Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Cincinnati Reds 8-2 on Thursday, September 17th, to clinch the National League West.
Kyle Tucker’s big day
Tucker has been fantastic lately, and Thursday’s game was a true cherry on top. He went 4-for-5 with two doubles, a home run, and a single, and drove in three runs.
Over the last seven games, Tucker has put up a .375/.467/.917 slash line with three home runs, nine RBIs, five walks, and three strikeouts.
Even over the last 15 games, Tucker is hitting .280/.383/.680 with five home runs and 11 RBIs.
Tucker nearly had a cycle, but when he gapped a ball in the eighth inning, he didn’t push for a triple and held up instead.
Still, this was Tucker’s game and a promising sign of things to come.
It was not just Tucker who played well, though; Freddie Freeman went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a walk, while Max Muncy went 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
Additionally, Miguel Rojas added the eighth run with a solo home run in the top of the ninth.
Considering the Dodgers went 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position on Wednesday, Thursday’s game was a welcome development.
Bullpen bounce-back
Justin Wrobleski looked great for three innings, allowing no hits and pitching them all perfect, with three strikeouts.
He was only at 32 pitches, and if Roberts wanted to stretch him out, he could have, but the Dodgers want to save his best stuff for the postseason.
Additionally, Landon Knack handled the bulk of the relief, allowing just four hits and recording two punchouts over four innings of clean work.
Blake Treinen and Seth Halvorsen each allowed a run, but thanks to Knack and Wrobleski, it was more than enough to finally clinch the division.
