On Saturday night Dodgers left-hander Rich Hill struck out 11 San Diego Padres batters to tie his career high set a decade ago (June 7, 2007) while a member of the Chicago Cubs. But the most important strikeout of the night may very well have been his own in the 8-0 pounding of the friars.

Allow me to elaborate.

Even though the 37-year-old Boston Massachusetts native collected two hits on the night – the first multi-hit game of his 13-year MLB career – and collected his first RBI that didn’t come via a sacrifice since 2009, it was his seventh-inning strikeout that set the stage for Dodgers outfielder Chris Taylor‘s third grand slam of the season.

Hill came to the plate in the top of the seventh inning with one out and the bases loaded, a perfect recipe for an inning-ending double play even on a bunt attempt. In fact, it is quite possible that Hill may have even been instructed by substitute manager Bob Geren (who was filling in for a suspended Dave Roberts) to not swing at all, although he did swing at the first pitch of the three-pitch strikeout by Padres right-hander Craig Stammen and checked his swing on the third.

By striking out, Hill avoided hitting into what might have been an inning-ending double play.
(Video capture courtesy of SportsNet LA)

Hill’s strikeout brought a hot-hitting Chris Taylor to the plate, albeit now with two outs. Taylor promptly launched Stammen’s fourth pitch – a 92-MPH fastball – 384 feet into the left field bleachers for his third grand slam of the season, something that hasn’t been done since Matt Kemp‘s three-grand-slam season in 2009.

It’s not wise to groove a fastball right over the heart of the plate to the guy who leads all of baseball in grand slams this season. (Video capture courtesy of SportsNet LA)

Rich Hill striking out and even Taylor’s grand slam were actually moot points long before they happened. The Dodgers already had the game in the bag with two outs in the top of the first inning when a suddenly red hot Logan Forsythe drove in Taylor with an infield single. The Dodgers would go on to add another run in the fourth inning on Hill’s RBI single and two more in the fifth inning on back-to-back home runs by Corey Seager and Justin Turner prior to Taylor’s seventh-inning slam.

Of course, keeping the Padres off the board was essential for the Dodgers to collect their 55th win of the season and 20th in their last 23 games, and Hill certainly saw to this with what was arguably his best outing in a Dodger uniform. Hill shut out the Padres for seven innings, allowing only four hits and one walk to go with his 11 punch outs.

“My mechanics seem to be in sync really well and the ball is coming out of my hand the way I want it to,” Hill said. “Once you can repeat, you’re able to command the zone a lot better. I feel like I’m over the rubber now, as opposed to a two- or three-part delivery. Now everything’s going to the plate.”

Hill was relieved by 28-year-old Dodgers right-hander Brock Stewart, who tossed two perfect innings that included two strikeouts.

As for his Silver Slugger-ish hitting, the extremely intense but good-natured Hill was quick to have fun with it.

“The ball just found the bat, that was it. I don’t think there was too much skill in there,” he said. “It was fun to be on the bases and fun to contribute.”

The Dodgers look to sweep the Padres in Sunday’s matinee game in San Diego. They will send right-hander Kenta Maeda (6-3, 4.15 ERA) to the mound to square off against Padres right-hander Jhoulys Chacín (6-7, 4.76 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 1:40 pm (PT).