As so often happens in this game that we love so much, just when you think you’ve seen everything, you see something new and often unusual.

Such was the case on Thursday afternoon when the Dodgers set out to complete a three-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds after they themselves had been swept in back-to-back series by the Oakland A’s and Houston Astros. The idea was to salvage what had been an otherwise dismal eight-game road trip. Little did they or anybody else know that they would accomplish their goal in a most unusual way.

Usually when a team hits into five double plays and leaves eight runners on base – including leaving the bases loaded with less than two outs three times – and goes 2 for 10 with runners in scoring position, they lose. But on this day it would be one of those double plays – one of the three that Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal would hit into – that would drive in the only run of the game. And since you cannot be credited with an RBI on a double play, that lone run is just out there in space somewhere and credited to no one. Like I said, unusual.

Dodgers co-ace Zack Greinke struck out eight on Thursday afternoon – none greater than that of Reds center fielder Jason Bourgeois in the bottom of the fifth inning with no outs and Joey Votto on second base.
(Video capture courtesy of SportsNet LA)

But wait… there’s more.

Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez would be forced to leave the game after fouling a ball off of his left knee and later Yasiel Puig would have to come out after re-injuring his right hamstring while running out an infield single. Although Puig was safe, the Wild Horse (as Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully calls him) said himself that this time the injury was more serious than when he did the exact same thing a week earlier.

“I felt it a little more than when I hurt it in Oakland,” Puig told LA Times Dodgers beat reporter Dylan Hernandez through an interpreter. “With the treatment I was receiving, I was able to withstand the games, it wasn’t that severe that time. Now, God willing, this one isn’t that severe, either.

“I’m not going to hurry this time because I don’t want what happened to my left hamstring to happen,” Puig added.

As for AGon, he insists that he will play in Friday’s series opener against the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium.

“It started to swell a little bit,” Gonzalez told Hernandez. “I didn’t want it to swell too much. I’d rather take today off and be available tomorrow than play the rest of the game not feeling good and possibly not be able to go tomorrow.”

By the time Puig injured his hamstring in the top of the ninth inning, Dodgers manger Don Mattingly had already used all of his bench players either as pinch-hitters or in double switches. In fact, he was forced to bring in reliever Juan Nicasio to pinch-run for Puig. Unusual.

The box score from Thursday’s 1-0 win over the Reds looks like one you’d see from a spring training game.

Although Dodgers starter Zack Greinke was his normal brilliant Cy Young-caliber self allowing no runs and only four hits while walking two and striking out nine, he ran up his pitch count rather quickly which forced him to come out after seven innings and 109 pitches. And with left-hander J.P. Howell and right-handed closer Kenley Jansen having been used on consecutive days in the first two games of the series, both were unavailable on Thursday afternoon (although Howell did warm up in the bullpen during the game).

As such and much to the anxiety of Dodgers fans, Mattingly brought in right-handers Chris Hatcher and Jim Johnson to pitch the eighth and ninth innings respectively. Although both got through their innings without allowing a run, Hatcher had fans squirming in their seats when he issued a one-out walk to Reds first baseman Joey Votto which was followed by a very deep fly ball to left field off the bat of 2015 Home Run Derby champion Todd Frazier. Fortunately, Dodgers left fielder Andre Ethier was able to catch the ball at the wall. Johnson then retired the Reds in order in the bottom of the ninth inning to preserve the 1-0 win for Greinke while collecting his first save as a Dodger.

Greinke improved his record to 14-3 on the season while lowering his ERA to an MLB-best 1.61 and remains the leading candidate for the 2015 NL Cy Young award. Additionally, before leaving the game with his injured hamstring, Puig extended his hitting streak to 10 games, his longest since his 16-game hitting streak set from April 30 to May 17, 2014.

It was an unusual win indeed – but the Dodgers will gladly take it.