LOS ANGELES_The scream erupted from Rich Hill just as the line drive raced into the outfield. He had recorded 17 outs without allowing a hit, and while his escalating pitch count made a bid for history seem unlikely, the single by San Diego Padres veteran Alexei Ramirez still chafed him. On Saturday, in a 5-1 victory, there was little else for Hill to get upset about.
In his second start as a Dodger, Hill replicated a simulacrum of his debut on Aug. 24 against San Francisco. He twirled six more scoreless innings, striking out eight alone the way. He helped his club maintain a two-game advantage on the Giants in the National League West.
Hill has tantalized the Dodgers for weeks. He was scratched from his scheduled appearance earlier this week because of a re-emergence of the blisters on his left hand. But he showed no signs of distress in Saturday's victory.
His teammates handed him a four-run lead in the fourth inning, when Yasmani Grandal capped a rally with a three-run homer. In the sixth inning, Josh Reddick added his first home run as a Dodger. Casey Fien gave up a run in relief in the eighth.
The offense thrashed Padres starter Luis Perdomo during his second turn through the lineup. Earlier in the day, Corey Seager admitted his left wrist still felt sore after getting hit by a fastball five days earlier. But he insisted the discomfort was not the source of his recent mini-slump, with zero hits in 16 at-bats heading into Saturday.
To prove his point, Seager singled in the first inning and again in the fourth. After his second hit, he raced to third base on a single by Justin Turner. Adrian Gonzalez drove him in with the team's third consecutive single, placing runners at the corners for Grandal.
Grandal was in the midst of a slump of his own. He had managed only four hits in his last 25 at-bats. Then Perdomo challenged him with a fastball at the waist. Grandal belted it over the center-field fence for his 22nd homer of the season.
