The Los Angeles Dodgers lost 6-2 to the Cincinnati Reds, failing to clinch the National League West after a slow day at the office.
A familiar problem
As in August and for most of the post-All-Star stretch, the Dodgers struggled to generate scoring opportunities again on Wednesday.
With runners in scoring position, the Dodgers went 0-for-11 and left 11 players on base.
The offense generated traffic with eight walks and six hits, but despite 14 different base runners, they scored only two runs.
Will Smith and Mookie Betts did their thing against lefty pitcher Andrew Abbot. Smith went 2-for-3 with a walk, while Betts went 3-for-4 with a walk. Smith was the only one of the pair to drive in the run.
The only other hitter to net an RBI was Tommy Edman, who drove in a run with a sacrifice groundout.
Teoscar Hernandez went 0-for-3 with a walk, and as the team’s hottest hitter, it was quite disappointing.
The pitching staff didn’t do enough
The Dodgers lost Blake Snell after just one inning. He allowed a hit, got a strikeout, and Snell walked to the dugout, put his head down, and went straight into the clubhouse.
After a few minutes, it was revealed that Snell suffered a groin injury.
Seth Halvorsen, Bobby Miller, and Jack Dreyer, all three of whom pitched in what became a bullpen game, allowed two runs each.
Miller was the only player to pitch bulk work, throwing 2.1 frames, but otherwise the bullpen failed to pick up an offense.
The Dodgers have another bullpen game on Thursday, September 17th, so they may make a roster move, but if the offense struggles again, the relievers need to be sharper.
