by Megan Garcia
Blake Treinen spun to his left and shouted “Let’s go” as he walked off the mound. Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson threw his bat to the ground in defeat. The bases-loaded threat was thwarted.
Treinen’s seven pitches in the seventh inning were pivotal in the Dodgers’ 6–3 win over the Orioles on Thursday at Dodger Stadium. They finish the nine-game homestand 7–2 against three American League teams with postseason aspirations.
“I don’t think it was a litmus test or anything (like that),” manager Dave Roberts said. “But it’s still good to go out there and find ways to win baseball games. I thought we did it in different ways throughout the homestand.”
With two outs, Baltimore loaded the bases with a single and back-to-back walks against reliever Daniel Hudson. Treinen was called upon for his fourth appearance since returning from the injured list. The go-ahead run was at first base and Henderson was ready to attack.
After missing with two balls, Treinen worked his way to even the count at 2–2. Henderson fouled off a fastball and slider before he swung through a 90.9-MPH slider.
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“For me, I really just want to be the best at baseball in whatever my role is,” Treinen said. “I just want to be the best at what I do. I’ve been in situations this year that have not been easy for me to swallow, and I’ve come up short for my teammates. (Hudson) has been so elite for us all year, so to pick him up in that situation was like an honor.”
The Dodgers feel good about being chased for the top spot in the National League West. They’re ready to face the Diamondbacks — a team that has been breathing down their necks from second place — with a lineup at full strength.
Chris Taylor knocked in his first RBI since July 13 in the second inning to start the Dodgers’ scoring after missing nearly a month with a left groin strain. Austin Barnes extended the lead in the fourth inning by plating two runs on a double. Mookie Betts and Miguel Rojas added a run each with singles to right field, giving the Dodgers a 5–0 lead.
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Bobby Miller was impressive in his third start since being called up. He retired nine of the first 11 batters he faced without allowing a hit. In the fifth inning, Baltimore’s Colton Cowser hit a two-out, three-run homer off Miller.
“I felt pretty good,” Miller said. “It was just one bad pitch. It seems to be the story of my last few outings — it’s just one bad pitch that I don’t want to look back on.”
Miller capped his outing with a flyout after Cowser’s home run. His second win of the season consisted of five innings, two hits, three runs (all earned), three walks, three strikeouts and one homer. He threw 48 strikes among his 86 pitches.
Updates on Freeman, Yamamoto and Glasnow
Freddie Freeman is expected to return to the starting lineup for the series opener in Arizona on Friday. Due to a broken finger, Freeman has not appeared in a game since Aug. 26. The first baseman sustained the injury on Aug. 17 in St. Louis.
Tyler Glasnow will play catch on Friday and — if he feels good — will throw again over the weekend, Roberts said. Glasnow’s timetable to return from right elbow tendinitis is still to be determined for the remainder of the season.
“We’re hopeful (we’ll see him again),” Roberts said. “I think that there are a lot of variables to be certain, but I think everyone in the organization is hopeful.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched two innings for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday. He was tagged for one earned run on one hit (a home run) and struck out two batters. The righty tossed 31 pitches and landed 23 strikes.
Yamamoto will make his next rehab start within the next week.
Where They Stand
The Dodgers (80–54) extended their lead over the Diamondbacks (76–58) in the National League West to four games. They are the first team in MLB to reach the 80-win mark.
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Blake Treinen shuts down Orioles in nail-biter win was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.