The Los Angeles Dodgers won the first game of their three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds on Monday, a 3-0 victory that secured their spot in the postseason for the 14th consecutive season, tying an MLB record with the Atlanta Braves from 1991-2005.
The Dodgers entered Monday’s game on the back of two losses against the Miami Marlins on the road over the weekend—with the most recent game almost certainly leaving a sour taste in their mouth. LA held a lead throughout the entire game after Josue De Paula crushed his first MLB home run 416-feet, but a ninth-inning collapse saw the Marlins claim the final game of the series in walk-off fashion.
Skubal Spins a Gem
Tarik Skubal was determined to get the Dodgers a win on Monday, putting together his best performance since making the move from the Detroit Tigers at the trade deadline in August.
He threw seven scoreless innings in his dominant outing, striking out nine batters and holding the Reds to just three hits and a walk. His outing was also extremely efficient, as he only threw 90 pitches through those seven innings of work.
Since joining the Dodgers, Skubal has a 2.52 ERA through 50 innings pitched with 57 strikeouts.
Kyle Tucker Continues Swinging Well on the Road
Kyle Tucker kicked off the scoring in the second inning after LA went down in order in the first‚ hitting a solo homer to right field—his 15th of then season and his fourth in the last 10 days.
Tucker turned on an inside fastball near the top of the zone to send the ball 398 feet, which would have been a homer in all 30 MLB ballparks.
Tucker’s numbers are far better on the road than they are at home this season, as he had a 122 wRC+ on the road comp[ard to a 64 wRC+ at home heading into Monday’s game.
Last offseason’s marquee signing continued his solid stretch at the plate in his following plate appearance, drawing a walk to set up left fielder Teoscar Hernandez.
Teoscar Hernandez Adds Some Insurance
Teoscar Hernandez is one of the hottest hitters in the league at the moment, and showed off some of his power in his at-bat in the fourth inning. He wasted no time, jumping on the first pitch to send it over the wall and give the Dodgers a 3-0 lead.
Through the first 12 games of September, Teoscar Hernandez had a .410 batting average with a 1.115 OPS and a 205 wRC+.
His contributions didn’t end in the fourth inning, as he drew a walk in the top of the seventh to lead off the inning and stole a base for just the second time on the road this season. Kiké Hernandez brought him home with a single, making the score 4-0.
Bullpen Bounces Back From Sunday Nightmare
Despite their shortcomings Sunday, the bullpen unit held their own to secure Monday’s win.
Alex Vesia came in for the eighth inning, and promptly dispatched of the bottom of the Reds’ lineup in order. He forced a pop up out of JJ Bleday to kick the inning off, then sent Ke’Bryan Hayes down on strikes immediately afterwards.
Hector Rodriguez made the final out of the inning with yet another pop up.
Even Phillips came in for the ninth inning, and struck out rookie Carlos Jorge to make his way back to the top of the order.
That brought All-Star shortstop Elly De La Cruz to the plate, who managed to work a full count. On the seventh pitch of the at-bat, De La Cruz crushed an elevated fastball 457 feel beyond the bleachers in right-center field.
The homer served as the Reds’ only run of the night, though, as Sal Stewart and Tyler Stephenson both grounded out to end the game.
Dodgers Postseason Outlook
With their spot in the postseason secured, the Dodgers have just one thing to worry about: securing a Top 2 seed for a bye during the Wild Card round. The Dodgers have 91 wins after Monday’s game, and have the opportunity to extend their lead to three games over the Braves if they lost to the Chicago Cubs on Monday.
Their main focus will be on their own series, though, and they’ll look to add another tally into the win column in Tuesday’s game, which starts at 3:40 p.m. PT.
