Hill (10-3) had a terrific Dodgers debut Wednesday, holding the Giants scoreless on five hits over six innings in a 1-0 win. He struck out three and didn't issue a walk while throwing only 81 pitches.
Manager Dave Roberts clearly wanted to be cautious with the freshly returned veteran lefty, who missed a stunning amount of time with a hand blister, going more than a month between starts. Hill was traded to Los Angeles back at the deadline after sparkling when healthy in the Oakland rotation (2.25 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 90 strikeouts in 76 innings), and with the Dodgers' rotation so banged up, the 36-year-old will be relied upon heavily over the season's final month-plus -- provided he can stay out there.