Dodgers win series vs. Orioles

LOS ANGELES — Before the Dodgers took the field on Thursday, they were well aware of what had taken place around the league. With 29 games left in the regular season entering the day, every team in playoff contention is scoreboard watching to check in on what their opponents have done on that particular night.

For the Dodgers, they saw the D-backs and Padres, the two teams chasing them in the National League West, had lost their respective games. It was an opportunity to gain a game on both.

Los Angeles got on the board early with a Chris Taylor single in the second inning. In the fourth, the bottom of the lineup sparked another rally as Taylor and Gavin Lux both came around to score on an Austin Barnes two-run double that just got over the head of third baseman Ramón Urías, who was drawn in on the infield grass. Mookie Betts and Miguel Rojas later tacked on RBI singles of their own, those two runs serving as the difference.

With the starting rotation going through inconsistencies and injuries, the Dodgers will continue to evaluate their options over the next five weeks. Bobby Miller, who has struggled in his sophomore season, is among those options.

Miller got his outing off to a strong start, holding the Orioles hitless for three innings. The young right-hander, however, ran into trouble in the fifth and paid the price as Colton Cowser hit a three-run homer to cut into the Dodgers’ lead.

L.A.’s bullpen put together another strong performance against the Orioles. No moment was bigger than Blake Treinen striking out Gunnar Henderson to strand the bases loaded in the seventh inning. Four relievers combined for four scoreless innings to secure the series win.

Next up for the Dodgers is a highly anticipated series against the D-backs at Chase Field. The Dodgers and the D-backs have been two of the hottest teams since the All-Star break, making the NL West race one of the closest in the Majors.