Dodgers Recap: Sheehan Shines, Pages Pops as LA Shuts Out Cincy in Opener

CHAVEZ RAVINE — Andy Pages powered the party, Emmet Sheehan shoved, and the Dodgers reclaimed sole possession of first place. All in all, an excellent homecoming for the Dodgers. The young center fielder was responsible for six Dodger runs—three on baseballs he personally launched into the stands and two more on a ball he put in play that the Reds kicked around—then he added a late sacrifice fly for good measure. Add Emmet Sheehan dealing one of the best starts of his young career, a highlight-reel gem from Mookie Betts, and a couple of tack-on runs, and you get a clean, satisfying 7–0 win at Dodger Stadium.

Pages, pages, pages

Pages set the tone in the third with a solo shot to left, then ambushed Hunter Greene again in the fifth, riding another breaking ball out to left for a two-run homer. In the sixth, with the bases loaded, his routine grounder turned chaotic when Elly De La Cruz booted it and left fielder Austin Hays compounded the mess with a throwing error—two more Dodgers crossed. It won’t show up as RBI, but Pages’ bat forced the action. He tacked on a sac fly in the eighth to make it six runs he had a hand in, four credited to him in the book. That’s a star’s night at the office.

Sheehan’s best stuff

On the mound, Sheehan was flat-out dominant: 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 10 K—a career-high in punchouts. He dotted the edges with the heater, got empty swings up the ladder, and kept Reds hitters off his change and slider all evening. The first inning told you he had it—he blew away Noelvi Marte and then struck out Elly De La Cruz to cap a 1-2-3 frame—and he never really wobbled after that. Jack Dreyer handled the eighth, and Anthony Banda finished it off.

Mookie’s mini-revival continues

Betts is starting to look like Mookie again. He singled sharply in the first and later crushed a seventh-inning line-drive homer to left. In between, he uncorked the defensive play of the night: with two down in the seventh, Ke’Bryan Hayes scorched a hopper deep into the 5-6 hole and Betts, playing short, laid out to snare it and fired a seed to first to end the inning. That’s a rally-killer and a momentum keeper. The behind-the-back double play he hit into earlier? Consider it erased.

Tack on time

This wasn’t a one-and-done outburst. After Pages’ early fireworks built a lead, the Dodgers kept the foot down. They cashed in when the Reds kicked the ball around in the sixth, then Betts added the solo blast in the seventh, and Pages’ sac fly in the eighth turned it into a full-on cruise. That “keep scoring” gear matters in August and September—it saves the bullpen from high-wire acts and lets Dave Roberts line up his leverage arms for tomorrow instead of tonight.

The standings smile again

The win paired with the Padres’ 9–6 loss in Seattle nudges the Dodgers back into sole possession of first place in the NL West by a half-game. That’s not vibes—that’s math.

Greene vs. breaking balls, and why Pages feasted

Hunter Greene’s stuff is elite, but when you show hitters multiple sliders and curveballs in the zone, comfortable swings happen. Pages looked like he was sitting spin and attacking out front—both homers were pulled to left, not carved the other way. It’s a tiny window into his growth: when a rookie starts punishing a frontline arm’s secondary pitches, you’re not just hot—you’re learning.

Sheehan’s blueprint

Dominant starts often share a few common threads: early strike one, fastball life that plays above the barrel, and a complementary breaker for finish. Sheehan checked all three boxes. He got quick outs on the edges, rarely had to show a third time-through trick, and trusted his defense—see Betts at short and Michael Conforto’s leaping grab in the second—to finish plays. That’s repeatable.

Box-score nuggets

• Pages: 2-for-3, 2 HR, SF, four RBI, and involved in six runs total.
• Betts: 2-for-4, HR, plus the web-gem on Hayes.
• Conforto: Two doubles and that early theft at the wall helped swing momentum.
• Team RISP: Only 1-for-8, which tells you how much of the damage came via thump and pressure rather than stringing singles.

What’s next: Kershaw vs. a familiar foil

Tuesday night sets up as a fun one: Clayton Kershaw opposes Nick Martinez (first pitch 7:10 p.m. PT). Martinez has been a thorn in the Dodgers’ side over the years; he enters with a 1.76 career ERA vs. Los Angeles (12 appearances). However you slice it, he’s historically made Dodger bats work for everything.

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