgers: Walker Bueheler (4-0) beat the Reds 3-2 on April 17 at Dodger Stadium, allowing one unearned run and three hits in 6 1/3 innings.Reds: Tyler Mahle (0-5) gave up a career-high 11 hits and four runs in six innings of a 6-1 loss at Dodger Stadium on April 16.---More MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Surging Reds set to host NL-best Dodgers The Cincinnati Reds beat the top team in the National League Central and the rain on Thursday night.On Friday, the Reds will just have to beat the NL's best team.Fresh off a series win over the Chicago Cubs that featured a rain-interrupted victory in the finale, Cincinnati will play host to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a three-game series that begins at Great American Ball Park on Friday.The Dodgers own the National League's best record -- 29-16 -- and pace the NL West at the quarter-season mark.The Reds' biggest opponent on Thursday turned out to be the inclement weather that consumed the stadium in the second inning with the Cubs ahead 2-0.As the game continued and the rain became nastier, it appeared the home side had one last shot to at least tie the game -- in the bottom of the fifth.Having produced just two harmless singles against Cubs starter Jose Quintana, Cincinnati scored three times in the frame on a homer by Jose Peraza, a wild pitch from Quintana and a go-ahead single by Eugenio Suarez.The game resumed after a delay of nearly two hours, and the Reds tacked on an insurance run as Suarez lashed his second RBI single.Relievers Michael Lorenzen, Amir Garrett, David Hernandez and Raisel Iglesias kept staff ace Luis Castillo as the pitcher of record after his 5 1/3 innings of work in the 4-2 win -- the club's fifth win in its last seven games.Castillo (5-1, 1.90) is making his best pitch to be the last-place Reds' All-Star representative, but he has already convinced Cincinnati skipper David Bell."He's been consistent. He's had a good start every time out, starting with opening day," Bell said of Castillo, 26. "His makeup, the talent, the way he competes... There's no reason why he can't be one of the best pitchers in the game, and right now he is." Bell will send out right-hander Anthony DeSclafani (2-1, 4.17), who will look to rebound from a poor start in San Francisco on Saturday, when he allowed four runs on eight hits in four innings.In five starts against the Dodgers, DeSclafani is 1-4 with a 4.11 ERA.Los Angeles left-hander Rich Hill (0-1, 4.20) will make his fourth start this season following a strained knee suffered in spring training.Hill, 39, didn't make his first regular-season appearance until April 28, when he faced the Pittsburgh Pirates.The lefty has struggled early in games, allowing five of his seven runs in the first inning across three starts.In his last start, the opener of last weekend's home series against Washington, Hill started slowly as his first-inning issues crept up again. Former Dodger Howie Kendrick slugged a three-run homer on a curveball to lay the foundation in the Nationals' 6-0 romp.That loss snapped the Dodgers' 10-game home winning streak, but manager Dave Roberts was more concerned about Hill's early problems in the opening inning, and said the staff had thought about altering Hill's preparation for his starts."If you look back to the last couple years, there was something similar to that where we sort of changed his regimen to combat that," Roberts said. "I haven't dug into Rich's pre-game routine because I still feel his intensity and intent is always there." Hill is 4-3 with a 3.73 ERA in 11 career appearances (nine starts) against the Reds.--Field Level Media
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