Rich Hill struck out nine and allowed two runs in six innings in Monday’s loss. (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

by Rowan Kavner

Manager Dave Roberts isn’t reaching for a panic button. Starter Rich Hill, who kept things tight early before Arizona poured on runs late Monday night, doesn’t want anyone to change routines.

The Dodgers have lost four straight and nine of 10 after Monday’s 13–0 loss to the Diamondbacks, but neither Roberts nor Hill, who allowed just two runs in six innings, has seen a lack of effort from a group that still has eight more wins than any team in baseball.

“Like I’ve said from the beginning, as long as we play the right way and compete, I’ll bet on our guys,” Roberts said, “And we’re still doing that.”

It was clear from Hill’s first few pitches this start would be a rebound from his last one, when he allowed five runs in the first inning last Tuesday in Arizona.

Back at Dodger Stadium against the same team Monday, Hill started the day striking out two and retiring the Diamondbacks in order on 11 pitches in the first inning. He didn’t allow a hit his first three innings and kept the Dodgers within striking distance at the time he left after six innings.

“You win and go deep in the postseason with starting pitching, in my opinion,” Roberts said. “To have Rich reset our starters and have an outing like this tonight, I think that’s a good sign for all of us.”

Roberts said he thought about giving Hill another inning, but the Dodgers needed to find a way to get something going against Arizona starter Robbie Ray, so he pinch-hit for Hill in the sixth inning. Ray had a perfect game until that inning, when Logan Forsythe delivered his first of two hits on the night. Forsythe has hit safely in 10 of 12 games against the Diamondbacks this season.

But hits were tough to come by against Ray, who struck out 14 and allowed three hits in 7 2/3 scoreless innings, becoming the first pitcher ever with four games of 10 or more strikeouts in a single year against the Dodgers.

In what began as a starting pitcher duel, the only damage against Hill came off the bat of J.D. Martinez, who hit a two-run homer in the fourth. But that wouldn’t be the last time Martinez or the Diamondbacks struck on a night that avalanched late.

Pedro Baez relieved Hill and allowed back-to-back home runs in the seventh inning, the first coming off the bat of Martinez for his second homer of the day. Martinez would go on to finish with four homers on the night, including one apiece in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings, as the Diamondbacks scored 11 runs in the final three innings and finished with six home runs on the night.

“We haven’t had many games, if any, like that all year,” Roberts said.

Roberts said he had a conversation with Baez after the game to make sure the reliever’s confidence doesn’t waver after the outing.

“Pedro’s going to be big for us, has been big for us,” Roberts said. “We need him.”

Roberts knows there’s a point where this skid will need to end, but he reiterated that he’s not reaching for any panic button. He said he hasn’t looked too closely at the standings, but he is aware of one fact despite the recent slide.

“We’re still in first place,” Roberts said. “I do know that.”

And that’s by a significant margin.

The Dodgers still have a 12.5-game lead in the division on the surging Diamondbacks, and the Dodgers already have more wins than they did last year with almost a full month left to play.

“Minus the record, minus where we are in the standings, we’re there for a reason,” Hill said. “That reason is because we’ve been able to put that effort in every single day.”

Because that hasn’t waned, Roberts remains confident things will start to go back in the Dodgers’ favor soon.

“The tide will turn,” Roberts said.