Rich Hill pitched a gem on Sunday to help the Los Angeles Dodgers remain in a tie for the NL West lead, and he apparently did so on short notice.
Hill told reporters after his outing Sunday that he only learned for certain that he would be starting game No. 162 for the Dodgers after he woke up on Sunday and saw a text message from Dodgers manager Dave Roberts telling him so.
Rich Hill didn't find out he was starting Sunday's game until he awoke this morning to a text message from Dave Roberts, who sent it late last night after Hill had already gone to bed. Hill immediately tapped his wife. "I'm starting today," he told her.
— Alden Gonzalez (@Alden_Gonzalez) September 30, 2018
Hill knew that he was in contention to make the start for the Dodgers, but some last-minute changes by the Washington Nationals affected the Dodgers’ rotation. When the Nats decided not to pitch Max Scherzer against the Rockies on Sunday, the Dodgers adjusted and decided to throw Hill in their finale against San Francisco, thereby saving Walker Buehler for the potential one-game playoff against Colorado on Monday.
The southpaw was awesome. He threw seven scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and no walks while striking out seven in a 15-0 win. Hill should be rested and ready for the NLDS if the Dodgers beat the Rockies on Monday.
