Game One
[MONDAY] Alex Wood struggled through what could be considered his worst outing of the year, wasting the Dodgers’ well-played game of offense against a team that swept LA in four games earlier this season.
Wood was yanked after three and two thirds innings, giving up six earned runs on eight hits and two walks. Surprisingly enough, even while stumbling through his performance, Wood racked up six strikeouts. Translated to a K/9, Wood would have recorded 14.75 K’s in a complete game.
Summoned from the ‘pen to take over in just the fourth inning was Pat Venditte, who finished off the inning and pitched through a scoreless fifth. Following Venditte, in order, was Ryan Madson, Josh Fields, and Zac Rosscup. Madson was the only reliever who seemed to hit a few bumps during their outing, yielding three runs in the sixth inning. Fields and Rosscup both pitched scoreless outings to help keep the Dodgers in striking distance until the very end.
The Dodgers offense showed up, but simply not enough of it as the pitching faltered. Chris Taylor seems to be getting hot down the stretch after launching his second home run in three days. Yasmani Grandal also stepped up with a solo jack in the sixth inning. The team went a collective 4 for 13 (.307) with runners in scoring position, leaving nine runners on base in the game.
Dodgers lose to the Reds, 10-6. (Reds lead series, 1-0)
Game Two
[TUESDAY] Hyun-Jin Ryu pitched a decent start against the Reds in Cincinnati on Tuesday night but had nearly no support from the offense as the Dodgers drop their sixth consecutive game at the hands of the Reds this season.
Ryu tossed five innings complete, yielding three runs on eight hits and a walk. Ryu also served up two home runs in his outing, both solo shots. By the end of his outing, Ryu had collected a clip of six punchouts against Cincinnati.
Emerging from the bullpen to relieve Ryu, in order, was Dylan Floro, Scott Alexander, and Pedro Baez. Each pitcher threw a scoreless outing, combing to allow two hits and one walk. Floro led the three relievers in K’s, posting a total of two.
The Dodgers offense couldn’t amount for any runs until the sixth inning against Luis Castillo, when Joc Pederson hit a solo home run to right field. The team finished with only 5 hits, going 0 for 4 (.000) with runners in scoring position, including a bases loaded opportunity. There is not much to be said after a dismal performance from nearly every turn of the game for the Dodgers, especially against a last-place team.
Dodgers lose to the Reds, 3-1. (Reds lead series, 2-0)
Game Three
[WEDNESDAY] Ross Stripling struggled early but seemed to find a groove in his outing, pitching a scoreless game excluding the first inning. And while Stripling pitched a good game, the offense showed up in a big way to avoid losing all seven games to the Reds in 2018.
Stripling, held to a limited pitch count following his recent DL stint, pitched three and one third innings, allowing only one run on a first inning solo home run off the bat of Jose Peraza. Stripling finished his precautionarily shortened outing with four strikeouts after dishing a slider that seemed to have all of the motion it needed to fool hitters in Cincinnati.
Because of Stripling’s early exit, the bullpen had lots of work to do, and didn’t disappoint. In order, the Dodgers sent out Zac Rosscup, Caleb Ferguson, Dylan Floro, Pat Venditte, Josh Fields, and Kenley Jansen. Ferguson earned the win as he began and ended the fifth inning. Overall, the bullpen pitched a two-hitter, allowing no runs and punching out seven batters. Great stuff from the relievers!
The Dodgers’ offense exploded in the final game versus Cincinnati, collecting eight runs on eleven hits. The only long ball for the Dodgers was a solo shot in the fourth inning; Joc Pederson’s 21st on the year. The other seven runs posted by the Dodgers came on RBI base hits from Yasmani Grandal and Justin Turner. One run also came across on a fielding error. The Dodgers were 4 for 12 (.333) with runners in scoring position in the game.
Dodgers defeat the Reds, 8-1. (Reds win series, 2-1)
Dodgers-LowDown ‘Player of the Series’
While only playing two of the three games in the series (PH-ing in game one), our pick for Player of the Series this week in Cincinnati is Joc Pederson. The fire he lit with getting the Dodgers on the board in games two and three were tremendous boosters to the team’s morale. It’s always great to see a guy step up when their team is visibly losing confidence, and Pederson did just that. What a series, Joc!
Pederson’s Final Line:
- 8 AB
- 4 H (2 HR)
- 3 R
- 2 RBI
- 0 BB
Arrick Joel has covered the Dodgers since 2017, and for Dodgers-LowDown since 2018. Follow @ArrickJoel and @DodgersLowDown on Twitter for more.