Alex Wood pads All-Star résumé with another scoreless outing in Dodgers' 1-0 win

LOS ANGELES >> Alex Wood sure looks like an All-Star.

Unlike Justin Tuer, the Dodgers left-hander is not the subject of a campaign to rock the vote and erase the snub that left him out on Sunday. For now, Wood has to settle for the likelihood that performances like Wednesday’s will keep him first in line to replace any star (like teammate Clayton Kershaw) who won’t be able to pitch next Tuesday in Miami.

Wood didn’t give up a hit until the fourth iing and struck out 10 in seven scoreless iings Wednesday night as the Dodgers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 1-0.

“One day at a time,” Wood said, chuckling at questions about an All-Star invitation. “I would feel very honored if that happens, very humbled. It’s something you kind of dream about as a kid so it’s hard to even fathom right now.

“I’m just trying to give us a chance to win. I would never look at it (Wednesday’s start) as an audition to get into the All-Star Game. Hopefully it happens. But if it doesn’t, it is what it is.”

Wood has given the Dodgers “a chance to win” when he starts with historic success.

Wednesday’s win moved Wood to 10-0 this season and dropped his ERA to 1.67 (lowest in baseball for anyone who has thrown at least 80 iings). He is the first Dodgers pitcher to start a season 10-0 since Ed Roebuck in 1962. Roebuck pitched in relief. Wood is the first Dodgers starter to go 10-0 since Don Newcombe in 1955 (both Wood and Newcombe did get one of their 10 wins in relief).

According to Elias Sports, Wood is only the sixth pitcher since the All-Star Game was created in 1933 to reach the break with at least 10 victories and no losses.

“I think a lot of it is you see your teammate in Clayton and how he goes at guys and prepares and pitches every game like it’s conceivably his last,” Manager Dave Roberts said. “I think every time Alex takes the mound he has that kind of pitching-with-a-purpose mentality in every pitch.

“He’s been like this from the first pitch he threw this season.”

Wood’s start Wednesday was the sixth time he has tued in a scoreless outing, the 10th time in 13 starts he has allowed one eaed run or less.

Held hitless into the seventh iing by Kershaw on Tuesday night, the Diamondbacks didn’t get their first hit off Wood until Jake Lamb looped a two-out double down the left-field line in the fourth iing. Wood promptly struck out the next batter, Brandon Drury, to strand ruers at second and third.

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The Diamondbacks were 0 for 4 with two strikeouts when they did get a ruer in scoring position against Wood on Wednesday. For the season, batters are hitting just .125 (6 for 48) against Wood in those hazardous situations.

Wood did all of his work against the Diamondbacks with no margin for error. The Dodgers had just four hits in the game, went 0 for 8 with ruers in scoring position themselves and scored the game’s only run in the second iing. Chris Taylor singled and scored from first on a double by Yasmani Grandal.

“I hadn’t seen a whole lot of (Diamondbacks starter Zack) Godley but he’s got a very good curveball. He sinks it down, keeps it down and really competes,” Roberts said. “We didn’t get a whole lot of good swings off him. Fortunately, CT gets a hanging breaking ball and gets a base hit up the middle and Yasmani gets a first-pitch fastball and hits it to the gap.”

Pedro Baez came in to protect the 1-0 lead in the eighth and threw five consecutive balls to start the iing, prompting a mound visit from Roberts. The manager did not berate Baez but chose to “reassure” him, asking for him to slow things down and “have a little more clarity.”

“He just told me he trusted me,” Baez said through an interpreter. “We talked about two pitches that were barely outside. … He told me to just continue to do my job.”

The attitude adjustment worked. Baez’s next six pitches were strikes — five of them at 98 or 99 mph. He worked out of the iing, striking out Dodgers tormentor Paul Goldschmidt.

A night after giving up a three-run home run to Daniel Descalso, Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen closed it out with less drama for his 20th save.

The second consecutive win over the second-place Diamondbacks (and the Dodgers’ 22nd win in their past 26 games overall) moved the Dodgers a season-high 4½ games in front in the National League West.

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