This time Skip Schumaker, Hyun-Jin Ryu lead Dodgers to 4-1 win

Skip Schumaker doesn’t look like a guy who would try to steal the spotlight. A guy who would photo bomb that nice picture of Hyun-Jin Ryu and Shin-Soo Choo’s big moment.

But there he was, playing only because Carl Crawford was sick, and coming up with big hits in the Dodgers’ 4-1 victory over the Reds on Saturday night before a Dodger Stadium crowd of 52,675.

The matchup between Ryu and Cincinnati’s Choo, both from South Korea, was a first. And if Ryu did not disappoint on the mound -- holding the Reds to one run and two hits in his seven innings, retiring his last 13 batters -- it was Schumaker who made the difference offensively.

Ryu (9-3) was locked up in a 1-1 tie with Cincinnati’s Bronson Arroyo through four innings when Mark Ellis led off the bottom of the fifth with a single and was bunted to second by Ryu.

That brought up Schumaker, who on Monday had hit his first home run of the season. Make that two homers. Schumaker sent a sinker by Arroyo out to deep center field, the blast giving the Dodgers a 3-1 lead.

Schumaker also hit a one-out double off Alfredo Simon in the seventh and scored on an Adrian Gonzalez single.

The Dodgers have now won eight of their last nine games as well as 25 of their last 31. Saturday’s victory returned their lead in the National League West to 1 1/2 games over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The times continue to be good for the Dodgers.

More than 90 credentials were issued to Korean media, eager to watch the first game between Ryu and Choo. They faced off three times, Choo going 0 for 2 with a walk and a strikeout.

The Dodgers gave Ryu a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Yasiel Puig walked -- flipping the bat in the process -- and then in his indomitable fashion, tagged and took second when Gonzalez flied out to Jay Bruce in right. He stole third and scored when Hanley Ramirez dunked a double into center.

Ryu gave the run back in the second inning when Bruce homered into the right-field pavilion. But after a third-inning double to Chris Heisey that just eluded the glove of Andre Ethier in center, Ryu never allowed another baserunner.

Kenley Jansen pitched a scoreless ninth inning to earn his 14th save and second in as many nights.

Schumaker is hitting .405 (15 for 37) in his last 13 games, with six runs batted in and eight runs scored.