Dodgers win again behind another Max Scherzer scoreless start

CINCINNATI — Death, taxes … and Max Scherzer?

Nine starts into his career in blue – however long it might last – Scherzer has been a sure thing. He pitched another seven scoreless innings, allowing just two hits as the Dodgers beat the Cincinnati Reds 5-1 on Saturday afternoon.

The Dodgers have won all nine of Scherzer’s starts since he was acquired from the Washington Nationals at the trade deadline. As a Dodger, Scherzer has posted a 0.78 ERA (just five earned runs in 58 innings) – dropping his MLB-best mark for the season down to 2.08 – while holding opposing batters to a .150 average (29 for 183) with 79 strikeouts.

And he has only gotten better. Scherzer has not given up an earned run in 36 2/3 innings over his past five starts while striking out 48, giving up just 14 hits and three walks.

“I was there for at least parts of his Cy Young years (in Washington, 2016 and 2017) and for me this is as good as I can remember him,” said Trea Turner, who came to the Dodgers in the same trade. “He’s been so efficient lately, which in the past he would have his games when he would throw 100 pitches in six innings and have to grind it out.

“His last few starts, I feel he’s been so efficient and he’s still striking people out. Yeah, probably the most dominant I’ve seen him or at least tied for it.”

For Reds manager David Bell, it was the same old Scherzer. In nine career starts against the Reds, Scherzer has a 1.89 ERA and an 0.90 WHIP.

“Like we’ve seen,” Bell said. “We have faced him before and he can take over a game. That’s what happened today. He did that and made it really tough on us. Just a great pitcher.”

But Scherzer wasn’t at his best early Saturday. He walked two in the first four innings – after walking just one in his previous four starts – and had to work out of jams in the second and third innings.

In the second, a walk and an infield single put two on with one out. But Scherzer struck out Tucker Barnhart and got Delino DeShields Jr. to bounce out. In the third, Jonathan India doubled and got to third base with two outs. Scherzer got Nick Castellanos to fly out and strand India.

After a leadoff walk to Joey Votto in the fourth inning, Scherzer retired the final 12 batters he faced.

“He’s phenomenal every time he takes the mound, man,” said Reds veteran third baseman Mike Moustakas, who has faced Scherzer 40 times in his career, going 6 for 39 (.154) with 12 strikeouts. “He’s such a competitor. I’ve faced him my entire career, dating back to (Scherzer’s days in) Detroit.

“Watching him pitch all those years, he just seems to get better and better. His stuff just keeps getting better. His location keeps getting better. His spin keeps getting better and his ability to command the strike zone just gets better. It’s a tough at-bat the minute you step in the box. You just have to hope he makes a few mistakes and he just didn’t today.”

The Dodgers’ offense took awhile waking up from Friday’s shutdown by Luis Castillo. The first 11 batters went down in order against the Reds’ Saturday starter, Sonny Gray.

“Sonny’s a good pitcher. He’s got good stuff,” Turner said. “He makes it hard on us. You saw that first time through the order he kind of had his way. We just kept grinding and kept pushing and Max kept us in the game. Then we executed when we needed to and took advantage of some of their mistakes.”

Turner broke the spell with an infield single in the fourth inning and the Dodgers scored four times in the fifth and sixth aided by poor Reds defense.

Justin Turner led off the fifth with a double into the left-field corner. Chris Taylor bounced a ground ball to Moustakas, who fumbled it then threw it wide of first for an error that put runners at second and third.

Gavin Lux drove them both in with a triple into the right-field corner.

“I thought I put some pretty good swings on his heaters in my first at-bat,” Lux said. “In that situation, infield in, I figured he’d try to get the ball on the ground. So I was sitting soft. I was just trying to get the runs in. Saw the ball up and did my job.”

After being hit in the right forearm by a pitch from the pitching machine before Friday’s game, Lux wasn’t expected to play Saturday. But he was in the lineup with Cody Bellinger out nursing a non-displaced rib fracture in his left side – caused when he collided with Lux in the outfield during Monday’s game.

Lux is batting .400 (8 for 20) with five RBI since being recalled from Triple-A and becoming the Dodgers’ everyday left fielder. Austin Barnes drove him in with a swinging bunt.

In the sixth, Trea Turner beat out another infield single, moved up on a walk and a forceout, then scored on a squeeze bunt by Taylor.

Mookie Betts added an RBI single in the ninth.

The Reds scored an unearned run off Dodgers lefty Alex Vesia in the bottom of the ninth before Kenley Jansen came in with two runners aboard and struck out pinch-hitter Eugenio Suarez to end the game.