– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
Follow @Koiki_Sport Follow @ALOST_Official
BALTIMORE — Before tonight’s contest, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that navigating through this season beset by injuries, and being able to overcome and remain atop the division at the moment, has been the most fun and challenging year that he has had in his illustrious managerial career. The man on the mound encapsulated both the thrills and spills of the Dodgers’ season, and his efficient work against one of the league’s best offenses continued the Dodgers’ winning ways.
Rookie pitcher Michael Grove allowed just one run in his five-plus innings of work, his first win as a starter this season as the Dodgers cruised to a 10-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday evening inside Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Jason Heyward hit a three-run home run to highlight a five-run second inning for the Dodgers, who have won two straight and nine of their last 11 contests.
Despite the season-long injuries (e.g. Walker Buehler, Blake Treinen) and nagging ailments that have plagued both the starting rotation and the bullpen all season long, the Dodgers patched up their arms well enough to stay in shouting distance in the National League West. Now, with three rookies in the starting rotation, Los Angeles is back in familiar environs, on top of the division and playing its baseball, and the slew of young arms that have been asked to be stand and counted in the throes of the dog days of summer have blossomed in each of their last starts.
Grove followed Emmet Sheehan’s winning performance from last night by being efficient with his cutter while working into and out of trouble, particularly in the second inning when the Orioles answered Los Angeles’ five-run second inning with a run in the bottom of the inning and had a runner at second — Aaron Hicks, who doubled home Ryan O’Hearn — with just one out. Grove froze Colton Cowser with a cutter at the bottom of the zone for a called third strike before Adam Frazier grounded out to first to end the threat.
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Tuesday evening’s contest, with all photos taken by DC-area photographer Phillip Peters. After clicking on the first photo to enlarge the picture, make sure to press the left and right arrow buttons to scroll through the rest of the pictures. There are XX pictures in total.
Follow @Koiki_Sport Follow @ALOST_Official
