Teoscar Hernández Homers, Emmet Sheehan Strikes Out 10 as Dodgers Win Fifth Straight

The Los Angeles Dodgers entered Monday already carrying some momentum.

Emmet Sheehan and Teoscar Hernández made sure it continued.

Sheehan tied his career high with 10 strikeouts over 5⅔ innings, while Hernández delivered a three-run home run in the sixth as the Dodgers defeated the Cincinnati Reds 6-3 at Dodger Stadium.

The victory extended Los Angeles' winning streak to five games and improved the Dodgers to 87-57.

It wasn't a typical offensive performance. The Dodgers finished with only three hits, but six walks, two Cincinnati errors and one huge swing from Hernández were enough.

For a team that spent much of the summer struggling to capitalize on opportunities, finding a way to score six runs on three hits was another example of the Dodgers beginning to win games in different ways.

Sheehan Makes His Case With 10 Strikeouts

Sheehan was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City before Monday's game, with Bobby Miller optioned in the corresponding move. It was Sheehan's first Major League start since early August.

His night began with a mistake.

After striking out Héctor Rodríguez to open the game, Sheehan allowed a solo home run to Elly De La Cruz, giving Cincinnati a 1-0 lead in the first.

That ended up being the only run the Reds scored against him.

Sheehan settled in immediately and began missing bats.

He struck out the side in the second, added two more strikeouts over the next two innings and continued cruising into the sixth.

His biggest moment came with Cincinnati threatening late in his outing.

Carlos Jorge singled to begin the sixth. Héctor Rodríguez added another single, putting runners at the corners, and Sheehan struck out De La Cruz for his 10th strikeout of the night. After an ABS challenge resulted in a walk to Sal Stewart, Dave Roberts turned to Alex Vesia with the bases loaded and two outs.

Vesia struck out JJ Bleday to preserve the Dodgers' 2-1 lead.

Sheehan's final line:

5⅔ IP | 3 H | 1 ER | 1 BB | 10 K

He threw 82 pitches, 57 for strikes, and earned his fifth victory of the season.

The 10 strikeouts matched the career high Sheehan originally set earlier this season.

It was exactly the type of performance the Dodgers wanted after bringing him back from Oklahoma City.

Sheehan had earned Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Month honors for August after a dominant stretch in Triple-A, and Monday's outing showed that success could translate back to the Major League level.

Dodgers Take the Lead Without a Hit

Cincinnati starter Chase Burns was dominant early.

Burns held the Dodgers hitless over three scoreless innings while striking out five. The Reds then turned the game over to left-hander Brandon Williamson in the fourth.

Los Angeles finally broke through in the fifth — with plenty of help from Cincinnati.

Hernández opened the inning with a single and stole second. Alex Call was later hit by a pitch, putting two runners aboard with two outs.

Roberts then sent Miguel Rojas up to pinch-hit for Alex Freeland.

Rojas hit a ground ball to third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes, whose throwing error allowed Hernández and Call to both score while Rojas advanced all the way to third.

Suddenly, despite having only one hit, the Dodgers led 2-1.

It wasn't pretty.

It counted just the same.

Teoscar Blows the Game Open

An inning later, Hernández provided a much more conventional form of offense.

Freddie Freeman opened the sixth with a walk.

After Tommy Edman lined out, Freeman stole second and Max Muncy drew another walk.

That brought Hernández to the plate with two aboard.

He didn't miss.

Hernández drove Williamson's pitch over the left-field wall for a three-run home run, giving Los Angeles a 5-1 advantage. It was his 13th homer of the season.

Hernández finished the night 2-for-3 with the homer, three RBIs, two runs, a walk and a stolen base.

And his recent turnaround is becoming one of the more encouraging developments in the Dodgers lineup.

Only days ago, his role was a legitimate topic of discussion.

Since then, Hernández has homered in Detroit, collected three hits against St. Louis, delivered a two-run walk-off double against the Cardinals and now produced another game-changing three-run homer.

The Dodgers gave him the opportunity to work through his offensive struggles.

Right now, that patience is being rewarded.

Reds Chip Away, Dodgers Add Insurance

Cincinnati didn't completely disappear.

Eugenio Suárez hit a solo homer off Seth Halvorsen in the seventh, cutting the lead to 5-2.

The Reds then put runners at the corners against Jack Dreyer in the eighth before Dane Myers drove home another run with a groundout.

The Dodgers' lead was down to 5-3.

Los Angeles answered with an important insurance run in the bottom half.

Edman reached on Cincinnati's second error of the game, and Muncy followed with a double.

After Hernández was intentionally walked, Kyle Tucker grounded into a force play that cut Edman down at home.

That brought Will Smith off the bench.

Smith lifted a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Muncy and restoring the Dodgers' three-run advantage at 6-3.

For a team that has talked repeatedly about productive outs and getting runners home without relying exclusively on the long ball, Smith's sacrifice fly was exactly that type of at-bat.

Evan Phillips Slams the Door

Evan Phillips handled the ninth.

There was no drama.

Phillips struck out Suárez, struck out Matt McLain and retired Carlos Jorge on a fly ball to center to complete a perfect inning.

He earned his first save of the season.

The Dodgers pitching staff finished with 14 strikeouts and only one walk.

That ratio tells much of the story.

Cincinnati collected seven hits and hit two home runs, but the Reds were rarely given additional baserunners for free.

Ohtani Returns After Four Games Off

Monday also marked the return of Shohei Ohtani to the lineup after four consecutive games off.

Ohtani went 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts in his first game back.

The Dodgers had intentionally given him several days to recover while dealing with physical issues that had begun affecting his swing. Roberts said before Monday's game that there remains no timetable for Ohtani to resume throwing, with the team's immediate focus on keeping him healthy and productive as a hitter.

There was no major offensive breakthrough in his return, but simply having Ohtani back in the lineup was the first step.

Los Angeles will continue monitoring how his body responds.

Dodgers Have Now Won Five Straight

A week ago, the Dodgers were heading in the opposite direction.

They had lost the first two games of their series against St. Louis and six of eight overall.

Then Hernández delivered the walk-off double to avoid the sweep.

The Dodgers followed it by sweeping Washington.

Now they have opened the Cincinnati series with another victory.

Five straight wins.

The encouraging part is that the victories haven't all looked the same.

There have been late comebacks.

Big defensive plays.

Strong starting pitching.

Bullpen contributions.

And on Monday, Los Angeles turned only three hits into six runs while Sheehan gave the club exactly what it needed from the mound.

For Sheehan, the performance could also earn him another opportunity.

The Dodgers originally brought him back as a September rotation option after his dominant Triple-A stretch. After 10 strikeouts against Cincinnati, Roberts and the front office have another strong performance to consider as they manage the rotation down the stretch.

And Hernández continues making his own case.

A few weeks ago, the question was whether the Dodgers might reduce his role.

Right now, he keeps producing some of their biggest swings.

Monday was the latest.

Sheehan supplied the strikeouts. Teoscar supplied the power. And the Dodgers' September surge continued with a fifth consecutive win.