Teoscar brings the thunder, Glasnow deals as Dodgers take series in Detroit

DETROIT -- On a rainy Sunday afternoon, the Dodgers brought a downpour of runs upon Comerica Park -- relative to how they had been swinging the bats lately.

After Teoscar Hernández put L.A. on top with a go-ahead two-run blast in the sixth inning, his team continued to add on in the late innings as the Dodgers beat the Tigers, 6-1. Tyler Glasnow tossed seven innings of one-run ball to help L.A. take two out of three games in Detroit after being swept in three games in Atlanta.

The Dodgers' six runs were their most in their past nine games, since they also scored six runs on Aug. 19 in Colorado. Half of the runs they scored on Sunday had more to do with wildness from Tigers reliever Tanner Rainey than just getting timely hits, but it was nevertheless a performance to build on for a scuffling L.A. offense.

"It was good to see Teo break out today. I know he’s been wanting it," manager Dave Roberts said. "Just the at-bats, the walks, controlling the strike zone, throwing out some hits, building some innings -- it was really good to see."

One day after he made the 27th out for the Dodgers on a ball that was caught at the warning track, Hernández shifted the momentum of the series finale by taking Framber Valdez deep for a no-doubter that traveled a Statcast-projected 434 feet at 106.5 mph off the bat.

"It was a big relief," Hernández said. "Every time you hit the ball like that, especially when you're not having good moments in a while, it feels really nice."

Hernández's first homer since Aug. 3 put L.A. up 3-1, a lead that felt safe with the way Glasnow was throwing the ball.

Glasnow was starting on regular rest -- a rarity for Dodgers starters -- and making his second start since coming off the injured list on Tuesday. The right-hander struck out six and allowed a run on two hits and a walk across seven strong innings on 85 pitches. He attributed the success he had to his ability to be effective in the strike zone.

"It felt good, timing-wise," Glasnow said. "I think, too, when I was falling behind, I was able to get back into the zone. Kind of switching up offspeed pitches. I feel like the heater was a bit inconsistent, which kind of played well for me, I think. It was just kind of sometimes cutting, sometimes sinking."

After Glasnow's final inning, the Dodgers tacked on another three runs in the eighth. During their team-wide slump, they have consistently created scoring opportunities but failed to capitalize on them. They did a better job of cashing in on Sunday, as Max Muncy came through with a pinch-hit RBI single that inning -- although two runs scored on wild pitches from Rainey.

For a Dodgers team that had played five consecutive one-run games -- and lost four of them -- extending the lead late allowed them to get through the rest of the game with much less stress. They used only two relievers, both lower-leverage arms, Kyle Hurt and Seth Halvorsen. After Monday's off-day, the bullpen should be reset for the beginning of a nine-game homestand in L.A.

"Those things are of benefit," Roberts said, "and that was a result of the offense tacking on."

As the Dodgers head into the stretch run, getting their offense on track is a big priority. L.A. ranked 23rd in the Majors with 104 runs scored in August and has been inconsistent at the plate since earlier in the summer.

Rather than address the issue with a formal team meeting, Dodgers players had smaller conversations in the clubhouse to talk through what they need to be doing better at the plate.

"Just talk to each other, talk about when we’re good, talk about when everybody is doing their part, when you’re having a good moment," Hernández said. "Just to remind each other what we work on, what we focus on before every game."

The Dodgers feel that Sunday was a game they could build on. As they close the book on August, it won't be long until they need to dial in their approach for the most meaningful games of the year.

"Everybody goes through struggles. It happens to be for us right now," Hernández said. "But today was a good day just to reflect on what we need to do so we can continue to do the same thing that we did today."