Knowing they had to play a near-perfect game because they were facing Clayton Kershaw Tuesday night in Dodger Stadium, they did the flip-flop and floundered again, a 6-3 loss.
And with only 29 games left, time is fast slipping away because they are now 3 1/2 games behind the New York Mets in their quest to qualify for the playoffs.
A throwing error by Austin Hays, a misjudged fly ball by Noelvi Marte and an uncalled for bunt by Marte were the self-inflicted wounds this night that led to Cincinnati’s fifth loss in six games.
Kershaw, who turns the pitchers mound into a one-man stage show, doesn’t need any help. His fastball has passed him by, but chasing his breaking pitches the way the Reds did is Trivial Pursuit.
Spencer Steer, batting leadoff while TJ Friedl took a day of rest, led the game with a double. Elly De La Cruz singled him to third and he scored on a ground ball by Hays.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
That was it. After De La Cruz’s single, Kershaw retired the next 14 in a row and left after five innings with a 2-1 lead.
The Reds never caught up and Kershaw pushed his record to 8-2, 5-0 in August with a 1.95 earned run average as the 39-year-old left-hander continues his trip toward Cooperstown.
The mistakes?
After the Reds took the 1-0 lead in the top of the first, the Dodgers tied it in the bottom half.
Reds starter Nick Martinez gave up a one-out single to Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman singled to left. Betts stopped at third. . .until Hays threw the ball wildly past second base and Betts trotted home on the error.
The Dodgers took a 2-1 lead in the fourth on a leadoff double by Teoscar Hernandez, an infield hit by Michael Conforto that knocked the glove off pitcher Martinez and a sacrifice fly by Kike Hernandez.
After Kershaw left with a stiffening back and only 72 pitches, Matt McLain and Steer opened the sixth with back-to-back singles against relief pitcher Edgardo Henriquez.
So it was LA 2, Reds 1 with no outs and two on. On his own, Marte tried to bunt the runners over. He popped it up to Henriquez and he whipped a quick throw to second to double-up McLain.
End of rally.
Asked if he bunted on his own, Reds manager Tito Francona told reporters, “Yeah, trying to do too much. I’d rather see him hit one off that scoreboard. Just a young guy trying to do too much.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Will Smith, 1 for 20 with 11 strikeouts, led the sixth with a home run. The Dodgers put a couple more runners on base to bring up pinch-hitter Miguel Rojas.
Starting in center field for the first time in his life was Marte. Rojas drove one right at him and Marte got turned around, misjudged and misplayed it, and it went over his head, a two-run double to make it 5-1.
Shohei Ohtani followed with a run-scoring single, only his second hit in 19 at bats against the Reds this season, and it was 6-1.
“If you’re going to criticize somebody for Marte’s play, I’d rather you criticize me for playing him there. I think the kid is doing a good job. It isn’t perfect, but I still feel there’s a real good outfielder there,” Francona said.
“The ball over his head is the same ball he’s had a tough time with in right field, where he has to take a drop step glove side. He didn’t have a clean route after it and it ended up being a big play.”
The Reds scored two runs in the seventh on a two-run home run by Austin Hays, but that was as close as they got.
Asked about the dastardly results when a team makes mistakes against the Dodgers, Francona said, “Yeah, well, against any team, but especially against a team like this. You give an extra out or an extra opportunity, it hurts because they make you work so hard anyway.
“I thought Martinez pitched really well (5 1/3 innings, four runs, seven hits), but you look up and it’s the sixth and he’s near 100 pitches (104 for the game). That’s because their lineup is kind of relentless.”
After getting two hits and a run in the first inning, the Reds were as useless as a spinning sprinkler with no water.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
“We started chasing him around a little bit,” said Francona about Kershaw. “He started throwing that slow curve ball and a change-up and we started following him around and it got harder for us.”
That’s why Kershaw already has one leg inside the front door of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Nick Lodolo returns from his hiatus with a blister Wednesday in an attempt to prevent the Reds from getting swept for the first time this season.
He draws Shohei Ohtani as his mound opponent and it’s Ohtani bobblehead night.
NEXT GAME
Who: Cincinnati at L.A. Dodgers
When: 8:40 p.m.
TV: FanDuel Sports
Radio: 1410-AM, 700-AM
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