Similar to a great Drake diss track, the Dodgers went back-to-back off Reds' starter Anthony DeSclafani in the bottom of the fifth inning and Los Angeles defeated Cincinnati 2-1 on a scorching Sunday afternoon at Chavez Ravine.
The Dodgers won their third consecutive game, taking three of four from the Reds over the weekend.
MLB ERA-leader Zack Grienke pitched seven strong innings picking up his 13th win of the season, but got some help in the form of a game-winning solo homer hit by… Zack Grienke.
That's right, Greinke did it all on Sunday, pitching a phenomenal game on the mound, and winning the game with his bat.
"It was a close game, so my homer was nice," Greinke said of the timing of his homer. "I knew I hit it good, and I knew the ball was carrying today. It was a good game all around."
Greinke followed a Joc Pederson home run with a blast of his own as all the Dodgers' runs came on back-to-back solo home runs.
Greinke (13-2) allowed only one run on six hits, with eight strikeouts. He continued to state his case as the favorite for the National League Cy Young Award this season and is unbeaten in his last 11 starts going 8-0 with a 1.1.7 ERA over that span.
"I try not to overthink too much," Greinke said of his mindset over his past 11 starts. "I try and simplify everything."
All three runs in the game were scored in the fifth inning as Cincinnati got to Greinke thanks to a defensive mishap by right fielder Yasiel Puig. After a leadoff single by Marlon Byrd, Puig made a diving attempt on a line drive to right field by Tucker Barnhart. The ball got passed Puig and rolled to the track, allowing the runners to advance to second and third.
"It was a close play and I didn't know if he was going to catch it or not," Greinke said of Puig's attempt. "It was a good effort. It didn't cost us and it was close enough that it was probably a good idea he try for it."
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Byrd scored two batters later on a sacrifice fly by Billy Hamilton.
The Dodgers got the runs back in the bottom half of the inning thanks to Pederson's 23rd home run of the season. The rookie center fielder was inserted back into the eight-hole a couple weeks ago and his hit three home runs since being back at the end of the lineup.
Reds' rookie starter DeSclafani (7-8), went home with the loss despite recording his fifth straight quality start. The Reds right-hander allowed two runs on six hits in six innings with six strikeouts.
Dodgers' closer Kenley Jansen came into the game with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning and recorded his first four-out save since August 14, 2014. It was Jansen's 24th save of the season, passing Jeff Shaw for second place on the all-time franchise saves list with 130.
"It feels great," Jansen said of moving into second on the list. "To be second all-time for one of the most historic organizations feels great."
It was a whirlwind day for Jansen who became a father for the second time earlier in the day. Kaden Isaiah Jansen was born at 9:58AM pacific time, allowing Jansen a few hours of father-son time before heading to the ballpark.
"I talked to Donny and those guys and I told them 'I'm going to come late, but I'm going to pitch this game,'" Jansen said. "It was exciting. I fed off it. I'm anxious to go back to the hospital and see my son."
Greinke's home run was his second on the season and the fourth time the Dodgers have gone back-to-back all season.
Game Notes:
Greinke became the first Dodger pitcher with multiple home runs in a single season joining Darren Dreifort (3) and Chan Ho Park (2).
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