Yoshinobu Yamamoto allowed just one hit over seven scoreless innings while Teoscar Hernandez and Alex Freeland homered to lead the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers past the Cincinnati Reds 4-0 on Tuesday night.
Brock Stewart pitched a scoreless eighth and Tanner Scott finished Los Angeles’ 12th shutout of the season in the ninth.
Freddie Freeman added three hits for the Dodgers (92-59), who clinched their 14th consecutive playoff appearance with a 4-1 win Monday night. They used the same formula Tuesday to close in on another National League West division crown.
With the win, the Dodgers trimmed their magic number to two for clinching their 13th National League West title in 14 seasons. They are also trying to catch the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers for the best record in the NL and home-field advantage until the World Series.
The Reds (70-81) were blanked for a major league-leading 17th time and fell a season-low 11 games under .500 with their seventh loss in eight games. Cincinnati has dropped all five games this season against the Dodgers.
Hunter Feduccia opened the scoring with a line-drive single to center field in the second inning, driving in Max Muncy.
Yamamoto (14-8) walked the first two batters he faced on the night, as Carlos Jorge and Elly De La Cruz reached on free passes. De La Cruz recorded Cincinnati’s first hit with two outs in the third, a double down the left field line. Yamamoto is 5-2 with a 1.98 ERA in 10 starts since the All-Star break.
De La Cruz’s walk in the first inning extended his on-base streak to 22 games, the longest active streak in the Majors. He finished with two hits for the Reds.
Yamamoto struck out seven and walked two during his third consecutive outing of at least seven innings, lowering his ERA to 2.51.
Hernandez unloaded his second two-run homer in as many games, a line drive to the seats in left in the third inning off Cincinnati starter Rhett Lowder (6-11). The right-hander was charged with three runs on five hits in five innings, striking out four and walking two.
Freeland completed the scoring with a solo homer to left field off reliever Pierce Johnson in the seventh. It was his fourth home run of the season.
