Dodgers 2, Reds 1 | DeSclafani good, but Greinke a bit better

“It was about everyone hitting and everyone contributing”.

It is an unlikely truth, one he proved on a terribly hot Sunday afternoon at Dodger Stadium, pitching and hitting the Dodgers to a 2-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

DeSclafani (7-8) allowed two runs and six hits in six innings and struck out six. Running high into the All-Star break was a plus, but this mid season skid better get tossed behind them soon if they want to remain in playoff contention, before the Nets run away with the division. “The ball is coming out of my hand good”. I was able to make some pitches when I had to and get us a quality start. “And the offense was tremendous today”.

Zack Greinke has been called a “good baseball player” rather than simply a “good pitcher”, and it showed why as he held the Cincinnati Reds to one run over seven innings while striking out eight and earning his 13th win, and also helping his own cause by homering for the second time in three games, this one turning out to be the difference in the game.

Rookie Keyvius Sampson (2-1) allowed two runs and five hits in five innings. “There’s a lot to work with”, Reds manager Bryan Price said. “I know I made a few other mistakes, but generally, I just went out there and told myself I was going to leave it all out there on the field and attack and challenge them”. But his command, when he needed it to throw a decent strike, he really struggled to do that.

-LHP Clayton Kershaw will seek his sixth consecutive win Tuesday night against the Oakland Athletics.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are spinning their tires a little bit at the moment, having lost six of their last 10, and their trade deadline pickups aren’t doing much to help the cause.

After a single by first baseman Joey Votto in the first inning, Frazier homered into the bleachers in right center for a 2-0 Cincinnati lead.

It was Frazier’s 29th homer and major league-best 63rd extra-base hit. Wood (8-7), who took a line drive off his foot on a ball hit by Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips in the third inning, struck out three and walked three.

Shaw had a two-run and solo shot, and Castillo’s was a two-run homer in Boston’s highest run total of the season. He most recently pitched Wednesday against his former team, and he posted a 4.76 ERA in four starts and one relief effort for the Blue Jays.

“It was a close game, so my homer was nice”, Greinke said of the timing of his homer. The home run was the second in the last three starts for Greinke, who won a Silver Slugger Award previous year.

“He’s been great”, Gonzalez said.

The game time temperature was 90 degrees on what had been a scorching day by Los Angeles standards. Latos only lasted 4.2 innings and gave up five runs (4 earned).

Manny Parra tossed a scoreless eighth while Pedro Villarreal had a more adventurous ninth, but did not allow the Dodgers to score to seal the victory at 10-3.