Emmet Sheehan delivered his most commanding performance of the season, Andy Pages homered twice, and the Los Angeles Dodgers blanked the Cincinnati Reds 7-0 on Monday night at Dodger Stadium. The victory, paired with San Diego’s 9-6 loss in Seattle, pushed the Dodgers into sole possession of first place in the National League West.
Sheehan (5-2) was nearly unhittable across seven innings, matching his career high with 10 strikeouts while allowing just two hits and one walk. The 24-year-old right-hander gave up a double to former Dodger Gavin Lux in the second inning and a single to Austin Hays in the seventh, otherwise silencing Cincinnati’s lineup during the longest outing of his career. His fastball consistently set the tone, and his command kept the Reds from mounting any real threat.
Pages provided the early offensive spark, sending a solo homer into the Dodgers’ bullpen in left field to lead off the third inning against Reds starter Hunter Greene (5-4). Two innings later, after Michael Conforto doubled to open the frame, Pages connected again with a drive to left, stretching the lead to 3-0. The 23-year-old rookie, who added a sacrifice fly in the eighth for his third RBI of the night, continues to cement himself as a reliable middle-of-the-order presence.
Los Angeles broke the game open in the sixth inning, aided by defensive miscues from Cincinnati. Freddie Freeman doubled, and Will Smith drew a walk before Pages reached for a ground ball that rolled through the legs of shortstop Elly De Los Angeles Cruz. Left fielder Austin Hays then overthrew the plate, allowing both Freeman and Smith to score as the lead swelled to 5-0.
Mookie Betts added a solo shot off reliever Sam Moll in the seventh, his 27th of the season, before Pages’ sacrifice fly in the eighth plated the Dodgers’ seventh run. Freeman also notched his 33rd double of the year, tying Hall of Famer Rogers Hornsby for 37th on the all-time list with 541.
While the Dodgers’ offense capitalized on Cincinnati’s mistakes, their defense was equally sharp. Conforto robbed Spencer Steer of extra bases with a leaping grab at the wall in left. At the same time, Teoscar Hernández delivered two highlight-reel plays in right, including a one-handed snag of Jose Trevino’s liner with his back to the plate and a full-speed collision with the scoreboard to track down a deep fly from Matt McLain.
The Reds, who managed only three baserunners against Sheehan, fell further behind in the National League wild card chase. Greene allowed three runs on five hits with eight strikeouts over five innings, but was undone by the long ball.
The Dodgers improved to 78-55, while the Reds dropped to 68-64. Oddsmakers had Los Angeles as -190 favorites entering the matchup, with Cincinnati at +160. The over/under was set at 8.5 runs, and the Dodgers covered most of that total in a game that ended under.
The series continues Tuesday night with a marquee matchup. Right-hander Nick Martinez (10-9, 4.59 ERA) will start for Cincinnati, while veteran left-hander Clayton Kershaw (8-2, 3.13 ERA) takes the mound for Los Angeles. The Dodgers will look to extend their division lead as the season enters its final month.
